Abdomen Ultrasound prices in Korea

Published Draft: kept out of search until the figures are confirmed

The non-covered price of upper abdominal ultrasound in Korea is shown as the distribution of prices that institutions disclosed to HIRA, split by hospital type and region.

No institution is named, and groups of fewer than five institutions are hidden.

On this page
Category
Examination
Price unit
per examination
HIRA item code
Being confirmed

What is the price range of upper abdominal ultrasound in Korea?

The nationwide distribution by hospital type is shown below once the latest disclosure is collected (unit: per examination).

upper abdominal ultrasound: nationwide distribution by hospital type (per examination) (HIRA non-covered fee disclosure (aggregated), To be filled after the reference date is confirmed)
Hospital typeMinQ1MedianQ3MaxInstitutions
To be filled after the reference date is confirmed

Why does the upper abdominal ultrasound price differ by hospital type?

Hospital types differ in staffing, equipment and overheads, and each institution sets its own non-covered price.

Four hospital types used in the distribution
TypeTypical role
ClinicOutpatient care in the community
HospitalInpatient care with 30 or more beds
General hospitalInpatient care with 100 or more beds and required departments
Tertiary general hospitalDesignated hospitals for severe and complex conditions

Which regions report higher upper abdominal ultrasound prices?

The regional medians below compare provinces and cities; regions with fewer than five institutions are hidden.

upper abdominal ultrasound: distribution by region, all hospital types (HIRA non-covered fee disclosure (aggregated), To be filled after the reference date is confirmed)
RegionMinQ1MedianQ3MaxInstitutions
To be filled after the reference date is confirmed

Is upper abdominal ultrasound covered by national health insurance?

Upper abdominal ultrasound can be covered when insurance criteria such as a suspected condition are met; outside those criteria it is charged as non-covered.

Coverage depends on the diagnosis and the insurance criteria in force. Use the coverage self-check for a first orientation and confirm with the institution before treatment.

How has the upper abdominal ultrasound median changed by year?

Nominal and inflation-adjusted medians are shown once several years of disclosure are collected.

upper abdominal ultrasound: nationwide median by year (Yearly medians (nationwide, all hospital types), To be filled after the reference date is confirmed)
YearNominal medianCPI-adjusted (base year)
To be filled after the reference date is confirmed

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.

What should foreign patients check before paying for upper abdominal ultrasound?

Ask whether the examination meets the insurance criteria in your case.

  • Ask for the price and what it includes before treatment.
  • Check whether the item is listed as non-covered on your receipt.
  • Keep the itemised receipt for insurance claims at home.

How does this site calculate the distribution?

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

For upper abdominal ultrasound, each group is one item × region × hospital type; nationwide and all-type groups are calculated from the same rows.

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.

Price explorer

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 used and reference dates
SnapshotSourceReference dateRetrievedSite calculation
HIRA non-covered fee disclosure (aggregated)Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA)To be filled after the reference date is confirmedTo be filled after the reference date is confirmedMin, Q1, median, Q3, max by item × region × hospital type; groups under 5 institutions hidden; institution names discarded
Yearly medians (nationwide, all hospital types)Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA)To be filled after the reference date is confirmedTo be filled after the reference date is confirmedReal median = nominal × CPI(base year) ÷ CPI(year)
Consumer price index (annual average)Statistics Korea (KOSIS)To be filled after the reference date is confirmedTo be filled after the reference date is confirmed-

What else do people ask about upper abdominal ultrasound price?

How much does upper abdominal ultrasound cost in Korea?

Prices vary by institution. This page shows the minimum, median and maximum disclosed to HIRA by hospital type once the latest data is collected.

Where can I see the upper abdominal ultrasound price at a specific hospital?

Only on HIRA’s official non-covered price service. This site does not show prices by institution.

Is a higher upper abdominal ultrasound price a sign of better care?

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

Why are some groups hidden?

Groups with fewer than five institutions are hidden so that no single institution’s price can be inferred.

Is the disclosed price what I will pay?

Not necessarily. The amount actually billed can differ, so ask the institution before treatment.

Where do these numbers come from?

  1. Non-covered medical fee disclosure (by item and institution) · Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) · Annual · Primary source Institution names are discarded after aggregation
  2. Standards for reporting and disclosure of non-covered medical fees (notice) · Ministry of Health and Welfare (Korea Law Information Center) · When amended · Primary source
  3. Rules on the Standards for National Health Insurance Care Benefits (Annex 2: non-covered items) · Korea Law Information Center · Primary source

Written by · Editorial principles and sources · Report an error info@kmedprice.org