During the visit, the VSS delegation participated in seminars with the World Bank, the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea, social security agencies, and hospitals in South Korea. They also visited and worked at the headquarters of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in Ilsan Hospital.

Deputy General Director of VSS, Nguyen Duc Hoa, delivering opening remarks at the seminar

Representatives from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea welcomed the VSS delegation to South Korea and their participation in the exchange program to learn about the development of DRG payment methods and the application of information technology and artificial intelligence in health insurance appraisal. In response to the warm welcome from South Korea, Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hoa expressed appreciation and gratitude to the World Bank and all agencies and partners in South Korea for their collaboration and support in organizing the program to enhance the capacity of VSS staff. During the seminar, participants shared an overview of the healthcare systems of Vietnam and South Korea, exchanged experiences on the transition to DRG payment in South Korea and its results for public health, and discussed the urgent need to develop new payment methods to replace fee-for-service payments.

Delegates discussing and exchanging ideas on the topics covered in the program on developing DRG payment methods and applying information technology and artificial intelligence in health insurance appraisal

The delegation from VSS also received a warm reception from Mr. Jae-ryong Hyun, Deputy General Director of the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea. The National Health Insurance Service of South Korea is a non-profit organization under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea. It is the sole agency providing health insurance for all citizens living in South Korea, responsible for managing the entitlements of health insurance beneficiaries, collecting insurance premiums, signing health insurance contracts with service providers, and disbursing health insurance benefits.

Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hoa presents commemorative gifts to representatives of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea, the National Health Insurance Service of South Korea, and the World Bank.

In addition, the delegation from VSS also visited and worked with HIRA to learn about the experience in using artificial intelligence and real-time analysis in Drug Utilization Review (DUR). HIRA is an independent medical assessment agency operating under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Welfare of South Korea, tasked with assessing the payment requests for health insurance expenses and evaluating the appropriateness of services provided by healthcare facilities to patients.

The delegation visited and worked at the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA)

Also within the scope of the mission, the delegation visited and worked at Ilsan Hospital. The delegation was introduced to an overview of the hospital by the doctors there, sharing experiences in hospital management, applying DRG payment methods, and utilizing information technology in health insurance treatment.

At the conclusion of the program on learning experiences in developing DRG payment methods and applying information technology and artificial intelligence in health insurance appraisal, Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hoa, head of the Vietnam Social Insurance delegation, remarked that the shared experiences were very useful, helping Vietnam's Social Insurance gain a deeper and clearer understanding of the process of transitioning to Diagnosis-Related Group (DRG) payment methods.

Delegates attending the program

At the same time, Deputy General Director Nguyen Duc Hoa proposed to the World Bank and South Korean partners to continue enhancing cooperation activities, training, and capacity building for staff in the field of health insurance, digital transformation, ICT application, and payment method transformation through conferences, seminars, and international training courses.

The mission in South Korea concluded successfully. The insights, exchanges, and experiences gained from the delegation's mission of Vietnam's Social Insurance will be valuable reference materials to support Vietnam's Social Insurance in enhancing management capacity and implementing social insurance policies in Vietnam./.