Accepted for/Published in: JMIR mHealth and uHealth
Date Submitted: Mar 20, 2023
Date Accepted: Sep 8, 2023
Stakeholders’ Perceptions Regarding Digital Therapeutics Reimbursement in Korea: A Qualitative Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Digital therapeutics (DTx) refers to software-driven therapeutic interventions enabling patients to manage their health in any given setting. The DTx market emergence has spurred discussions concerning reimbursement pathways because securing this guarantees a stable market for DTx developers upon release. However, its development is still at an early stage worldwide, with limited evidence. Thus, now it has become crucial for a social consensus to decide whether to reimburse DTx from the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund.
Objective:
This study aimed to examine multiple stakeholders’ awareness and attitudes toward DTx and perceptions of regulatory pathways for adopting DTx. This is the first study to comprehensively analyze perceptions of various stakeholder groups regarding DTx reimbursement in Korea.
Methods:
In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 DTx-related stakeholders in Korea using semi-structured guidelines, covering topics like awareness and attitudes toward DTx, if DTx is worth introducing in the market, if they agreed with DTx being reimbursed by the NHI fund, and how to adopt DTx.
Results:
While consumers were unaware of the concept of DTx, the remaining participants were familiar with it. However, all participants showed positive attitudes toward DTx. Most participants responded that DTx deserves to enter the market; however, they could not agree on the reimbursement pathways. Although participants supported DTx reimbursement from the NHI in principle, they responded that a conservative approach is required as sufficient clinical evidence has yet to be generated.
Conclusions:
The primary concern regarding the implementation of DTx was not the technology but the differences in opinion regarding the reimbursement method. We found that the NHI funds, operated conservatively, are insufficient for quickly adopting DTx. Various reimbursement methods should be rapidly employed to generate clinical evidence and reduce the uncertainty regarding DTx. Clinical Trial: None.
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