# Non-covered median trend calculator

> This calculator puts the nominal median of a non-covered item next to its CPI-adjusted median so that price changes can be separated from general inflation.

Disclosure scope changes by year, so read it as indicative.

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

## What rules does this calculator apply?

The real median rescales each year’s nominal median by the ratio of consumer price indices.

**Trend formulas (site calculation)**

| Indicator | Formula |
| --- | --- |
| Real median | nominal × CPI(base year) ÷ CPI(year) |
| Change since first year | (last − first) ÷ first |
| Missing CPI or median | Shown as “No published data” |

## 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 |
| --- | --- |
| An item with CPI for every year | nominal and real medians side by side |
| A year without CPI | the real median shows “No published data” |
| Fewer than two years | no change rate |

## Why look at the inflation-adjusted median?

It shows whether a price rose faster or slower than consumer prices in general.

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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yearly medians (nationwide, all hospital types) | To be filled after the reference date is confirmed | Real median = nominal × CPI(base year) ÷ CPI(year) |
| Consumer price index (annual average) | To be filled after the reference date is confirmed | - |

## What else do people ask about median trend?

### How much have non-covered prices risen in Korea?

It differs by item. Choose an item to see its nominal and inflation-adjusted medians once data is collected.

### Why use the general CPI?

It is the most widely used price index and lets prices be compared with everyday inflation.

### Which base year is used?

The base year noted with the CPI snapshot in the basis section.

### Is anything stored?

No. The calculation runs in your browser.

### Can I compare two items?

Choose them one after another; the tool shows one item at a time to keep the table readable.

## What should you read next?

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

## 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)
- [Consumer price index](https://kosis.kr/) - Statistics Korea (KOSIS)