The Performance Management System of the Korean Healthcare Sector: Development, Challenges, and Future Tasks

During the past two decades, performance management programs in Koreas healthcare sector have become increasingly diversified in terms of the measures used and the scope of the healthcare services measured. Despite the recent growth of performance management programs in Koreas healthcare system, few studies have evaluated performance management programs as a whole in the context of national healthcare system objectives. Drawing on Talbots performance regime framework, this study describes the major challenges to Koreas performance-based healthcare management systems. We suggest that the challenges can be addressed by creating a coherent conceptual framework and a macro-level coordination body. We further suggest that relevant performance interventions be chosen based on theoretical models of performance management. Our findings have implications for future studies on performance management of healthcare systems in other countries as well as in Korea.