Under the leadership of Superintendent Cho (second from the left in the back row), CMUH secured the top score in the 2023 HIMSS DHI. Superintendent Cho and a delegation visited the U.S. to receive the award, with Andrew Pierce, Vice President and Global Advisory Lead of HIMSS, standing second from the right in the back row.

      China Medical University Hospital (CMUH) has achieved a global top score, 370/400, for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Digital Health Indicator（DHI）in 2023. This achievement not only distinguishes CMUH as Taiwan's first smart hospital to reach this milestone but also highlights its unwavering dedication to advancing smart medicine to improve patient outcomes. Impressively, this is the second time CMUH has been acknowledged as leading smart hospitals by the HIMSS Digital Health Indicator.

      According to Dr. Cho Der-Yang, Superintendent of CMUH, CMUH has developed a comprehensive AI medical center, aiming to integrate medical information, enhance administrative efficiency and improve patient care. One example on the use of digital technology is “The  AI-enabled ICU Command Center”. “The AI-enabled ICU Command Center” at the hospital’s ICU incorporates digital twin for integrating great amount of healthcare information. It applies the AI prediction technologies on several platforms, containing Intelligent Anti-Microbial System (i.A.M.S.), Smart Heart Platform and ARDiTeX (ARDS Tech System). The system achieves real-time remote monitoring of critical care patients and simultaneously grasps the physical condition of multiple patients. Through cross-system medical information exchange and collaboration, the infection rate of resistant strains was remarkably reduced from 12.2% to 7.5%. .

      Additionally, CMUH is enhancing healthcare accessibility for patients in rural areas through the implementation of advanced remote healthcare technologies. This includes the use of AI for pre-hospital myocardial infarction detection, which reduces interpretation time to a remarkable 37 seconds. This technology ensures patients are directly transported to hospitals equipped for cardiac catheterization. Additionally, CMUH employs AI to assist in the interpretation of ophthalmoscopy reports, processing up to 185 reports monthly, thereby supporting diabetes patients care in remote towns and villages. Furthermore, the CMUH App, serving as a personal healthcare assistant, now features a virtual National Health Insurance (NHI) card for efficient record-keeping and tracking of healthcare usage. It offers trend visualizations and smart recommendations to support self-care and health management from the comfort of one's home. Through remote monitoring and data sharing capabilities, patients can safely perform hemodialysis at home, potentially saving up to 90 days in travel time annually and significantly enhancing treatment efficiency. With a monthly user base of 310,000, the CMUH App demonstrates its substantial utility and broad acceptance among users.       

      These achievements all rely on high levels of information integration and strict information security technologies to achieve superior medical outcomes.  "Smart healthcare is an ever-evolving field, with no ultimate solution. Our dedication follows the four pivotal aspects of the U.S. HIMSS DHI: Interoperability, Person-Enabled Health, Predictive Analytics, and Governance & Workforce. This framework helps us identify and address potential gaps," stated Superintendent Der-Yang Cho. "We're incorporating advanced technologies such as IT and AI, alongside infrastructure enhancements, to lighten the load on healthcare workers, elevate the quality of care, and, most importantly, deliver tangible benefits to patients."

CMUH Leads with EMRAM Stage 7, INFRAM Stage 7 and AMAM Stage 6 Certifications

      It is particularly noteworthy that CMUH has been awarded by international communities in a row, including Newsweek's “World’s Best Hospital 2023-2024” and “World’s Best Smart Hospital 2024”. CMUH, its outstanding performance in healthcare information management, analysis and application, was the first in Taiwan to achieve HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7 re-certification, as well as INFRAM Stage 7 and AMAM Stage 6 certifications.  CMUH was one of the two hospitals in Asia and the sole laureate in Taiwan of the HIMSS Davies Award of Excellence 2023.

      Vice Superintendent Oscar Lee remarked, "CMUH stands as the first hospital in Taiwan to be re-certified at HIMSS EMRAM Stage 7, leveraging cloud-based big data for standardized data transmission and exchange with the public domain. This solid information infrastructure plays a crucial role in achieving our INFRAM Stage 7 certification. By advancing the use of medical AI and offering over fifty BI dashboard options, we gain forward-looking insights into clinical, administrative, and business management risks, enhancing our overall operational efficiency. These efforts have positioned CMUH as the pioneering hospital in Taiwan to secure the AMAM Stage 6 certification."

CMUH Develops “AI-assisted Nurse” to Improve the Quality of Nursing Practice

      CMUH is dedicated to smart medicine and innovations, especially the application of generative AI. According to Dr. Wei-Chun Wang, Vice Director of AI Center at CMUH, with MedLM as the base model, CMUH AI Center made developments in the applications of diagnostic support, therapeutic recommendations, health education and medical research to benefit healthcare professionals. Especially in this period of nursing shortage, priority will be given to the use of new technologies to construct "AI-Assisted Nurse" with visual analysis capabilities and the following benefits:  

1. Image Analysis for Preliminary Evaluation: The system provides an initial analysis of patient or wound images, combined with nurse descriptions, to ensure comprehensive records and support assessments.
2. Efficient Record-Keeping with Limited Staff: It optimizes record-keeping, maintaining accuracy and completeness even with limited staffing.
3. Automated Record Creation: By generating records from images and verbal inputs, the system minimizes manual input, enhances efficiency, and allocates more time for patient care, ensuring no vital information is missed.
4. Enhanced Communication: Integrating text and images improves nurse understanding of patient conditions and ensures reliable information transfer between shifts, leading to more consistent care.
5. Prompt Recommendations: The system offers immediate advice based on inputs, aiding nurses in patient care decisions and management.
6. Quality and Safety Improvement: Comprehensive and precise records enable nurses to monitor patient conditions effectively, identify issues quickly, and take appropriate actions, boosting care quality and safety.

      “With pressure sore patients that are bed-ridden or who have poor mobility, the nursing practice with the ‘AI-assisted Nurse’ may start with taking pictures of the wounds for preliminary assessment and profiling, and offer precautions and recommendations, leading to improved work efficiency and record integrity.” Dr. Wang stated, “Nurses can use this model to record the patient's facial expression and verbal messages regarding their symptoms, generate text records of pain assessment and statements, and improve the quality of care. When this model matures, it will offer physicians with suggestions in medication adjustments and further improve the efficiency of nursing care. Moreover, this technology can be applied in diet control, as nurses can analyze food pictures, estimate calorie intake, and provide appropriate education and advice.”

      This novel technology will lead healthcare to a new horizon. Applying AI-assisted analysis of clinical conditions in patient care helps improve the quality of nursing practice, facilitate innovations and advances, and makes future care more accessible and convenient.

Related news from AP News: https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-newswire/medical-technology-taiwan-9a4b10781fa9af7d61b76a8fee95e7de