By Leveraging Its In House Clinical Information Sharing System, Asan Medical Center Ensures Continuity of Care and Contributes to the Balanced Development of Regional Asan Hospitals

President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center “We Will Build a Medical Collaboration Model in Which Tertiary Hospitals and Regional Hospitals Grow Together”

▲ JeongEup Asan Hospital opened a pediatric outpatient care center and a dedicated children’s ward on June 24 to strengthen public healthcare services in the local community.
Hwang Dae Seong, Head of the Department of Pediatrics at JeongEup Asan Hospital, first from the left, is seen examining a pediatric patient.

A 78-year-old patient identified as Mr Kim, who lives in Jeongup, Jeollabuk-do, was diagnosed earlier this year with severe aortic valve stenosis at JeongEup Asan Hospital. Taking into account the patient’s advanced age, the medical team at JeongEup Asan Hospital referred him to Asan Medical Center for transcatheter aortic valve implantation, or TAVI, a minimally invasive procedure that treats the condition without opening the chest.

Mr Kim underwent TAVI performed by the Division of Cardiology team led by Professor Duk-Woo Park at Asan Medical Center and showed a stable recovery shortly after the procedure. As he required ongoing medication and follow up care after discharge, Asan Medical Center coordinated subsequent treatment at JeongEup Asan Hospital, which he could visit more conveniently. Mr Kim is currently receiving stable follow up care at JeongEup Asan Hospital.

Mr Kim said, “It was reassuring to receive a highly advanced procedure at Asan Medical Center, a tertiary hospital, and then continue follow up care near my home. Because JeongEup Asan Hospital can access my treatment records from Asan Medical Center through the shared electronic system, I feel that my care is truly continuous, which gives me peace of mind.”

The Asan Foundation is a public interest foundation established on July 1, 1977, by the Honorary Chairman Chung Ju-young of Hyundai Group, under the guiding principle of helping the underprivileged of the society. From its early years, the Asan Foundation built general hospitals in rural and fishing communities with limited access to medical services, including Jeongeup, Boseong, Boryeong, Yeongdeok, Hongcheon, and Gangneung. In 1989, it went on to open Asan Medical Center to serve as the central hub supporting and strengthening regional hospitals across the country.

Since then, Asan Medical Center has fulfilled its role as a quaternary hospital of last resort, offering hope to patients with severe and complex conditions. At the same time, as the parent hospital for regional hospitals under the Asan Foundation, it has maintained a permanent collaborative network, enabling active referrals and return transfers of critically ill patients who are difficult to treat at regional general hospitals, from its opening to the present day.

Over the past decade from 2015 to 2024, Asan Medical Center and Regional Asan hospitals under the Asan Foundation recorded 17,596 patient referrals and 11,831 return transfers.

Regional Asan hospitals refer patients with severe, emergency, or rare conditions that are difficult to treat even at nearby large hospitals to Asan Medical Center, while patients in the recovery or chronic phase are transferred back to regional hospitals for continued follow up care. Through this coordinated referral and return system, the hospitals are leading efforts to ensure the efficient use of medical resources and promote balanced development across regional healthcare institutions.

By hospital, JeongEup Asan Hospital recorded 1,722 referrals and 1,032 return transfers, HongCheon Asan Hospital 2,011 referrals and 1,456 return transfers, BoRyeong Asan Hospital 1,127 referrals and 1,135 return transfers, BoSeong Asan Hospital 328 referrals and 166 return transfers, and YeongDeok Asan Hospital 516 referrals and 292 return transfers.

Regional Asan hospitals under the Asan Foundation use their internally operated clinical information sharing system to exchange patients’ test results, treatment plans, and medication histories in real time. This approach enhances continuity of care and supports patients in receiving timely and appropriate treatment at the most suitable hospital at each stage of their care journey.

In step with the increasingly active clinical collaboration, each regional Asan hospitals is continuing efforts to strengthen its own competitiveness. This year, JeongEup Asan Hospital opened a pediatric outpatient care center and a dedicated children’s ward, while BoRyeong Asan Hospital established new departments of rehabilitation medicine and urology and was upgraded to a regional emergency medical center. Through these initiatives, the hospitals are improving underserved local healthcare environments and enhancing residents’ access to timely and appropriate medical care.

In addition, Asan Medical Center has established a close referral and return transfer network with more than 7,100 partner medical institutions nationwide. Through this network, more than 10,000 return transfers are carried out each month.

Chairman Seong Wook Park of Asan Healthcare System, said, “The eight hospitals under the Asan Foundation, including Asan Medical Center, work in close cooperation toward the shared goals of patient safety and the highest standards of medical care. Going forward, we hope that Asan Medical Center, as the parent hospital, will continue to actively share its expertise in treating critically ill patients and its extensive clinical experience with regional hospitals, thereby contributing to balanced development across the healthcare system.”

President Seung-Il Park of Asan Medical Center said, “Asan Medical Center focuses on the care of critically ill patients and highly complex surgeries, while ensuring that patients can safely return to regional hospitals after receiving treatment. Through close and organic collaboration with our partner medical institutions, we will take the lead in building a sustainable medical cooperation model in which tertiary hospitals and regional hospitals grow together.”