According to the roadmap set out by the Government and Plan No. 144/KH-UBND of Hanoi City on the implementation of electronic medical records at hospitals in the city, in recent times, Hanoi hospitals have been accelerating the implementation of electronic medical records to complete before the deadline of September 30, 2025.
This is not only an administrative technical milestone but also marks a strong transformation of the health sector in accessing data, organizing medical examination and treatment, and managing hospitals in a modern direction.
Save costs, reduce storage burden
As the largest medical center in the country, Hanoi quickly materialized the Prime Minister's directive with many practical solutions.
According to the Plan on implementing electronic medical records at hospitals in the area, Hanoi city assigned the Department of Health to be the focal point for implementation.
The goal is that by September 30, 2025, 100% of public and non-public hospitals in Hanoi will deploy electronic medical records and implement data connectivity.
The plan aims to improve the quality of health care, optimize the management and operation process of the health system, and at the same time, aim to build a modern digital health system; serve as a basis for implementing connections and data exchange between hospitals in the city with hospitals of ministries/sectors, creating changes in digital transformation in the health sector, enhancing the ability to standardize and share data between health facilities in the city.
Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital deployed electronic medical records from June 6, becoming the 14th public hospital in the city to deploy the electronic medical records system.
According to the records, the electronic medical record system operates effectively and smoothly. All patient data from reception, examination, prescription, and results are digitized and stored centrally.
Integrated medical imaging allows doctors to access it online without printing films, allowing for continuous and accurate monitoring throughout the treatment process, including patients being transferred to other departments or re-examined later.
Every year, the Vietnam-Cuba Friendship Hospital receives and examines and treats about 180,000 patients, providing inpatient treatment for 7,000 cases and outpatient treatment for 14,000 people.
The hospital performs more than 3,000 surgeries each year, making an important contribution to public health care. The implementation of electronic medical records brings practical benefits to the people, while helping medical facilities save operating costs and reduce the burden of storing and preserving paper records.
As a Grade II general hospital under the Hanoi Department of Health, with a scale of 440 planned beds, 446 actual beds, including 24 departments and 5 functional rooms. Every day, Son Tay General Hospital receives an average of more than 500 outpatient visits and inpatient treatment for about 300 patients.
Recognizing the role of digital transformation in improving the quality of medical services, the hospital has gradually modernized its technical infrastructure and digitized its medical examination and treatment processes.
From 2023, Son Tay General Hospital will deploy a medical image archiving and transmission system (PACS), completing the digitization of subsystems according to the provisions of Circular 54/2017/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health on promulgating a set of criteria for applying information technology at medical examination and treatment facilities.
The hospital proactively upgraded its technical infrastructure to meet the criteria of Circular 54. Many items were invested in, such as server systems, firewalls, NAS storage devices, automatic numbering systems, integrating digital signatures and electronic signatures on all inpatient and outpatient medical examination and treatment forms; implementing medical examination and treatment registration using citizen identification cards according to Project 06 of the Government and integrating cashless payments.
On May 1, 2025, Son Tay General Hospital proactively deployed a pilot electronic medical record system throughout the hospital and developed a project to deploy electronic medical records for the period 2025-2027.
Hospital information management software (HIS), laboratory testing system (LIS), and diagnostic imaging system (RIS) are integrated and interconnected with social insurance agencies, and the PACS system connects diagnostic imaging devices.
Similarly, at Me Linh District General Hospital, in recent years, the hospital has paid special attention to developing technological infrastructure in each stage, applying smart software solutions to improve the efficiency of medical examination and treatment.
This is the 15th hospital out of 42 public hospitals to complete the implementation of electronic medical records, marking an important step in the digital transformation process of the capital's healthcare sector.
The hospital established a Steering Committee for the implementation of electronic medical records, developed a specific plan, and digitized all medical record forms on the software. At the Examination Department, the hospital put into use automatic number-taking kiosks, self-registration and information lookup kiosks, and a system of screens displaying queue numbers.
The Department of Diagnostic Imaging is equipped with a specialized film reader. Connecting and sharing data with the social insurance agency is to serve the settlement of medical examination and treatment costs under health insurance in accordance with regulations.
Key factors in digital transformation
According to Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hung, Deputy Director in charge of the Hanoi Department of Health, the capital's health sector is highly determined to implement the Prime Minister's direction on digital transformation; identifying this as a long-term, continuous and unceasing process, in which electronic medical records are just the first "brick" on the roadmap towards a smart hospital model, applying artificial intelligence.
Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hung said that implementing electronic medical records not only helps reduce working time but also brings more convenience and ease to departments, rooms and medical staff compared to previous paper medical records.
To meet the requirements of the digital transformation phase, each medical staff needs to innovate their working perspective and mindset, shifting from the traditional model to the digital model.
Emphasizing that the synchronous implementation of electronic medical records is a key factor in the digital transformation process of the entire industry, Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hung said that when combined with electronic health records, the health sector can build a complete, accurate and timely health data system - a large data warehouse with value for analysis, forecasting, appropriate policy planning and improving the effectiveness of people's health care.
The Department of Health directed its affiliated units to review technology infrastructure, complete professional software, and fully integrate functions such as digital signatures, medical image storage, testing connections, electronic prescriptions, etc. At the same time, consider the implementation of electronic medical records as the first and important step towards building a smart hospital model in the future.
Regarding the journey of building a smart healthcare system in Hanoi, Associate Professor - Doctor Tran Quy Tuong, Chairman of the Vietnam Medical Informatics Association, Chairman of the Professional Council affirmed that the implementation of electronic medical records is an inevitable and extremely necessary trend in the digital transformation roadmap of the healthcare sector.
Public hospitals in Hanoi are undergoing many changes and promoting the application of information technology, aiming towards “paperless” hospitals. However, to have a smart healthcare system, it is necessary to synchronize the criteria: smart medical examination and treatment, smart disease prevention, and smart healthcare management.
“Hospitals need to complete plans to ensure information security, avoid data loss, deploy clinical warning software in the pharmaceutical and medical examination and treatment fields, and gradually apply artificial intelligence to improve the quality and effectiveness of treatment,” Associate Professor - Dr. Tran Quy Tuong noted.
Hanoi currently has 18/42 public hospitals that have completed the implementation of electronic medical records, including: Xanh Pon General Hospital, Hanoi Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hanoi Oncology, Dong Anh General Hospital, Van Dinh General Hospital, Hoe Nhai General Hospital, Soc Son General Hospital, Ba Vi General Hospital, Quoc Oai General Hospital, My Duc General Hospital, Hanoi Pediatrics, Phu Xuyen General Hospital, Hoai Duc General Hospital, Vietnam - Cuba Friendship Hospital, Me Linh General Hospital, Nam Thang Long, Ha Dong General Hospital and Son Tay General Hospital.
The completion of procedures and techniques is being urgently implemented by hospitals in the city, determined to complete as planned.
Although the IT infrastructure is still weak and unsynchronized, and the IT human resources are still lacking and not properly trained... with the determination of the entire industry, the above barriers will be gradually overcome.
Hanoi's smart healthcare system is gradually being completed, contributing to promoting digital transformation in management, medical examination and treatment so that people can enjoy the benefits of medical examination, treatment and comprehensive healthcare./.
Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/benh-an-dien-tu-vien-gach-nen-mong-xay-dung-benh-vien-thong-minh-post1052762.vnp
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