"Patient-Centered 'Smart Hospital' Established" Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital Opens on the 21st

Operating 700 Beds, 6 Specialized Severe Disease Clusters Including Cancer and Cardiovascular
Gwangmyeong City's First University Hospital...Key Hospital in Southwest Seoul Metropolitan Area
Establishing Advanced Equipment and Digital Healthcare Solutions

Exterior view of Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital opening on the 21st.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital will officially begin outpatient treatment and emergency medical center operations starting on the 21st. As the first university hospital in Gwangmyeong City, Gyeonggi Province, and a key hospital playing an important role in the medical delivery system of the southwestern metropolitan area, it is expected that the level of medical services for local residents will be significantly improved.

Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital spans from basement level 8 to basement level 14 with approximately 700 beds, operating six specialized severe disease clusters including the Cancer Hospital, Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Hospital, Gastroenterology Center, Respiratory Allergy Center, Spine Center, and Joint Center, along with 30 medical departments. Especially since it is opening during the COVID-19 pandemic, thorough in-hospital quarantine measures are in place, supported by three unmanned autonomous disinfection robots operating 24/7 to maintain continuous disinfection.

'Patient-Centered' Innovative Process Presentation

Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital has completely redesigned over 1,000 medical and administrative processes from the perspectives of patients, caregivers, and staff. First, a Medical Administration Office was newly established by physically integrating the Medical Affairs Team, Medical Cooperation Team, and Social Work Team to provide a 'One Stop' service. Tasks such as appointments, admissions and discharges, transfers, referrals, and welfare agency coordination proceed organically, allowing patients to receive services without moving between multiple departments.

The outpatient clinics adopt a flexible 'Universal' outpatient system that drastically reduces waiting times, separates the physical paths of patients and medical staff to prevent infection risks and reduce congestion. All intensive care units are designed as single rooms to support intensive care and protect patient privacy. Additionally, to enable medical staff to focus more on patients, automatic body measurement kiosks, digital status boards for inpatients, pneumatic tube systems, and automated laundry return systems are installed. An AI-based Robotic Process Automation (RPA) solution will also be introduced to simplify and automate administrative tasks.

Lobby of Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital.

Regionally Specialized Severe Disease Clusters... Proven Medical Staff

Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital has selected cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, gastroenterology, respiratory allergy, spine, and joint diseases as its main treatment areas. This reflects survey results showing that citizens in the primary service area have higher incidences of severe cancer and cardiovascular diseases compared to other regions, and that 85% of patients travel to other areas for hospital care. In particular, when cancer is suspected, the hospital has medical staff and a treatment system capable of completing the process from biopsy results to hospitalization and surgery within about one week.

Professor Kim Yi-su, a leading authority on breast and thyroid cancer in Korea, serves as the director of the Cancer Hospital; Professor Kim Sang-wook, a renowned expert in the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular field, leads the Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Hospital. Professors Park Tae-young, Choi Jae-cheol, Park Seung-won, and Park Yong-beom head the Gastroenterology Center, Respiratory Allergy Center, Spine Center, and Joint Center, respectively. With the excellent medical staff from Chung-Ang University Hospital and newly recruited experienced personnel, stable treatment is possible from the early stages of opening, and severe cancer surgeries are expected to be performed from the start, focusing on specialists in severe diseases.

Smart Hospital Equipped with Advanced Medical Equipment

From the preparation stage, Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital aimed to create a 'smart hospital' environment in collaboration with Philips, preparing to build digital healthcare solutions for precise diagnosis. AI efficiently assists medical staff in reading and diagnosing based on big data accumulated through world-class imaging diagnostic equipment and digital pathology systems.

At opening, the hospital will operate the country's first CT device, the 'Spectral CT 7500,' which completes scans in the shortest time: 1 second for head and chest, and 3 seconds for the whole body. A single scan obtains information on the composition of human tissues, minimizing radiation exposure time and contrast agent use, especially for sensitive groups such as children and pregnant women. The 'Ingenia Elition X 3.0T,' which revolutionizes conventional MRI examination methods, will also be introduced. It offers a wider bore diameter of 70 cm for patients lying down, provides high-resolution images with proprietary time reduction technology, and shortens examination time.

Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital will play a key role in the growth of Chung-Ang University Medical Center and strive to fulfill its role as a regional base university hospital. Furthermore, it plans to foster co-growth by forming organic relationships with various industries such as healthcare, medical devices, and artificial intelligence within the Gwangmyeong City Medical Complex Cluster, revitalizing regional healthcare.

Lee Cheol-hee, director of Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, stated, “Above all, I thank the staff who devoted themselves to preparing for the opening despite the difficulties caused by COVID-19, as well as all stakeholders including Gwangmyeong City. We will fulfill our responsibilities and mission as a regional base university hospital and build a truly patient-centered hospital based on digital innovation.”

Meanwhile, considering the COVID-19 situation, the official opening ceremony is planned to be held together with the opening of the Screening Center in May. To reduce the burden on local public health personnel caused by COVID-19, a home treatment medical consultation center will be operated in cooperation with the Gwangmyeong City Public Health Center before the hospital’s opening, and a screening clinic will be established.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.