Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital

Hallym University Medical Center successfully hosted an international symposium on “DRG System, World's Experience and Our Strategy” on May 13, 2013. The symposium was held at HUMC’s sixth hospital, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital in Gyeonggi to celebrate its opening.

The special event has drawn 300 medical professionals both in and out of Korea. Among them include medical professionals from New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) in the U.S., Kyoto University in Japan, and the Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, Yonsei University and Hallym University in Korea.

Each speaker shared their thoughts and gave an outlook of challenges that Korean medical institutions may face when the government’s new medical pricing system for seven medical treatments based on diagnosis-related groups (DRG) comes into effect. The new regulation will take effect in July, 2013.

Speakers from NYPH and Kyoto University shared cases in the United States and Japan in which DRG was introduced ahead of Korea. From NYPH, Glenna Friedman, director of Clinical Documentation & Coding Services, Karen Scott, vice president of Quality & Patient Safety and Performance Improvement Officer Ms. Laura Gaffney shared the U.S. experience of the introduction of DRG and Professor Yuichi Imanaka of Kyoto University shared Japan’s cases.

After each session, all speakers had a panel discussion and suggested ways how Korean medical institutions and patients response to the new regulation.

“The DRG regulation is highly likely to give a great impact on quality of medical service,” said HUMC President Hae-Ran Lee. “I hope healthcare providers, healthcare recipients and government officials may be able to find possible solutions at the symposium.”

The specific symposium programs including topics and speakers are as follows:

■Session 1
1. Policies for DRG System in Korea
(Kyung-Taek Bae, Manager, Div. of Health Insurance Benefits, The Ministry of Health & Welfare, Korea)
2. Introduction to US DRG System
(Glenna Friedman, Director, Clinical Documentation & Coding Services, NYP, USA)
3. Introduction to DPC System in Japan
(Yuichi Imanaka, MD, PhD, Professor, Kyoto University, Japan)
4. DRG System in Korea: From the View of Healthcare Providers
(Keun-Young Lee, MD, PhD, Professor, Hallym University College of Medicine, Korea)
5. DRG System & New DRG System
(Gil-Won Kang, MD, PhD, Professor, Chungbuk National University College of Medicine, Korea)

■ Session 2
1. Coding & Documentation
(Glenna Friedman, Director, Clinical Documentation & Coding Services, NYP, USA)
2. Implication on Quality and Patient Safety
(Karen Scott, MD, Vice President, Quality and Patient Safety, NYP, USA)
3. Operational Efficiency
(Laura Gaffney, Performance Improvement Officer, NYP, USA)
4. Hallym’s Medical System Reform for DRG System
(Kyung-Ho Yu, MD, PhD, Professor, Hallym University College of Medicine, Korea)
5. DRG System: the New Payment System in Korea
(Eun-Cheol Park, MD, PhD, Professor, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea)

■Panel Discussion

Meanwhile, a few days before the symposium, Hallym University Dongtan Sacred Heart Hospital kicked off its long-awaited opening ceremony on May 10. The ceremony was attended by ranking government officials, senior medical professionals and Hwanseong city government officials.

“With the launch of the Dongtan hospital, HUMC opened an era of 4,000-patient bed facility. HUMC will take its full responsibility as a leading medical institution to ensure happiness and healthy life for the people,” Dai-Won Yoon, chairman of board of trustees at Ilsong Educational Foundation which consists of Hallym University and Hallym University Medical Center, said in a speech.

Opened in October 29, 2012, the 850 patient-bed Dongtan hospital which is built 14 floors above ground and three underground has treated 120,000 outpatients and 55,000 inpatients. The hospital is strategically situated in a good location. It takes an hour from Seoul and by car.

By Jong Hun Im, Int’l Cooperation Team, HUMC (imjonghun@hallym.or.kr)