The study analyzed the trend in low-value care resulting from expanded coverage for brain MRIs
On June 9, graduate student Bae Gi-ryeon, who is enrolled in the integrated master’s and Ph.D. program in the Division of Health Policy and Management at Korea University (President Kim Dong-one), received the Early Career Investigator Award at the 2025 AcademyHealth conference.
‘AcademyHealth is a globally recognized organization in the field of health policy and health services research, hosting an annual conference that brings together researchers from across the U.S. to share their work. The Early Career Investigator Award, presented by the Quality & Value Interest Group, recognizes early-career researchers who have made significant contributions to improving healthcare quality and value.
Professor Park’s team earned the award for their study analyzing the impact of a 2018 policy that expanded Korea’s national health insurance coverage for brain MRIs. Their research provided empirical evidence of how the policy influenced the use of low-value care.
*Use of low-value care: medical services with limited clinical benefit or minimal value to patients
According to the study, after the coverage expansion, the use of low-value MRIs for patients with simple headaches increased 3.6%p, leading to an estimated KRW 86.4 billion increase in healthcare spending. This rise was particularly pronounced in general hospitals and larger institutions with greater service capacity.
The study was recognized for systematically identifying unintended side effects of the policy and for highlighting variations in hospital responses, thereby broadening the scope of future healthcare policy research.
Award recipient Bae Gi-ryeon remarked, “While coverage expansion policies play a crucial role in reducing patients’ financial burden and improving access to care, ensuring the system’s sustainability requires policy designs that consider clinical value—not just access.” He added, “I hope to continue contributing to society through evidence-based health policy research.”
Professor Park stated, “This award not only marks a major academic achievement for our Korea University research team, but also demonstrates the international competitiveness of Korea’s health policy research. By empirically showing that major health insurance policies like coverage expansion can have unintended consequences, our study has both academic significance and offers meaningful insights for future policymaking.”
