Deputy Minister explains why Cho Ray Hospital's electronic medical records are "late but on track"

(Dan Tri) - Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, Deputy Minister of Health, said that the electronic medical records deployed by Cho Ray Hospital, although late, arrived at the right time.

How does Cho Ray Hospital implement electronic medical records?

At the ceremony to announce the implementation of electronic medical records (EMR) at Cho Ray Hospital (HCMC), which took place on September 5, Dr. Pham Thanh Viet, Deputy Executive Director of the unit, said that this place had started the first steps of electronic medical records since 1998, with a system to manage inpatients and emergency patients.

In 2010, after the health insurance abuse incident, the hospital took another step forward, with the implementation of medical record management software in the Examination Department, and then two years later continued to work on an information technology development project.

BSCK2 Pham Thanh Viet shares the process of implementing electronic medical records at Cho Ray Hospital (Photo: Hoang Le).

However, by 2019, this project had to end due to many difficulties and shortcomings. After that, the Hospital sent people to Japan to learn how to build electronic medical records, but it was not implemented yet, due to barriers such as inadequate infrastructure, lack of available electronic medical records templates...

Cho Ray Hospital has set up survey teams to visit 6 medical facilities across the country to find the closest electronic medical record management model.

The electronic medical record system of Cho Ray Hospital was successfully deployed after about 3 months of construction and careful preparation (Photo: Hospital).

Through this, the hospital found a unit that had built and operated the electronic medical record system for 7 years. With the support of the Ministry of Health 's leaders and the consensus of all hospital staff, after 3 months of construction, Cho Ray's electronic medical record finally met the requirements and was officially deployed.

“We will try to build better and better electronic medical record functions, helping doctors work more conveniently, reduce errors and serve patients better. At the same time, we will develop other software to move towards the goal of becoming a paperless hospital,” said Dr. Pham Thanh Viet.

Close coordination with cybersecurity is needed

Dr. Duong Huy Luong, Deputy Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) affirmed that Cho Ray Hospital is the "leading bird" of the southern health sector, so it not only provides on-site health care but is also a place for other facilities to follow.

Given the scale and stature of Cho Ray, implementing electronic medical records here is not easy. Therefore, Mr. Duong sent special congratulations to the Hospital for the above achievement.

The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) congratulated Cho Ray Hospital on successfully implementing electronic medical records (Photo: Hoang Le).

Dr. Nguyen Van Quan, Deputy Director of the Department of Science , Technology and Training (Ministry of Health) said that up to now, the orientation of "digital health" and "green health" of Deputy Minister Nguyen Tri Thuc has come true.

Cho Ray Hospital is responsible for the medical services of the Southern, Southeast, Central Highlands and even Cambodia. When Cho Ray Hospital implements electronic medical records, lower-level units can follow suit. This is a breakthrough in the medical sector.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance, shared that Cho Ray Hospital deployed electronic medical records from the beginning. Over time, this software gradually failed to meet the reality. This led to difficulties and inadequacies in health insurance payments.

“In just a short time, the hospital has completed the electronic medical record and it is running smoothly, quickly and accurately, helping both the hospital and the social insurance agency.

This implementation is also in line with the policy of the health sector. After merging with Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau, the health sector of Ho Chi Minh City can apply the model of Cho Ray Hospital," said a representative of Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance.

The leader of the PA05 Department, Ho Chi Minh City Police - the unit that ensures information security for the entire city - requested that Cho Ray Hospital pay attention to investing in equipment, personnel and closely coordinating with the network security department, to avoid negative issues, such as hackers selling patient information to outsiders.

Cho Ray Hospital officially deployed electronic medical records since September 5 (Photo: Hoang Le).

Dr. Nguyen Tri Thuc, Deputy Minister of Health, acknowledged that the implementation of electronic medical records at Cho Ray Hospital was "late and on time" because some places in the Northern region had implemented it earlier.

This is an advantage, as Cho Ray has learned from the experiences of other hospitals, so its EMR system is quite complete.

“Cho Ray’s electronic medical records are a model that other places can refer to. Thanks to the hospital’s leadership and all staff, we have achieved what we have today only through our unity,” said the Deputy Minister of Health.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/thu-truong-noi-ly-do-benh-an-dien-tu-benh-vien-cho-ray-di-sau-ve-dung-20250905173325941.htm