Samsung Medical Center (SMC) in South Korea has implemented automation to enhance the patient experience by streamlining various processes.
Key initiatives include:
- Automating appointment management and insurance claims through its hospital information system, DARWIN.
- Developing digital solutions for patient platforms covering appointment scheduling, hospital admission, medical treatment, nursing, administration, pharmacy, and radiology.
In 2023, SMC achieved Stage 7 of the HIMSS Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model, showcasing its advanced use of health information systems.
Over the last five years, SMC has worked towards a fully automated, 24/7 system for issuing medical records.
Challenges Faced
Dr. Poong-Lyul Rhee, EVP and Chief Data and Digital Officer at SMC, highlighted the inefficiencies of traditional medical record issuance in Korean hospitals:
- Limited accessibility for patients requiring medical records for insurance claims, consultations, or personal use.
- Patients had to visit the hospital in person, which posed challenges for those with mobility issues or living in remote areas.
- Representatives of patients faced additional hurdles if documentation was incomplete, leading to unnecessary trips.
- High demand for in-person services resulted in operational inefficiencies, including staffing needs and delays.
Proposed Solution
In 2019, SMC launched South Korea’s first online medical record issuance system to meet the demand for faster access. However, initial challenges included:
- Wait times of up to two hours due to manual processing.
- Applications were only accepted via personal computers, requiring separate visits for record collection.
- Patients faced burdensome cancellation processes for incomplete requests.
Implementation of Automation
To address these issues, SMC adopted a phased approach to enhance its online medical records system:
- Introduced mobile and PDF generation capabilities, reducing wait times from 50 minutes to 10 minutes.
- Streamlined workflows by integrating and standardizing complex manual processes.
- In 2023, SMC became the first hospital in South Korea to implement robotic process automation (RPA) for online medical records issuance.
The upgrades fully automated the process from application verification to PDF issuance, including AI-powered patient identity confirmation. This automation improved processing speed and minimized manual errors.
Additionally, an auto-tracking feature was added to notify staff about incomplete records.
Results Achieved
SMC’s online medical record request system has undergone significant improvements:
- Online issuance rates increased from less than 10% to over 30% after full automation in October 2024.
- Average wait times reduced to approximately five minutes with a 0% error rate.
- Annual savings of 40 million won ($27,000) in paper and toner costs, and an additional 50 million won ($34,000) in labor redistribution.
- Fewer complaints and overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients.
- Reduction of approximately 4,056 tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to planting 610,000 trees.
“This AI-powered RPA advancement is not just about adopting new technology. It represents a major step toward true patient-centered digital innovation. We will continue leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance both patient and staff experiences, driving further digital transformation in healthcare.”
Dr. Poong-Lyul Rhee
Professor, Division of Gastroenterology
Executive Vice President and Chief Data and Digital Officer
Samsung Medical Center
Responses from Dr. Poong-Lyul Rhee have been edited for brevity.