Plan the full depression TMS course, not just one advertised session
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, commonly shortened to rTMS or TMS, uses a magnetic field generated by a coil outside the head to stimulate a targeted cortical area noninvasively.
South Korea’s national health information portal describes rTMS as a non-drug treatment option with evidence in depression.
This calculator does not diagnose depression, decide whether TMS is appropriate, or select a device, intensity, protocol, or number of sessions.
It is a budgeting tool for a patient or caregiver who already has an individual plan and an itemized quote from a South Korean mental-health clinic.
The core rule for a reliable estimate
Do not treat one published non-covered price as a national average or as your personal bill.
Even when the service uses code QZ9620000, clinics may differ in device, protocol, consultation, assessment, motor-threshold mapping, follow-up, package design, and continuation charges.
Obtain a current written quote, mark what is included, and enter each cost only once.
Medical quote
Separate consultation, assessment, mapping, primary sessions, continuation sessions, follow-up, and other charges.
Confirmed deductions
Apply only a package discount and reimbursement already confirmed as a KRW amount.
Household burden
Add the visit-based travel and time costs plus a medical contingency reserve.
What QZ9620000 means in South Korea in 2026
Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice 2026-38, effective February 23, 2026, governs reporting and disclosure of non-covered medical costs.
Its current item list includes QZ9620000 for transcranial magnetic stimulation.
The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service also identifies QZ9620000 in its 2026 public-item material.
The code identifies a reportable service; it does not make every clinic’s package, price, reimbursement, or patient responsibility identical.
Official 2026 references used for the South Korean depression TMS cost model| Question | Current reference | How to use it |
|---|
| Non-covered service code | QZ9620000 | Match the clinic quote to the disclosed item |
| Clinic price notice | Medical Service Act Article 45 | Confirm the current clinic price and effective date |
| Reporting and publication | Article 45-2 and Notice 2026-38 | Use public data for comparison, not as a personal quote |
| Source identity | MST 285327 and rule serial 2100000274952 | Retain traceability when regulations change |
The current Medical Service Act record, MST 285327, took effect on April 7, 2026.
Article 45 requires a medical institution to make non-covered fees readily available to patients or caregivers and prevents it from charging above the disclosed price.
Article 45-2 establishes reporting, investigation, analysis, and publication of non-covered items, standards, prices, and claim details.
HIRA also warns through its public information process that collection and verification can lag a clinic’s current price, so confirm the quote again for the actual booking date.
Why session counts and prices vary
A TMS plan can differ by device, target, stimulation frequency, intensity, session length, treatment frequency, clinical protocol, and individual reassessment.
One device-specific FDA clearance document, K220127, illustrates five sessions per week for six weeks followed by six taper sessions over three weeks, producing 36 sessions.
That is one protocol tied to a particular device record, not a universal schedule and not a rule that every South Korean clinic must follow.
The calculator therefore offers 30 and 36 only as quick-entry buttons; neither is a recommendation.
Primary treatment sessions
Enter the number and unit price for the initial intensive phase exactly as stated in the clinician’s plan.
If the clinic gives only one package price, request an itemized explanation before forcing the total into a per-session field.
Keep the original quote because division and rounding can otherwise hide the difference between a session charge and package-included services.
Continuation or maintenance sessions
Enter only additional, taper, or maintenance sessions that the clinical team has separately planned or quoted.
If they are undecided, leave the count at zero and read the result as the current confirmed-plan budget rather than a final lifetime cost.
Ask when reassessment occurs and whether another mapping or consultation charge could apply.
A zero result never means free care
All session and money inputs begin at zero to avoid presenting an invented national price as fact.
Zero means that a quote has not been entered, unless the clinic expressly confirmed that a particular service is included at no additional charge.
Review the warnings when a session count has a zero unit price.
Map each quote line to the right input
Initial consultation, assessment, and motor-threshold mapping
Use the initial specialist consultation field for the patient responsibility stated for the first psychiatric visit.
Use pre-treatment assessment for separately billed questionnaires, diagnostic review, or tests described in the quote.
Use motor-threshold mapping for a separately priced setup or remapping procedure used to locate the treatment position and determine stimulation level.
If the clinic’s package includes one of these items, do not enter it again as a separate charge.
