The Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) has announced updates to its selective focused review list for auto insurance, which now includes complex chiropractic treatments and spinal MRIs as new additions for the year. These reviews aim to preemptively address medical procedures that see rapid cost increases or become socially contentious. HIRA has been implementing this system since 2017 to encourage appropriate self-regulated care in medical institutions.
This year, the selection process involved gathering opinions from medical associations, consumer groups, and insurance associations, resulting in eight items being listed — four each from Western medicine and traditional Korean medicine. Notably, spinal MRIs from Western medicine and complex chiropractic treatments from traditional Korean medicine have been newly added to the list due to their increasing costs.
In the Western medicine category, other new items include nerve block procedures and specific medical materials such as recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (RHBMP-2) containing bone grafts and secondarily processed human tissue-derived bones. Although these materials are not covered by health insurance, they can be used for traffic accident patients when deemed essential based on symptoms. Traditional Korean medicine continues to focus on herbal medicine, acupuncture, and long-term hospitalization of patients with chronic conditions, reflecting ongoing social interest.
Kim Ae-ryeon, head of HIRA’s Auto Insurance Review Center, stated that they will inform medical associations about the selective focused review items and continue monitoring to ensure medical institutions can maintain appropriate care practices autonomously.