The Korean government will launch an initiative in April to expand medical information exchange, including diagnostic imaging data. While sharing of basic medical records between healthcare institutions has become routine, the number of hospitals capable of exchanging critical imaging data such as CT and MRI scans remains limited.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 11th that it will pursue measures to expand the medical information exchange program across the healthcare sector and increase its practical utilization. The program enables patients to have their medical records directly accessed and utilized through inter-hospital computer networks when transferring between healthcare facilities. Patients who consent to participate do not need to obtain and submit copies of their medical records themselves.
Currently, 10,332 medical institutions participate in the program, exceeding 10,000 for the first time. Approximately 1.81 million medical records, including imaging data, were shared through the system last year, marking a record high.
The issue is quality. While basic medical records can be shared at most hospitals, only about 600 institutions can exchange imaging data such as CT and MRI scans. Hospital participation has been slow because sharing images requires additional integration between electronic medical record (EMR) systems and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). The government has determined that seamless imaging data sharing is essential to improve the effectiveness of care coordination.
The Ministry will launch the medical information exchange expansion initiative targeting healthcare institutions starting in April. It plans to encourage participation by linking the program to policies centered on inter-hospital cooperation, including the tertiary hospital restructuring support program and the comprehensive secondary care support program. Individual participation through EMR developers will also be supported.
System upgrades will proceed concurrently. Functions will be improved to enable collaborative care in medically underserved island and mountainous areas, and personal information protection and security management will be strengthened to prevent erroneous transmission or leakage of medical records.
Public administrative integration will also expand. The medical information exchange system is currently used for military service determination, industrial accident assessment, and disability evaluation, reducing the inconvenience of citizens having to obtain documents and submit them to multiple agencies. The Ministry plans to gradually expand the scope of integration following demand surveys.
"The fact that participating medical institutions have exceeded 10,000 demonstrates that a patient-centered care coordination system is taking root," said Choi Kyung-il, Director of the Medical Information Policy Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. "We will create a healthcare environment that citizens can tangibly experience through expanded imaging data sharing and public service integration."