Pair each session count with the matching unit price
Thirty primary sessions at KRW 90,000 produce KRW 2,700,000 in primary-session charges.
Six continuation sessions at KRW 80,000 add KRW 480,000.
Keeping the phases separate makes a changed continuation plan easier to update even when the two unit prices happen to be equal.
If the count is known but the unit price is not, leave the price at zero only temporarily and resolve the warning with the clinic.
Distinguish follow-up charges from non-treatment visits
Separate follow-up visits are billed clinical reviews that occur outside the treatment-session charge.
Non-treatment visits are physical trips for consultation, assessment, or mapping that are not already counted as TMS sessions or separate follow-ups.
If consultation, assessment, and mapping occur on one day, count one trip rather than three trips.
This distinction prevents travel and time costs from being duplicated even though the medical invoice may contain several same-day line items.
Deduct only confirmed discounts and reimbursements
The calculator caps a package discount at the combined primary and continuation session charges.
It will not let an oversized session discount erase consultation, assessment, mapping, follow-up, or other medical costs by accident.
Confirmed reimbursement is capped at the post-discount medical bill and never offsets travel or time cost.
Do not enter an assumed private-insurance percentage; use only an amount explicitly confirmed by the insurer, employer, municipality, or support program.
A practical itemization request
Ask the clinic to state the QZ9620000 per-session charge, total planned sessions, whether consultation, assessment, motor-threshold mapping, and follow-up are included, and exactly which charges receive the package discount.
Request the effective date and validity period on the same document.
Calculation model
Session charges = primary count × primary unit price + continuation count × continuation unit price
Medical before discount = consultation + assessment + mapping + session charges + follow-up + other medical
Medical out of pocket = medical before discount − applied package discount − applied reimbursement
Total visits = all treatment sessions + separate follow-ups + non-treatment visits
Funding target = medical out of pocket + travel + time cost + medical contingency reserve
Monthly target = funding target ÷ funding months, rounded up to the next KRW
The travel calculation multiplies total visits by the round-trip travel amount.
Total visit hours multiply total visits by travel, waiting, and treatment time per visit, and time cost then multiplies those hours by the selected hourly value.
The contingency reserve applies only to post-deduction medical cost, not to travel or time.
This keeps a budgeting buffer distinct from an unconfirmed prediction of extra treatment.
Worked 36-session quote example
This is a fictional arithmetic example, not a South Korean average price and not a recommended course.
Assume 30 primary sessions at KRW 90,000 and six continuation sessions at KRW 80,000.
Add KRW 40,000 for consultation, KRW 120,000 for assessment, KRW 80,000 for mapping, three separate follow-ups at KRW 30,000, and KRW 70,000 in other medical costs.
Apply a confirmed KRW 180,000 package discount and KRW 400,000 reimbursement.
Then add two non-treatment visits, KRW 12,000 round-trip travel, 1.25 hours per visit, and KRW 20,000 per hour.
Fictional 36-session South Korean depression TMS budget example| Stage | Arithmetic | Result |
|---|
| Session charges | 30 × KRW 90,000 + 6 × KRW 80,000 | KRW 3,180,000 |
| Medical before discount | All seven medical categories combined | KRW 3,580,000 |
| Medical out of pocket | KRW 3,580,000 − KRW 180,000 − KRW 400,000 | KRW 3,000,000 |
| Travel | 41 visits × KRW 12,000 | KRW 492,000 |
| Time cost | 41 × 1.25 hours × KRW 20,000 | KRW 1,025,000 |
| 10% contingency | KRW 3,000,000 × 10% | KRW 300,000 |
| Funding target | Medical + travel + time + contingency | KRW 4,817,000 |
A six-month funding window produces a rounded-up monthly target of KRW 802,834.
Dividing medical out of pocket by 36 produces an average medical burden of KRW 83,333 per session.
That average spreads consultation and assessment across sessions, so it is not the clinic’s QZ9620000 unit price.
Safety review comes before a budget result
FDA special-controls guidance for repetitive TMS discusses metal near the head, implanted electronic devices, seizure risk, worsening depression or suicidality, and mania or hypomania as issues requiring clinical assessment and safeguards.
Cochlear implants, deep-brain stimulators, electrodes, and intracranial metal are examples of information that must be disclosed with their exact type and location.
