Match the test scope before comparing an ECG price
A South Korean quote described simply as an ECG can refer to a short standard 12-lead tracing, a step or medicine-loading method, a treadmill or bicycle exercise-stress study, an ambulatory Holter recording, or a longer patch-based recording. Those services do not have an interchangeable scope. The prescribed method, recording duration, interpretation, electrodes, batteries, device handling, return plan, and follow-up visit can all change the patient amount and the time commitment.
This calculator is a quote-transcription and household-budget tool for care received in South Korea. It starts every monetary field at zero and expects an amount confirmed by the provider's billing office. It separates the test amount from separately quoted medical items, subtracts only an insurer-confirmed payment, keeps a refundable deposit out of final cost, and adds transport, companion time, and device-return shipping to the household total.
Quote-driven inputs
Enter the patient amount on a provider quote. Never convert a HIRA relative-value point into a guessed KRW receipt amount.
Like-for-like comparison
Align the code, benefit status, recording duration, interpretation, supplies, visits, and return arrangement before comparing totals.
Cash-flow view
Review both the expected final household cost and the larger amount that may be needed on the payment day.
This calculator does not diagnose an arrhythmia, interpret a tracing, decide whether exercise is safe, recommend a recording duration, or triage an emergency. Acute chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or a new severe symptom requires prompt clinical guidance rather than a delayed price comparison.
Six HIRA code anchors in the 2026 fee schedule
The 2026 HIRA Health Insurance Medical Care Benefits fee schedule separates the relevant cardiac electrophysiology services under distinct item codes. The code anchors below are provided so that a patient can ask a precise billing-office question. They are not a coverage decision, a universal copay percentage, or a national retail-price table.
South Korean ECG, Holter, and stress ECG code anchors and quote questions| Test scope | Code anchor | Duration anchor | Question to ask |
|---|
| Standard 12-lead ECG | E6541 | Short tracing | Are the tracing and interpretation included in this patient amount? |
| Master's exercise or pharmacologic stress ECG | E6542 | Ordered method | Does the quote match the prescribed step-exercise or medicine-loading method? |
| Treadmill or bicycle exercise-stress ECG | E6543 | Appointment plan | Are disposable electrodes, monitoring, recovery, and consultation separate? |
| Holter recording | E6545 | Up to 48 hours | Are the recorder, electrodes, paper, battery, and return handling included? |
| Extended ambulatory ECG recording | E6556 | Over 48 hours to 7 days | What is the confirmed selective-benefit status and valid recording interval? |
| Extended ambulatory ECG recording | E6557 | Over 7 to 14 days | What happens after detachment, insufficient data, replacement, or late return? |
The schedule displays relative-value points, but those points are not the amount a patient will see on a receipt. A KRW result can depend on the applicable conversion factor, provider type, add-on rules, recognized indication or frequency, and the individual patient-share framework. For that reason, all calculator amounts begin at zero and must come from a provider or insurer confirmation.
What each calculated amount means
Gross medical cost
The selected test patient amounts are added to separately quoted consultation, interpretation, recorder or patch, electrode or battery, and other medical items. If an item is already included in the test amount, leave its separate field at zero to avoid double counting.
Medical cost after insurance
Only a private-insurance amount confirmed for the matching procedure, codes, benefit status, and included services is subtracted. If that entry is larger than gross medical cost, the calculator caps the deduction at medical cost and displays a warning instead of producing a negative result.
Final household cost
The calculator adds device-return shipping and the planned number of visits multiplied by transport and companion time cost. A deposit expected to be refunded in full is excluded from this final amount, but any part known not to be refundable should instead be entered as another cost.
Cash needed up front
Gross medical cost, household expenses, and the refundable deposit are added for a payment-day cash requirement. A later insurer payment is not deducted here because the provider may require the full patient amount before the claim is reviewed.
Formula map
- Gross medical cost equals selected test amounts plus separate medical items.
- Medical cost after insurance equals gross medical cost minus the confirmed payment, capped at gross medical cost.
