South Korea's Medical IT Captivates the World
On March 4, Seungwoo Park, President of Samsung Medical Center, delivered a keynote address at 'HIMSS 2025,' the world's largest medical IT conference, held in Las Vegas, USA. This marks the first time in HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) history that a healthcare organization from Asia has delivered a keynote address.
HIMSS is the world’s most reputable organization that evaluates the level of information technology in healthcare institutions, with the goal of enhancing medical care quality and patient safety. Samsung Medical Center was the first in the world to achieve the highest Level 7 in four of the six areas (EMRAM, INFRAM, DIAM, AMAM) accredited by HIMSS. Additionally, it received a perfect score of 400 points in the Digital Health Index (DHI) survey.
HIMSS invited President Seungwoo Park to share the IT technologies and expertise of Korean medical institutions, with Samsung Medical Center serving as the representative. This provides the context for President Seungwoo Park standing before leading medical institutions and experts from the global medical and IT industries. Under the theme of future medical advancements, Samsung Medical Center showcased the digital innovation journey it has undertaken since its opening.
At HIMSS 2025, the innovative milestones achieved by Samsung Medical Center since its opening in 1994 were presented, highlighting its digital infrastructure advancements, such as becoming Asia's first film-free hospital in 1996, the first in Korea to implement an interoperable health information exchange system connecting hospitals in 1998, introducing a mobile electronic medical record (EMR) system in 2003, and transitioning to a fully paperless hospital in 2008.
President Seungwoo Park emphasized his commitment to exploring new frontiers in medical IT, including artificial intelligence (AI), social robots, and the metaverse. He concluded his speech by stating, "In this constantly evolving world, the one thing that must remain unchanged is our dedication to patient care and our mission to improve the medical environment for all. Let us embark on this transformative journey together, fueled by a culture of collaboration and innovation, as we move into the future."