The Covid-19 pandemic has generated a lot of attention and use of digital therapies (DTx) around the world.

Experts said DTx would be used to treat chronic diseases, but Korea needs national preparation such as a dedicated body to promote DTx.

A research team from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA), led by Lee Jin-yong, Director of HIRA’s Research Institute, published an article titled “Reimbursement of Digital Therapeutics: Future Perspectives in Korea” in the Korean Circulation Journal. .

The research team said that DTx treating various diseases such as hypertension is expected to be developed soon and the demand for DTx will increase.

“Therefore, there is an urgent need to define and prepare DTxs, relevant support systems and health insurance coverage lists,” the research team said. “Several support systems should be considered, including government grants, science/technology funds, and health insurance.”

Digital healthcare extends from wellness to disease prevention or management and even treatment. Therefore, as people’s awareness of contactless health care has improved due to Covid-19, Korea should expand the support and scope of DTx, just like other countries, the official said. ‘Research Team.

DTx is primarily developed to treat mental health, but treatment areas extend to chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

The HIRA research team noted that chronic diseases are closely linked to lifestyles such as physical activity, smoking and dietary habits. Therefore, DTx can help manage chronic disease by encouraging lifestyle changes and reducing the socio-economic burden of chronic disease.

“DTx is expected to meet new medical demands and create value in terms of the economy, and many countries are preparing policies to support DTx,” the research team said.

The FDA recently relaxed its regulations on digital technologies to improve access to medical services under the constraints of Covid-19.

Each country has different definitions, regulations, assessments and support measures for DTx.

To reduce the financial burden of DTx, countries bear the costs of developing and using DTx, the research team said. Thus, Korea needs to prepare for the introduction and expansion of DTx domestically.

According to the research team, Germany provides financial support for the development of DTx through the Innovation Fund (Innovationsfonds), which is financed by the German health insurance (Gestzlicher Krankenversicherung, GKV).

Japan declared digital transformation action strategies in healthcare for SaMD (software medical device), called “DASH for SaMD”, to support the foundation of DTx development in 2020.

In Korea, the research team said that rather than setting a different standard for introducing DTx into the Korean health insurance system, it would be more reasonable to define the scope of health insurance coverage based on existing criteria and procedures.

As DTx are treated the same way as drugs, the remaining challenges are pricing and determining reimbursement details.

“When DTx is used to assist in the application of medical services provided by physicians, it may be preferable to implement a combined reimbursement method that includes service fees and treatment material costs,” said l ‘Research Team.

Because testing the effect of DTx is important, the UK considers usability assessment when determining DTx coverage. However, in Korea, the research team pointed out that usability evaluation is not considered in the evaluation system of new health technologies.

The UK and Germany have set a period of one or two years for usability evaluation.

Health insurance coverage for DTx requires a reimbursement system that takes into account the value of DTx, rather than the cost, from a long-term perspective, the research team suggested.

“In this regard, either a council should be organized to lead the coverage determination process or a dedicated evaluation committee should be established.”