- Household expenses equal return shipping plus visits multiplied by transport and companion cost per visit.
- Final household cost equals medical cost after insurance plus household expenses.
- Cash needed up front equals gross medical cost plus household expenses plus a refundable deposit.
Step-by-step quote entry
- Match the order and appointment instructions. Identify whether the order is a resting tracing, a stress method, an up-to-48-hour Holter, or a longer ambulatory recording. The calculator organizes an existing order; it must not be used to add, remove, or substitute a clinical test.
- Ask the billing office for the code and patient amount. Confirm whether E6541, E6542, E6543, E6545, E6556, or E6557 matches the service and whether the billing office classifies the line as covered, selective benefit, full patient payment, non-covered, or mixed. If the exact code remains unavailable, enter the quote's item name and keep the code warning visible.
- Separate included and additional services. Ask whether consultation, interpretation, medicine, monitoring, recovery observation, recorder, patch, disposable electrodes, paper, batteries, replacement, and return handling are included. Never enter an included item again as a separate charge.
- Record the wearing and return plan. For an ambulatory device, enter the actual planned hours, start date, and return interval. The displayed date is calendar arithmetic only; the provider's deadline, time of day, holiday policy, and shipping-arrival rule remain controlling.
- Add documented insurance and household amounts. Do not guess a payout from policy generation. Enter an amount confirmed for the same codes and benefit status, then add realistic visits, transport, return shipping, and companion time.
- Align quote B before interpreting the difference. A lower number is not meaningful when the code, recording duration, supplies, interpretation, visit count, or return arrangement differs. Complete both confirmation checklists and resolve any scope warning before making a booking decision.
Worked comparison: quote A and quote B
The Load example button uses fictional values to demonstrate the formulas. It is not a typical, minimum, maximum, or recommended South Korean price. Both providers are assumed to quote the same E6541 standard 12-lead ECG, E6545 48-hour Holter recording, and E6543 treadmill stress ECG, with three visits and 120 total facility minutes.
Fictional provider A and provider B ECG quote calculation| Comparison line | Provider A | Provider B |
|---|
| Test subtotal | KRW 162,000 | KRW 190,000 |
| Separate medical items | KRW 23,000 | KRW 30,000 |
| Insurer-confirmed payment | KRW 80,000 | KRW 60,000 |
| Transport, companion, and return | KRW 95,000 | KRW 74,000 |
| Final household cost | KRW 200,000 | KRW 234,000 |
| Cash needed up front, including deposit | KRW 380,000 | KRW 344,000 |
How to read the example
Provider A has a final household cost that is KRW 34,000 lower, yet its KRW 100,000 refundable deposit means it requires KRW 36,000 more cash up front. A September 1, 2026 start with a two-day return interval produces September 3, 2026 as the calculated return date. The patient still needs to compare deposit refund terms, late-return charges, valid-recording requirements, and appointment availability.
Device, patch, and return costs that are easy to miss
Attachment and replacement
Ask what to do if an electrode or patch detaches, whether spare supplies are provided, and whether reattachment requires a visit or an extra charge. If skin irritation develops, follow the provider's contact instructions rather than using a cost calculator to decide whether to continue or stop recording.
Insufficient data and repeat recording
Battery failure, accidental disconnection, water exposure, or too little usable data can lead to another recording plan. Ask who pays when the device or recording fails. The calculator does not automatically add a repeat because that would turn uncertainty into a misleading price.
Return and deposit terms
Confirm in-person versus courier return, reception hours, whether dispatch or arrival controls the deadline, shipping cost, late fees, damage responsibility, and the deposit refund date. When any part of the deposit is expected to be retained, place that non-refundable part in another cost field rather than treating the entire payment as refundable.
Result-review appointment
Ask whether device return and clinical result review happen on the same day, how long interpretation takes, and whether a follow-up consultation has a separate patient charge. Count attachment, return, and result review as separate visits when that is the actual schedule so that transport and companion cost are not understated.
