Baek Gil Geun, Ha In-Hyuk, Lee Yoon Jae, Shin Yeong-Jae, Shin Byung-Cheul
Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine, Gangnam-gu, Korea (the Republic of).
Jaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, Gangnam-gu, Korea (the Republic of).
BMJ Open. 2025 Aug 8;15(8):e094099. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094099.
To examine trends in Chuna manual therapy utilisation for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) following its inclusion in the National Health Insurance (NHI) system in Korea in 2019 using claims data from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA).
Retrospective analysis of NHI claims data.
Nationwide medical institutions, based on HIRA claims data from April 2019 to December 2021.
All patients who received at least one Chuna therapy session during the study period.
Primary outcome: Annual trends in Chuna manual therapy claims.
Patient demographics, therapy frequency, MSD diagnoses and concurrent therapies.
A total of 12 729 625 Chuna therapy claims were analysed, showing a gradual annual increase in utilisation from 2019 to 2021. The most common age group was 45-54 years (22.3%), with female patients comprising a higher proportion (55.8%) than male patients.Low back pain (M54.5), lumbar sprain and strain (S33.5) and cervicalgia (M54.2) were the most common diagnoses. Patients receiving Complex Chuna (50% co-payment) had more treatment sessions than those receiving Simple Chuna or Complex Chuna (80% co-payment), with spinal disorders such as spinal stenosis (M48.0) and intervertebral disc disorders (M51.1, M50.1) associated with higher treatment frequency. Acupuncture was the most common concurrent therapy (97.4%).
This study is the first to comprehensively analyse Chuna therapy utilisation using nationwide NHI claims data. The findings confirm that Chuna therapy is widely used for MSDs, particularly among middle-aged and elderly patients with spinal or muscle-related conditions. Patients with severe or chronic spinal diseases were more likely to receive frequent Chuna therapy sessions. These results provide insights into the utilisation patterns of Chuna therapy and highlight the need for further research to refine reimbursement policies based on disease severity and patient characteristics.
利用韩国健康保险审查与评估服务机构（HIRA）的理赔数据，研究2019年春那手法治疗纳入韩国国民健康保险（NHI）系统后，其在肌肉骨骼疾病（MSD）治疗中的使用趋势。
对NHI理赔数据进行回顾性分析。
基于2019年4月至2021年12月的HIRA理赔数据，涵盖全国医疗机构。
在研究期间接受至少一次春那治疗的所有患者。
主要结局：春那手法治疗理赔的年度趋势。
患者人口统计学特征、治疗频率、MSD诊断和同时进行的治疗。
共分析了12729625例春那治疗理赔案例，结果显示2019年至2021年其使用率逐年稳步上升。最常见的年龄组为45 - 54岁（22.3%），女性患者比例（55.8%）高于男性患者。下背痛（M54.5）、腰部扭伤和劳损（S33.5）以及颈部疼痛（M54.2）是最常见的诊断。接受综合春那治疗（50%自付费用）的患者比接受简单春那治疗或综合春那治疗（80%自付费用）的患者治疗次数更多，脊柱狭窄（M48.0）和椎间盘疾病（M51.1、M50.1）等脊柱疾病的治疗频率更高。针灸是最常见的同时进行的治疗（97.4%）。
本研究首次利用全国性的NHI理赔数据全面分析了春那治疗的使用情况。研究结果证实，春那治疗广泛应用于MSD，尤其是在患有脊柱或肌肉相关疾病的中老年患者中。患有严重或慢性脊柱疾病的患者更有可能接受频繁的春那治疗。这些结果为春那治疗的使用模式提供了见解，并强调需要进一步研究以根据疾病严重程度和患者特征完善报销政策。
