Digital Healthcare Must Drive Healthcare System Reforms, Says Hospital Division Head

Digital healthcare is no longer a mere auxiliary option but a core component of the medical system, requiring proactive integration into healthcare reforms, asserts Kang Jae-heon, head of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital's Future Healthcare Division. He emphasizes that the rapid integration of artificial intelligence and digital technologies into clinical practice, coupled with explosive market growth, positions digital healthcare to lead rather than merely support healthcare delivery.

The domestic digital healthcare market has experienced dramatic growth, expanding from 2.2 trillion won in 2020 to 7.7 trillion won last year, significantly exceeding previous government projections. This sector is now recognized as a key growth engine for the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, with companies like Daewoong Pharmaceutical actively building integrated digital healthcare ecosystems. The medical field also views digital healthcare as central to the future of medicine, with the trend of digital and AI transformation in healthcare institutions accelerating the adoption of technologies like remote consultations, AI-assisted diagnostics, digital therapeutics, and continuous glucose monitors.

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Digital healthcare is no longer a mere auxiliary option but a core component of the medical system, requiring its active integration into healthcare reforms.

Despite its rapid advancement, digital healthcare in South Korea still largely functions in a supporting role, with numerous regulatory and reimbursement challenges remaining. Kang advocates for a paradigm shift in healthcare delivery and a forward-thinking reform of the digital healthcare system to overcome the limitations of finite medical resources and personnel. He notes that the traditional model of healthcare, confined to the clinic, is breaking down as AI solutions and monitoring technologies extend beyond hospital walls, fundamentally altering the healthcare landscape.

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The limited number of doctors alone cannot solve the problem in areas with healthcare shortages or in essential medical fields, given the demographic structure.

Patients now benefit from real-time health monitoring via mobile apps and wearable devices while awaiting appointments, and medical professionals are enhancing their productivity with AI assistance in tasks like radiological image analysis. The pharmaceutical industry is also leveraging digital healthcare to improve medication adherence. Kang argues that digital healthcare must be integrated into the medical system, especially given South Korea's structural healthcare crisis, marked by a rapidly aging population, a surge in chronic diseases, and a critical shortage of personnel in essential medical fields.

He proposes that instead of simply increasing the number of doctors, a more effective approach involves efficiently allocating limited resources and creating an environment where specialists can concentrate on treating severe cases through integrated digital healthcare. Remote consultations and chronic disease monitoring can reduce unnecessary visits to tertiary hospitals, enabling primary care providers to offer continuous, personalized care. For high-risk patients, digital healthcare systems can monitor for early signs of critical conditions, ensuring timely treatment. Establishing digital network collaboration systems between regional and tertiary hospitals could also revitalize the strained healthcare delivery system. Kang stresses the need for the government to adopt a "simultaneous design" approach, incorporating digital healthcare systems from the initial stages of planning reforms for essential medical services and the healthcare delivery system, rather than merely layering digital technology onto existing frameworks.

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To efficiently allocate limited personnel and resources and create an environment where specialists can focus on treating severe patients, integrated linkage with digital healthcare is essential.