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- Original article Evaluation of a telemedicine pilot project for hypertension in Korea: a nationwide real-world data study
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Jeong-Yeon Kim1
, Yeryeon Jung1
, Seongwoo Seo1
, Youseok Kim2
, Min Jung Ko1
, Hun-Sung Kim3,4
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Epidemiol Health 2025;e2025048
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025048 [Accepted]
Published online: August 25, 2025
2Department of healthcare management, Graduate School of Public Health, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
3Department of Medical Informatics, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
4Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
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Corresponding author:
Min Jung Ko,
Email: 01cadiz@hanmail.net
Hun-Sung Kim,
Email: 01cadiz@hanmail.net
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
A telemedicine pilot project has received temporary authorization in Korea. The clinical effectiveness of telemedicine is well established; however, ongoing research must assess medical utilization, sustainability, prescription continuity, and safety.
METHODS
This study evaluated medical utilization, sustainability, prescription continuity, and safety before and after the implementation of a telemedicine pilot project between June 2022 and December 2023. Data were obtained from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), and participants were divided into those who received non-face-to-face hypertension treatment at least once and those who did not.
RESULTS
This study included 124,210 patients diagnosed with hypertension who received telemedicine (the Tele_G group) and 124,210 propensity score-matched control individuals. The difference-in-difference (DID) for medical utilization between the Tele_G and control groups was 0.10 (−0.03 vs. −0.12, p<0.001). The DID for the Modified Modified Continuity Index was −0.005 (−0.003 vs. 0.002, p<0.001), while that for Most Frequent Provider Continuity was −0.006 (−0.004 vs. 0.002, p<0.001). The DID for the prescription day rate was 0.41 (−0.61 vs. −1.02, p<0.001), and that for the appropriate prescription continuation rate was 0.52 (−1.23 vs. −1.75, p<0.005).
CONCLUSIONS
Telemedicine did not fully achieve the same standard as face-to-face treatment for hypertension management; however, it showed comparable safety, suggesting potential as secondary care. As the first NHIS-based study on this topic in Korea, this research highlights the benefits of telemedicine when appropriately utilized for patients with hypertension. Nevertheless, due to limitations regarding long-term continuity and policy design, cautious interpretation is required, and further prospective studies are warranted.
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