There are medical records that are hundreds of pages thick, which is very inconvenient for doctors - Photo: VGP/HM
Reasons for slow implementation of electronic medical records
Speaking to reporters of the Government Electronic Newspaper, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Quy Tuong, Chairman of the Vietnam Medical Informatics Association, said that currently, all (100%) medical examination and treatment facilities nationwide have deployed information technology (IT) applications, have hospital information management software (HIS) and 100% of hospitals have connected with social insurance to perform electronic health insurance appraisal.
To date, 142 public and private hospitals nationwide have successfully implemented electronic medical records, eliminating the use of paper medical records. Electronic hospital fee payments have also made significant progress compared to 5 years ago when the Ministry of Health issued a directive on implementing cashless hospital fee payments, with about 71% of hospitals adopting electronic payments…
"However, compared to the requirements, the implementation of electronic medical records in hospitals has not met the requirements according to the implementation roadmap stipulated in Circular No. 46/2018/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health regulating electronic medical records. The country currently has about 1,500 public and private hospitals," Associate Professor Tran Quy Tuong pointed out.
There are many reasons for the delay in implementing electronic medical records. However, there are three main bottlenecks. First, many hospital directors and leaders have not been proactive in implementing electronic medical records, and still rely on and wait for higher-level management agencies.
Second, there are no specific and strong enough sanctions for hospitals that are slow to implement electronic medical records as prescribed. Third, there are no specific guidelines for the financial mechanism for the application of medical information technology in general and the implementation of electronic medical records in particular, there is no expenditure item for information technology, and there is no IT component in the cost of medical services.
Currently, hospitals mainly use their unit's development investment fund to apply IT, affecting other hospital activities.
Deploying electronic medical records is identified as one of the key tasks in the digital transformation strategy of the health sector - Photo: VGP/HM
Leveraging connected data to reduce testing
Electronic medical records are considered an important solution to replace traditional paper medical records, helping to reduce errors in the diagnosis and treatment process. This system not only simplifies administrative procedures but also helps doctors and medical staff monitor and manage patients' health anytime, anywhere.
Recently, on March 14, the Prime Minister issued Directive No. 07/CT-TTg on "Promoting the implementation of the project to develop applications of population data, identification and electronic authentication to serve national digital transformation in the period of 2022 - 2025, with a vision to 2030 in ministries, branches and localities in 2025 and the following years".
In particular, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Health to direct and urge 100% of hospitals nationwide to deploy electronic medical records; connect data between district and provincial hospitals of localities with hospitals under the Ministry of Health, take advantage of interconnected data to reduce testing for people, to be completed in September 2025.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health will preside over and coordinate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Science and Technology to guide hospitals on costs for investment or leasing information technology to implement digital transformation for hospitals nationwide.
Accordingly, to accelerate the implementation of electronic medical records, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan requested medical examination and treatment facilities nationwide to deploy electronic medical records and electronic health books integrated on the VNeID application before September 30, 2025.
The Minister identified this as one of the key tasks in the digital transformation strategy of the health sector, aiming to optimize management, improve service quality and ensure information security in healthcare.
To achieve this goal, the Ministry of Health requires medical examination and treatment facilities to prioritize resources and urgently deploy electronic medical records; must use electronic health books integrated on the VNeID application, allowing people to easily access and manage their health information...
According to the plan, medical facilities will actively apply artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in disease diagnosis and treatment. The Ministry of Health aims to provide 100% of eligible administrative procedures as online public services by the end of 2025.
At the same time, at least 80% of administrative procedure records will be processed online, the rate of adults using online public services will reach 40% or more, and by the end of June 2025, 100% of administrative procedure records will be attached with personal identification.
Thuy Ha
Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/100-benh-vien-phai-trien-khai-benh-an-dien-tu-truoc-thang-10-2025-102250319135405888.htm
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