The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Health Industry Development Institute are looking for participating hospitals for a pilot project to improve the exchange of medical images.
According to a press release, the pilot project aims to introduce a new system where patients can receive and share their medical images electronically. The upcoming system will also be able to verify these digital image registrations of patients who move from one hospital to another.
WHY IT IS IMPORTANT
A medical information exchange system has been in use in South Korea since 2019. Since 2016, approximately 9,000 hospitals and healthcare institutions have been involved in its development, of which 445 can exchange medical images.
However, this system still issues CDs with data such as MRI and CT scans that patients take with them when they are transferred between hospitals. It also only allows data sharing to one designated facility, initiated at the discretion of a professional, in addition to obtaining patient consent.
A new digital system is being tested to address such gaps, providing further convenience to patients and the healthcare system. The project aims to improve existing data exchange systems and established workflows in issuing medical images.
In addition to improving the patient experience, the new system is also expected to help avoid duplicate testing and ensure continuity of care.
THE BIGGER TREND
Improving the sharing of medical image data is part of the broader efforts of the Ministry of Health (MOHW) to streamline and promote the use of medical data in hospitals in South Korea.
Last year, it started establishing the Korea Core Data for Interoperability and Transmission standards as well as the digital platform for medical records MyHealthway, now in its second phase of implementation. A national project integrating biological data from almost 800,000 people, will also start this year.
In addition, MOHW, together with the Korea Health Information Service, is currently facilitating several data access deals with major Korean hospitals through a project to promote the use of medical data for research.
Meanwhile, a MOHW committee recently convened to introduce a four-year roadmap for establishing South Korea’s medical AI research and development ecosystem. The roadmap underscores the need to support AI R&D in essential medical care (such as emergency care, serious diseases and cancer), AI-powered digital therapies and surgical robots, and AI-powered drug discovery. The roadmap also mentions developing a common healthcare data platform for medical AI research.