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The purpose of this study is to identify the distribution of hospital utilization in residential and non-residential areas in accordance with characteristics of hospital inpatients and to investigate factors influencing the use of hospital services in non-residential regions. This study used data from the 2010 National Hospital Discharge Survey collected by the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea. To examine factors influencing medical utilization in non-residential areas, frequency analysis, multiple logistic regression analysis were performed on the data set for 565,241 patients excluding those in long-term care hospitals and clinics, and those discharged due to inpatient hospital death. The results showed that age, gender, place of residence, insurance coverage, medical department, surgical treatment, type of medical institution, possession of MRI system, and number of doctors were statistically significant as influential factors of medical utilization in non-residential areas. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the inpatient medical utilization in other regions is influenced by the quality of medical service, thus highlighting the importance of the local medical quality development, rather than an equal distribution of medical resources.
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