Some materials, including ordinary dental materials in the mouth, may be treated differently, which is why a patient should not decide eligibility from a generic list.
Provide device cards, surgical information, neurological history, medication changes, sleep disruption, and other relevant details to the TMS team.
Suicidal or self-harm thoughts require immediate help
If you have recurring suicidal thoughts, an urge or plan to harm yourself, or cannot reliably stay safe, stop comparing quotes and move to a safe place with another person.
In South Korea, call the Suicide Prevention Hotline at 109, the Mental Health Crisis Counseling line at 1577-0199, emergency services at 119, go to an emergency department, or contact a nearby mental-health clinic now.
The calculator’s checkbox does not perform a crisis assessment and does not automatically contact emergency services.
Report changes during treatment
Contact the clinical team promptly if depression suddenly worsens, suicidal thoughts appear, or sleep loss, unusually high energy, impulsivity, or other possible mania or hypomania develops.
Record headache, scalp discomfort, or another symptom with its timing and severity so the clinician can review it.
A prepaid package should never be a reason to hide a warning sign or continue a protocol without clinical advice.
Step-by-step calculator workflow
- Read all four safety checks before entering money.
If the urgent banner appears, seek immediate help instead of finishing the estimate.
- Prepare the clinic’s current itemized quote and verify the QZ9620000 label, effective date, and included services.
Ask for written confirmation when a price was provided only by telephone.
- Enter consultation, assessment, and mapping separately only when the quote bills them separately.
Keep an outside note explaining whether each zero means included, waived, or still unknown.
- Copy the primary and continuation session counts and matching prices from the clinical plan.
Use the 30 or 36 shortcut only when it matches that plan.
- Add separate follow-up, other medical cost, confirmed package discount, and confirmed reimbursement.
Leave a pending insurance claim at zero until the payer confirms an amount.
- Count physical non-treatment visits without duplicating same-day services, then add round-trip travel, total time per visit, and hourly value.
Track a caregiver’s travel or lost time separately if it also affects the household.
- Adjust the contingency percentage and funding period, then review the funding target, monthly target, total visits, and total hours together.
Save the quote date and validity period beside the result.
Compare clinic quotes on the same basis
A lower advertised session price can produce a higher total if consultation, assessment, mapping, and follow-up are all separate.
A higher package may include medical reviews, remapping, or more flexible cancellation and unused-session refund terms.
Ask every clinic the same questions before comparing totals.
- Is the displayed QZ9620000 amount a per-session price or a full package price?
- Are consultation, psychiatric assessment, tests, motor-threshold measurement, and mapping included?
- Could taper, continuation, or maintenance sessions be proposed, and would their unit price differ?
- Is a physician follow-up included on treatment days or billed as a separate visit?
- What are the rescheduling, missed-session, early-stop, and unused-package refund terms?
- What is the price effective date, quote expiration date, and code for any additional non-covered service?
- Can the clinic provide a detailed statement and receipt suitable for an insurer’s review?
Useful planning scenarios
A long trip to the clinic
Multiply the complete visit count by realistic round-trip transit, taxi, fuel, toll, and parking costs rather than comparing medical fees alone.
Include travel, reception, waiting, treatment, and return travel in hours per visit.
A slightly higher clinic price closer to home can create a lower household total, but clinical suitability still requires professional discussion.
Work schedule disruption
Use actual lost wages in the hourly-value field when unpaid leave or reduced work is likely.
If paid leave prevents a cash loss, the hourly value can be zero while total hours still shows the schedule burden.
Put a separately billed medical certificate or document fee in other medical cost.
Waiting for an insurance decision
Keep reimbursement at zero until eligibility and amount are confirmed so the funding gap is not understated.
After confirmation, preserve the original result and create a second scenario with only the confirmed amount changed.
Do not substitute a marketing statement or assumed reimbursement percentage for the payer’s decision.
Continuation sessions are undecided
Save a base case containing only the currently confirmed primary phase.
Add a separate continuation scenario only if the treating clinician provides a meaningful range and quote.
The contingency reserve is a money buffer and should not be used as a hidden prediction of future sessions.
How to read each result
Funding target
Post-deduction medical cost plus travel, time cost, and the medical contingency reserve. The calculator does not model exact payment dates.