A calculated date is not a provider deadline
The return-date function adds calendar days to an ISO date. It does not know the provider's business hours, public holidays, weekend drop box, courier cutoff, or whether a day means a full 24-hour recording interval. Always preserve the exact return instruction issued with the device.
Enter benefit and non-covered status without self-adjudicating
National Health Insurance Act Article 41 places examinations within the medical-care benefit framework, while Article 44 addresses patient shares and selective-benefit mechanisms. Enforcement Decree Article 19 connects patient payment to Annex 2, and Medical Care Benefit Rules Articles 5, 8, and 9 establish detailed application, benefit-list, and non-covered-list structures. Those provisions do not create one universal ECG copay for every patient.
A provider may need to consider the exact order, recognized indication or frequency, service combination, provider type, and other facts before identifying the patient amount. The calculator therefore offers classification labels only for organizing a confirmed answer. Selecting covered or selective benefit never applies an automatic percentage and never proves eligibility.
Safe entry sequence
- Ask the billing office to classify the exact quoted line.
- Select that confirmed classification in the calculator.
- Enter the patient amount after the provider has applied its billing determination.
- If the answer is pending, retain Not yet confirmed and zero rather than inventing a copay.
Medical Service Act Articles 45 and 45-2 and Enforcement Rule Article 42-2 support disclosure, explanation, reporting, and publication of non-covered charges. The Ministry of Health and Welfare's non-covered reporting and disclosure standard was verified as Notice No. 2026-38, effective February 23, 2026. A published item can still differ from a personal quote in device, duration, interpretation, supplies, or bundled services, so use disclosure data to ask questions and the matching provider quote to calculate.
Why the calculator does not guess indemnity-insurance reimbursement
A Korean indemnity policy's actual payment can depend on its wording, deductible, benefit versus non-covered classification, outpatient limit, exclusions, documentation, and accumulated claims for the same event. A policy generation or enrollment year alone is not enough to determine whether consultation, interpretation, device, supplies, or another line will be paid in the same way.
Details to send the insurer
- Provide the exact test name and EDI code or the provider's quoted item name.
- Provide the billing-office-confirmed benefit classification.
- Provide recording duration and all interpretation, device, and supply inclusions.
- Ask for an expected amount, required documents, and filing deadline.
- Save the inquiry date, representative reference, and assumptions used in the answer.
Amounts not to reuse
- Do not copy another patient's payment from a review or forum.
- Do not enter a percentage inferred only from policy generation.
- Do not treat transport, shipping, or a refundable deposit as covered without confirmation.
- Do not reuse provider A's answer for provider B when code or scope differs.
- Do not subtract a claim amount from up-front cash unless the provider will settle it directly.
Practical planning scenarios
Booking a first 48-hour Holter recording
Confirm E6545, the attachment and removal times within the up-to-48-hour interval, electrodes and battery, device return, and the result-review appointment. Keep the refundable deposit separate so that the final cost is not overstated while the payment-day requirement is not understated.
Comparing two seven-day patch quotes
If one provider names E6556 and another uses a separately disclosed patch item, do not assume that the scopes match. Compare the usable recording interval, replacement policy, analysis and interpretation, return method, selective-benefit answer, and insurer-confirmed payment line by line.
Receiving a resting ECG and exercise-stress ECG on one day
Ask whether E6541 and E6543 are both quoted, whether consultation or recovery monitoring is shared, and whether disposable electrodes are additional. Enter facility time from the appointment instructions, including preparation and recovery. Exercise eligibility and test-stopping criteria remain clinical decisions.
Planning for family accompaniment
If attachment, return, and result review require three visits, enter three transport and companion-time events. When courier return is available, quote A can model in-person return while quote B models shipping, provided all medical lines remain the same. That comparison can expose a time-saving option even when its medical price is unchanged.
Documents and questions to prepare
Bring these records
- The referral or order with the exact prescribed test.
- Each provider's itemized quote and benefit-classification answer.
- The attachment, removal, return, and result-review schedule.
- The insurer inquiry reference and confirmed planning amount.
