New Designation of 'Dementia Safety Hospitals' and Extension of Incentive Pilot Project... "Strengthening Medical Support for Severe Dementia"

Ulsan Metropolitan City Senior Hospital, designated as the 10th Dementia Relief Hospital.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 22nd that it has newly designated a 'Dementia Safety Hospital' specialized in treating patients with severe dementia and will extend the pilot project for health insurance fee incentives to promote treatment.

The Ministry designated Ulsan Metropolitan City Elderly Care Hospital as the 10th Dementia Safety Hospital. Dementia Safety Hospitals are facilities equipped with the necessary infrastructure, personnel, and equipment to intensively treat and manage patients with severe dementia. Currently, Seoul and Jeonbuk are preparing applications for designation next year, so the number of Dementia Safety Hospitals is expected to continue expanding.

Additionally, at the 25th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee (HIPDC) held on the same day, it was decided to extend the duration of the 'Performance-Based Incentive Provision Pilot Project for Dementia Safety Hospitals,' which was set to expire this year, by three more years.

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, who attended the 25th Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee held on the 22nd, is speaking.
[Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

This pilot project focuses on patients with dementia who are difficult to care for at home due to behavioral and psychological symptoms (such as violence, delusions, wandering) and delirium symptoms. It evaluates the outcomes of intensive treatment and community reintegration, providing differentiated fee incentives based on performance.

Over the past two years, seven Dementia Safety Hospitals participated with 49 patients, achieving results such as reduced hospitalization periods and support services linked to Dementia Safety Centers after discharge. However, due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, there were difficulties in expanding participating institutions and patients, and the short project duration limited proper evaluation of its effectiveness.

Therefore, by extending the pilot project, the scope of participating institutions will be expanded, payment criteria improved, and incentive fees will be differentiated according to the staffing levels of participating institutions. Furthermore, from this month, Dementia Safety Hospitals have been additionally designated as institutions recognizing career advancement for mental health specialists (Level 1) and will operate accordingly.

Kim Hae-young, Director of the Dementia Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "We will make further efforts to expand Dementia Safety Hospitals and strengthen medical support so that dementia patients and their families can continue their later lives in their familiar places without worries about treatment and care."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.