Monthly funding target
The funding target divided by the selected number of months and rounded up to the next KRW. It assumes no investment return or loan interest.
Average medical burden per session
Total medical out of pocket, including initial services, divided by all treatment sessions. It is not the clinic’s QZ9620000 unit charge.
Estimated total visits
Treatment sessions, separate follow-ups, and non-treatment trips combined. Duplicating same-day trips inflates travel and time.
Medical contingency reserve
The selected percentage of post-deduction medical cost. It is a budget buffer, not a prediction that more treatment is medically necessary.
Every result is a static snapshot of the inputs and quote date.
Recalculate when the treatment plan, clinic price, reimbursement decision, or visit schedule changes, and retain the earlier dated result for comparison.
Never use the budget output alone to select a provider or start, change, or stop treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Does QZ9620000 mean no national insurance coverage applies to every related bill?
QZ9620000 identifies transcranial magnetic stimulation in the current non-covered reporting and disclosure list.
The code alone cannot classify every related consultation, test, or service, and it cannot decide private-insurance reimbursement.
Ask the clinic for item-level patient responsibility and the insurer for a contract-specific decision.
Why is there no default national TMS price?
Public prices vary by institution, date, device, protocol, and included service, and publication can lag a clinic’s current quote.
A default average could be mistaken for a personal estimate and materially understate or overstate funding needs.
All prices therefore start at zero and must come from the user’s actual current quote.
Should I choose 30 or 36 sessions?
The calculator cannot make that decision.
The two buttons are data-entry examples, not clinical recommendations.
Enter the exact schedule selected by the treating specialist for the relevant device and protocol.
What if the clinic gives only one package total?
Ask for the session count and whether consultation, assessment, mapping, and follow-up are included.
Splitting a package into arbitrary fields can duplicate or misclassify costs.
If itemization remains unavailable, document every assumption beside the saved result and do not label the derived unit amount as the clinic’s disclosed price.
Can I enter an expected private-insurance percentage?
It is safer not to do so.
Coverage can depend on contract version, enrollment date, exclusions, documents, purpose, and claim review.
Leave reimbursement at zero until the payer confirms a KRW amount.
How many visits count when consultation, assessment, and mapping occur together?
Count one non-treatment trip when all services happen during one physical visit.
Keep separately billed medical line items in their own fields, but do not multiply travel and time three times.
Does the default 10% reserve predict extra treatment?
No.
Ten percent is only an adjustable budget buffer applied to medical out of pocket.
It can be set from 0% to 50% and never replaces a clinician’s session plan.
Does any metal implant automatically prevent TMS?
The answer depends on the material, device, and location and must come from the clinical team.
Provide the implant card, product name, location, and surgical details before booking.
Do not conceal information or declare yourself eligible from a generic web list.
Does selecting suicidal thoughts change the money calculation?
It does not change the arithmetic, but it places an urgent safety message ahead of the budget.
In that situation, contacting 109, 119, an emergency department, or a mental-health clinic now matters more than completing the calculation.
Official sources and review date
The references below were checked on July 27, 2026.
Laws, disclosure lists, crisis contacts, and clinic prices can change, so verify current information on the booking date.
- Korean Medical Service Act, MST 285327 supports the Article 45 and Article 45-2 price-disclosure and reporting boundaries used here.
- Ministry Notice 2026-38, serial 2100000274952 identifies QZ9620000 and the February 23, 2026 effective date.
- Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency health information provides the noninvasive rTMS overview and emphasizes clinical help for recurring suicidal thoughts.
- FDA repetitive TMS special-controls guidance informs the implant, seizure, worsening-depression, suicidality, and mania safety prompts.
- FDA K220127 device record supplies the clearly labeled 36-session device-specific example and does not establish a universal course.
- Republic of Korea crisis-support policy information confirms 109 and 1577-0199; use 119 for an immediate emergency.
Use a current quote to build your funding plan
Read the safety checks first, then copy the treating clinic’s actual session plan and itemized KRW amounts into the calculator.
Use only confirmed discounts and reimbursement, and add visit-based travel and time to see the household burden outside the medical invoice.
The result cannot replace a specialist, but it can turn a complicated quote into clearer questions and a dated funding target.