- A realistic transport and companion plan for every visit.
Ask the billing office or lab
- Is this the actual amount the patient is expected to pay?
- Are interpretation, electrodes, device, batteries, and consultation included?
- How many usable recording hours are required?
- What are the late-return, damage, loss, or repeat-recording terms?
- Does result review require another visit and patient charge?
A useful comparison request
Ask each provider to confirm in writing whether the quote uses the same test code, recording duration, interpretation, device, disposable supplies, visit plan, and return arrangement. That short request often prevents a false comparison between a small basic quote and a larger bundled quote.
Frequently asked questions
Can the HIRA code calculate my patient price?
No. A code identifies a service scope, while relative-value points are not a patient's KRW receipt amount. Use the code to ask the billing office a precise question, then enter the provider-confirmed patient amount.
Are a Holter monitor and a long-term patch the same test?
Both can record ambulatory ECG data, but their duration, device, code, benefit status, supply arrangement, analysis, and return process can differ. The calculator separates up to 48 hours, over 48 hours to 7 days, and over 7 to 14 days so that the provider's exact order can be recorded.
Is a device deposit part of final test cost?
A deposit confirmed to be fully refundable after proper return can be excluded from final household cost, but it still affects payment-day cash. If refund conditions are unclear or a portion will be retained, enter the expected non-refundable amount as another cost.
Does the calculator estimate insurance from policy generation?
No. It accepts only a payment confirmed for the matching service, codes, classification, and inclusions. Policy wording, deductibles, limits, exclusions, and documentation can change the actual decision.
What if the calculated return date is a holiday?
The calculator only adds calendar days. It does not check Korean holidays, provider opening hours, courier service, or whether dispatch or arrival controls the deadline. Follow the return date and time issued by the provider.
Does it decide whether I can safely take an exercise-stress test?
No. Suitability, contraindications, exercise or medicine method, stopping criteria, and emergency response are clinical decisions. Use this page only to organize a test that a qualified clinician and provider have already planned.
Does the calculator include event recorders or remote monitoring?
No. The current scope is limited to E6541, E6542, E6543, E6545, E6556, and E6557 quote organization. Event recording, implantable devices, remote monitoring, emergency care, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing arrhythmia management are outside this calculator.
Official references and verification date
The scope, warnings, and source notes were checked against current official materials on August 22, 2026. Laws, notices, fee schedules, and provider disclosures can change, so the provider's current written quote and instructions should control a real booking.
- HIRA 2026 Health Insurance Medical Care Benefits fee schedule, cardiac electrophysiology section, supports the E6541, E6542, E6543, E6545, E6556, and E6557 code anchors and separate-supply cautions.
- National Health Insurance Act, ID 001971, MST 276651, effective January 2, 2026, Articles 41 and 44, supplies the benefit and patient-share framework.
- National Health Insurance Act Enforcement Decree, ID 002813, MST 283469, effective February 19, 2026, Article 19, connects the patient share to Annex 2.
- Medical Care Benefit Rules, ID 006697, MST 285513, effective April 15, 2026, Articles 5, 8, and 9, supplies detailed benefit and non-covered list structure.
- Medical Service Act, ID 001788, MST 285327, effective April 7, 2026, Articles 45 and 45-2, supports non-covered price disclosure and reporting.
- Medical Service Act Enforcement Rule, ID 007863, MST 286963, effective June 12, 2026, Article 42-2, addresses disclosure and explanation mechanics.
- The Standard for Reporting and Disclosure of Non-Covered Medical Expenses was verified as administrative-rule ID 54511, serial 2100000274952, Ministry of Health and Welfare Notice No. 2026-38, effective February 23, 2026.
Start with the quote and appointment instructions beside you
Load the fictional example to understand the cash-flow model, then replace every amount with the exact test, code, patient charge, recording and return schedule, and insurer-confirmed payment for your plan. Once both providers have confirmed the same scope, compare final household cost and payment-day cash together and save the unresolved questions before booking.