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HIRA β€” Health Insurance Review and Assessment

HIRA (Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, κ±΄κ°•λ³΄ν—˜μ‹¬μ‚¬ν‰κ°€μ›) reviews health insurance claims and assesses the clinical value and cost-effectiveness of healthcare technologies, including medical devices.

MFDS vs HIRA​

AspectMFDSHIRA
RoleSafety and effectiveness β€” legal market accessReimbursement β€” NHI coverage
RequirementMandatory for ALL medical devicesRequired only for NHI reimbursement
Data focusSafety, technical, clinical evidenceClinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness

HIRA assessment process​

  1. Submit coverage application to HIRA after MFDS ν’ˆλͺ©ν—ˆκ°€
  2. HIRA reviews clinical evidence for the device's clinical effectiveness
  3. HIRA evaluates cost-effectiveness (often requiring health economic analysis)
  4. NHIS sets the reimbursement price based on HIRA recommendation

New Technology Assessment (μ‹ μ˜λ£ŒκΈ°μˆ ν‰κ°€)​

Truly novel devices not fitting an existing reimbursement category must go through HIRA's New Technology Assessment before NHI listing is possible. This adds typically 1–2 years to the market access timeline.