Seoul-based Asan Medical Center (AMC) has been validated for Stage 6 of the new HIMSS Infrastructure Adoption Model (INFRAM). 

The new INFRAM, introduced in March, assesses an organisation's infrastructure maturity based on cybersecurity, adoption, sustainability, performance, and outcomes. The previous framework evaluated healthcare organisations in the areas of mobility, security, collaboration, transport and data centres. 

Founded in 1989, the 2,765-bed hospital is the largest in South Korea, serving around 13,000 patients daily. It is also the teaching hospital of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine.

WHY IT MATTERS

AMC underwent the INFRAM assessment to gauge its IT infrastructure maturity. The teams under AMC Digital Information Innovation headquarters collaborated with various hospital departments during this process and utilised HIMSS's guidelines and resources to streamline the validation process. 

Following the assessment, HIMSS validators commended AMC for creating a "culture of security governance excellence," evidenced by its incident response plans; cybersecurity awareness program; network integrity and physical asset management; and several external certifications including the Korea Information Security Management System (K-ISMS). 

They also highlighted AMC's use of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as part of its investment governance. 

Through the Hospital Workflow Automation project, the hospital implemented RPA to automate repetitive tasks, streamlining operations and allowing staff to focus more on critical tasks. Launched in 2021, it has saved over 10,587 hours of staff hours and over 315 million won (around $240,000) in operational costs.

"The case study on RPA utilisation is an example of how [the hospital] has leveraged technology to enhance operational efficiency and accuracy. By automating repetitive tasks, AMC has streamlined processes and freed up resources for more strategic activities," said Andrew Pearce, HIMSS Vice President Analytics and Global Advisory Lead.

AMC now plans to further enhance its IT investments to deliver an improved digital experience for both patients and staff. It also aims to adopt cloud technology to optimise its digital environment. 

THE LARGER TREND

AMC's validation follows a recent Stage 6 validation of Seoul National University Hospital for the previous iteration of the INFRAM. Taiwan's Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-Linkou and India's Apollo Hospitals are also currently validated for the same stage in the previous framework. 

ON THE RECORD

"AMC embarked on a strategic journey to modernise its applications, data, infrastructure, and governance, with the goal of building a sustainable IT environment. The HIMSS certification served as a crucial milestone, providing international recognition for our IT environment's safety, efficiency, and forward-thinking approach. This achievement will be instrumental in shaping our future digital transformation strategies," Professor Sang-Oh Lee, Director of the Digital Information Innovation headquarters at AMC, said about the validation process for the updated HIMSS INFRAM. 

"Moving forward, we aim to enhance our IT investment management system to deliver tangible digital experiences for our staff and patients. By improving operational efficiency, we hope to create a virtuous cycle. Additionally, we plan to invest in cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing to foster a sustainable IT ecosystem and maintain an optimal digital environment," he added.