Saved Medical Expenses with Wrist Doctor 9988... 45,000 Won Less Annually Than Non-Participants

Seoul City Analyzes National Health Insurance Data
"Annual Medical Expense Reduction of 113.4 Billion Won"
Participants Show Improvements in Waist Circumference and Blood Glucose Levels

Seoul City's smart health management app, "Wrist Doctor 9988," has been shown to yield better health and emotional indicators among its users compared to non-users. The app has also demonstrated a clear effect in reducing medical expenses.

On November 18, Seoul City announced that an analysis of the health status of the 2.55 million users of Wrist Doctor 9988 revealed significant benefits, including reduced medical costs, improved health indicators, and enhanced emotional stability.

Analysis of Medical Expenses for Participants and Non-Participants Before and After Joining WristDoctor9988 Project. Seoul City

Wrist Doctor 9988 is a smart health management app launched by Seoul City in 2021, with the name signifying the goal of staying healthy and energetic until age 99. Any citizen aged 18 or older can participate, and the main objective is to help people maintain their health in daily life. Users are awarded points for completing a daily walking mission of 8,000 steps or more. These accumulated points can be converted to Seoul Pay for use.

In December of last year, the city analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service, focusing on 87,090 participants and 870,900 non-participants of Wrist Doctor 9988. To ensure a fair comparison between the two groups in terms of gender, age, disability status, insurance premiums, and chronic diseases, the city applied the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method.

A comparison of the increase in annual medical expenses for participants and non-participants in 2022 showed that participants' expenses rose by 214,650 won, while non-participants' expenses increased by 259,995 won, indicating a smaller increase for participants. Based on this year's 2.5 million participants, it is expected that the annual reduction in medical expense growth could result in approximately 113.4 billion won in savings.

Further analysis within the participant group revealed that those who actively participated experienced an even smaller increase in medical expenses. Active participants, defined as those who walked at least three times a week, saw their medical expense increase reduced by 267,593 won compared to less active participants.

Noticeable physical improvements were also observed. In 2022, participants of Wrist Doctor 9988 showed statistically significant improvements in waist circumference and blood sugar levels compared to non-participants. The proportion of participants with a normal waist circumference increased by 0.4 percentage points, while it decreased by 0.1 percentage points among non-participants. The proportion of participants with normal blood sugar levels rose by 1.2 percentage points, whereas it fell by 0.1 percentage points among non-participants. Additionally, compared to non-participants, the incidence of new diabetes cases among participants decreased by 7.9%, and the incidence of new hypertension cases fell by 9.1%.

The city also investigated changes in participants' qualitative experiences. A survey conducted among 2,200 participants from June to July found that 85% reported an improved attitude toward health. Furthermore, participants noted that walking contributed not only to physical health but also to mental recovery. Among those who participated for more than 12 months, the stress improvement rate was 48.6%, and the average depression score (PHQ-9) dropped from 3.84 to 2.82.

Analysis of Health Effects Between Participants and Non-Participants of Wrist Doctor 9988. Provided by Seoul City

Building on these results, the city will launch the "Wrist Doctor 9988 Super App" on December 1. Considering that over half of the participants are middle-aged or older, the app's interface and features will be made more intuitive. To further enhance the effect of reducing medical expenses, the city plans to integrate a variety of health management services, including Seoul Fitness 9988, metabolic syndrome management, dementia prevention, and smoking cessation, in addition to walking.

Lee Dongryul, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Citizen Health Bureau, stated, "With the advent of a super-aged society, Wrist Doctor 9988 has established itself as a proactive health management tool for Seoul citizens. The Wrist Doctor 9988 Super App aims to evolve from a simple walking app to a comprehensive health management platform, helping citizens form healthy habits and making Seoul a '9988 city' where everyone enjoys good health."

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