# Non-covered prices by hospital type

> Non-covered prices in Korea usually differ by hospital type.

The medians of clinics, hospitals, general hospitals and tertiary hospitals sit side by side for each main item.

Written by the Korea Non-covered Medical Price Statistics editorial team on October 21, 2026. Canonical address: https://kmedprice.org/statistics/by-hospital-type.

## How do non-covered prices differ by hospital type?

The table compares nationwide medians of the four hospital types for each main item.

(Data table: to be filled after the reference date is confirmed)

## What are the four hospital types?

Clinic, hospital, general hospital and tertiary general hospital, defined by size and role.

**Four hospital types used in the distribution**

| Type | Typical role |
| --- | --- |
| Clinic | Outpatient care in the community |
| Hospital | Inpatient care with 30 or more beds |
| General hospital | Inpatient care with 100 or more beds and required departments |
| Tertiary general hospital | Designated hospitals for severe and complex conditions |

## Does a higher price at large hospitals mean better care?

The relationship between price and results cannot be judged from this data.

## How is the non-covered price data collected?

Institutions report their non-covered prices under a Ministry of Health notice, and HIRA publishes them; this site aggregates the published file.

The reporting and disclosure standards are set by the Ministry of Health and Welfare notice on non-covered medical fees. HIRA publishes item-level prices by institution. This site downloads the published file, keeps only the item, region, hospital type and price columns, and groups them before anything is saved.

## How does this site calculate the distribution?

Disclosed prices are grouped and summarised by this site; individual institution prices are never stored or shown.

Each cell is the nationwide group of one item and one hospital type.

Quartiles use linear interpolation between ranked prices. Groups with fewer than five institutions are hidden so that no single institution’s price can be inferred. The aggregation script is published with the site so that this rule can be checked.

## What can this price data not tell you?

It shows disclosed prices, not what any one patient will pay, and it cannot show the quality of care.

- Disclosed prices can differ from the amount actually billed.
- The scope of disclosed items and institutions changes from year to year.
- Price and treatment results cannot be linked using this data.

Korea Non-covered Medical Price Statistics shows the distribution of prices disclosed to HIRA, not the price at any particular institution, and it introduces or recommends no hospital. The relationship between price and treatment results cannot be judged from this data. Disclosed prices can differ from the amount actually billed. For a specific institution, use HIRA’s official non-covered price service.

## What basis are these numbers on?

| Data | Reference date | Site calculation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| HIRA non-covered fee disclosure (aggregated) | To be filled after the reference date is confirmed | Min, Q1, median, Q3, max by item × region × hospital type; groups under 5 institutions hidden; institution names discarded |

## What else do people ask about non-covered prices by hospital type?

### Are tertiary hospitals more expensive than clinics for non-covered care?

It differs by item. The table compares the medians of each hospital type once data is collected.

### Why are some hospital types blank for an item?

Some items are rarely provided at certain types, and groups with fewer than five institutions are hidden.

### Does the price include the consultation fee?

No. The disclosed non-covered price covers the item itself; covered parts are billed separately.

### Which hospital type should I choose?

This site does not recommend institutions. Choice of care should be discussed with a doctor.

### How is a hospital’s type decided?

By the Medical Service Act according to size and role; tertiary hospitals are designated by the Ministry of Health.

## What should you read next?

- [Does a higher price mean better care?](https://kmedprice.org/articles/higher-price-better-care)
- [Why do prices differ between clinics and tertiary hospitals?](https://kmedprice.org/articles/clinic-vs-tertiary-prices)
- [Non-covered medical prices by region](https://kmedprice.org/statistics/by-region)
- [Non-covered price explorer](https://kmedprice.org/tools/price-explorer)

## Where do these numbers come from?

- [Non-covered medical fee disclosure (by item and institution)](https://www.hira.or.kr/npay/index.do) - Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA)
- [Medical Service Act (Articles 27, 45, 56)](https://www.law.go.kr/법령/의료법) - Korea Law Information Center