Modernizing healthcare from electronic medical records

The application of digital technology in management, medical examination and treatment, storage and sharing of medical data not only helps improve service quality, shorten time and reduce costs for people, but also creates a foundation for building a smart, transparent and effective healthcare system.

Implementing the digital transformation policy of the health sector, Buon Ma Thuot General Hospital has promoted the deployment of an electronic medical record system, gradually digitizing the entire medical record management process: patient admission, diagnosis, clinical indications, prescriptions, medical image storage, and hospital fee payment.

Director of Buon Ma Thuot General Hospital Trinh Hong Nhut said that while doctors and nurses previously had to look up dozens of paper files, now with just a few operations on the computer, all of the patient's treatment information appears complete and accurate. Data connection between departments and rooms is done quickly, helping to shorten waiting time and limit professional errors.

The appraisal council evaluates the implementation of electronic medical records at Buon Ma Thuot General Hospital.

One of the private medical units that has made many steps in digital transformation is Tay Nguyen Eye Hospital. Established in 2014, with a scale of 50 beds, Tay Nguyen Eye Hospital receives 70,000 - 75,000 outpatient visits and 5,000 - 6,000 inpatient treatments each year. Determining digital transformation as an inevitable trend, from the first days of its establishment, the hospital has deployed hospital management software to manage medical examinations and treatment and store patient information.

In 2018, the hospital continued to digitize medical records, creating a foundation for electronic medical records, improving efficiency and convenience in medical data management. At the end of 2020, the hospital deployed digital signatures and electronic signatures on medical records, gradually switching to electronic medical records; upgrading infrastructure on servers, network systems, upgrading HIS and LIS software, and completing electronic medical records in September 2025.

Director of the Department of Health Nay Phi La said that digital transformation work in the health sector in recent years has been actively implemented and achieved many important results; 100% of health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities use chip-embedded citizen identification cards and the VNeID application to look up health insurance card information.

More than 645,000 electronic health records have been integrated on the VNeID platform. Self-service medical kiosk applications, biometrics, electronic medical records (EMR), HIS, LIS, RIS/PACS systems... have been deployed synchronously and initially brought positive effects in treatment management, data storage and online hospital payment. In particular, the adoption of electronic medical records in hospitals is considered an important step forward, demonstrating the determination of the hospital community in the digital transformation roadmap of the health sector.

In the context of implementing two-level local government, digital transformation plays the role of "glue" connecting information, increasing operational efficiency, bringing health services closer to the people, in line with the spirit of taking patients as the center".

Director of Health Department Nay Phi La

To date, 36 medical examination and treatment facilities, including 14 general and specialized hospitals and 22 medical centers in the province, have met the conditions to deploy electronic medical records, reaching a rate of 100%.

However, through practical records, digital transformation work in the health sector still faces some difficulties such as: information technology infrastructure in many health facilities has degraded; maintenance costs for public service software, especially software such as ASM, have not been included in the price structure of health services...

The medical examination registration kiosk was put into use by Tay Nguyen Eye Hospital to help improve the quality of patient service.

Identifying digital transformation as a strategic, long-term task, in the coming time, the provincial health sector will continue to coordinate with relevant departments and branches to exploit, connect and share synchronous data, improve efficiency in serving the people; strengthen communication, training and support people to use VNeID, electronic health books, towards the model of "digital citizens" in health; advise competent authorities to issue specific financial mechanisms for digital transformation activities in health.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/xa-hoi/202510/hien-dai-hoa-y-te-tu-benh-an-dien-tu-5ad1337/