# Non-covered price explorer

> This explorer shows the distribution of non-covered prices disclosed to HIRA for one item, region and hospital type at a time.

It never shows an institution’s own price; for that, use HIRA’s official service.

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

## What rules does this explorer apply?

It reads a pre-aggregated group and, if you choose USD, divides by the exchange rate of the reference date.

**Explorer rules**

| Step | Rule |
| --- | --- |
| Group | Item × region (or nationwide) × hospital type (or all types) |
| Statistics | Minimum, first quartile, median, third quartile, maximum and number of institutions |
| Small groups | Fewer than five institutions: hidden as “insufficient sample” |
| Currency | USD = KRW ÷ KRW/USD rate on the reference date (site calculation) |

## What do typical queries return?

Three fixed examples are tested on every build.

**Fixed test cases checked on every build**

| Selection | What the tool shows |
| --- | --- |
| Manual therapy · Seoul · clinic · KRW | minimum, median, maximum and number of institutions |
| Upper abdominal ultrasound · nationwide · tertiary · USD | the same distribution in USD with the rate date |
| A combination with too few institutions | “insufficient sample or no published data” |

## Why are institution names not shown?

Putting institution names next to prices can work as comparative medical advertising, which Korean medical law restricts.

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 |
| KRW/USD exchange rate | To be filled after the reference date is confirmed | USD = KRW ÷ exchange rate on the reference date |

## What else do people ask about non-covered price explorer?

### Why does my combination say “insufficient sample”?

Fewer than five institutions disclosed a price for it, so the group is hidden.

### Which exchange rate is used for USD?

The Bank of Korea KRW/USD rate on the date shown in the basis section.

### Is my selection stored?

No. The page only reads a published file and nothing is sent or saved.

### Can I find the cheapest hospital here?

No. To look up an institution, use HIRA’s official non-covered price service.

### What is the median?

The middle price when all disclosed prices in the group are put in order.

## What should you read next?

- [Why do we show price ranges, not hospital names?](https://kmedprice.org/articles/why-ranges-not-names)
- [Is the median or the minimum the better reference?](https://kmedprice.org/articles/median-or-minimum)
- [Non-covered medical prices by region](https://kmedprice.org/statistics/by-region)
- [Non-covered prices by hospital type](https://kmedprice.org/statistics/by-hospital-type)

## 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)
- [ECOS economic statistics (KRW/USD exchange rate)](https://ecos.bok.or.kr/) - Bank of Korea