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KMID : 0613620240440010003
Health Social Welfare Review
2024 Volume.44 No. 1 p.3 ~ p.24
The Effect of Usual Source of Care (USOC) on Health Care Utilization in Korea
Lim You-Na

Lee Tae-Jin
Abstract
This study examines the effect of having a Usual Source of Care (USOC) on healthcare utilization and expenditure concerning strengthening primary care. This study constructed a balanced panel of adults aged 20 and above who continuously participated in additional surveys related to USOC, using Korea Health Panel Survey data for the years 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, and 2018. This study employed a panel regression model with fixed effects to control for unobserved time-invariant heterogeneity. The results showed that adults with USOC were less likely to spend medical expenses than those without USOC. Moreover, those with USOC also showed lower health expenditures among patients with hypertension and diabetes. The findings, suggest that having a USOC is associated with lower medical expenses and less hospitalization. The study provides empirical evidence on the effect of USOC on healthcare utilization and finds the potential for change in health expenditure with the introduction of USOC.
KEYWORD
Usual Source of Care, Primary Care, Health Care Utilization, Health Expenditure
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