The health care system here needs to shift its focus from hospitals to personal care, an OECD report said Monday.

According to the Health Care Quality Review, the Korean health care system relies too heavily on hospitals for treatment, while neglecting community clinics.

“Most patients all head up to Seoul to visit hospitals like Samsung and Seoul National University, which leaves the provincial and rural hospitals out to dry,” said one doctor who wished to remain anonymous.

The OECD said that a focus on community care could improve health outcomes and reduce the number of hospital visits.

The report found that health spending grew almost 8 percent every year since 2002, which is double the OECD average of 3.6 percent. The OECD believes that the problem lies in Koreans dependency on hospitals.

According to the report, Korea has 55 hospitals for every million people, and 8.3 beds per 1,000 people, which it notes is more than most other member states with a similar population.

But despite the increase in spending and investments, the report says that the system here is not providing “proportionately higher quality care.”

According to OECD data, the number of hospital visits per 100,000 people in Korea for avoidable hospital admissions like uncontrolled diabetes was more than double the OECD average. Admitted patients were hospitalized for more than double the OECD average of days.

“The health care system is too politically contaminated,” said the doctor.

Another issue is the imminent effect of Korea’s rapidly aging population, a combination of baby boomers becoming seniors and a low fertility rate, which is expected to raise health care spending.

The report recommended that the nation build a stronger primary care system in order to reduce the number of minor surgical procedures and diagnostic tests that doctors utilize to increase their income.

Korean doctors are thought to increase the number of patients they see and procedures as a means of earning extra income. Data shows that Korean doctors earn a fourth of what doctors in the U.S. do.

The OECD added that the government should financially reward “hospitals according to the appropriateness of their services rather than the number of services they deliver.”

The report is part of a new series by the OECD that examines the quality of health care among its member states.

By Robert Lee (robert@heraldcorp.com)