Garnering Global Attention with K-Medi The World’s First JCI-Accredited International Healthcare Center in Daejeon

Sun Medical Center is dedicated to looking after patients and others wishing to improve their health with a mission to “provide the best possible treatment and care to all who seek us, at all times, without any constraints.” Incepted as an orthopedic clinic with 20 beds in 1966, it has grown into a general hospital with 13 treatment centers, 23 departments, and around 200 medical specialists, as of 2020. We interviewed Park Han Ju, the Director of the International Healthcare Center of the Sun Medical Center that has made remarkable achievements in providing medical services to overseas patients.

Q1. First of all, please tell us about the Yeonghun Medical Foundation, which operates the International Healthcare Center.

The Sun Medical Center operated by the Yeonghun Medical Foundation opened its doors as the Sun Orthopedic Surgery Clinic with around 20 hospital beds in 1966. There are now some 900 beds at 4 hospitals: the Sun Medical Center, Sun Dental Hospital, International Healthcare Center, and Yuseong Sun Hospital. Staffed with around 200 medical specialists and visited by more than 3,000 outpatients each day, we are considered a successful hospital model operating outside Greater Seoul.

Q2. You were quoted as saying, "[The International Healthcare Center] was shaped like an artwork by envisioning the future a hundred years from now instead of merely expanding our hospital," during an interview. Could you tell us about the Sun International Healthcare Center?

In July 2012, the Sun International Healthcare Center with a gross floor area of 12.561㎡(5-story building with one basement floor) opened its doors in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon. There is a grand piano in the center of the lobby on the first floor of the International Healthcare Center, with a fabulous chandelier shining brightly above. The interior design is as fine and upscale as that of a five-star hotel. It has an indoor garden and first-class lodging facilities.

Located adjacent to the International Healthcare Center is the Cancer Center to allow interdisciplinary treatment and care, with one-step services provided from detection to treatment. The Cancer Center is equipped with RapidArc, state-of-the-art equipment for cancer surgery that costs millions of dollars, and its facilities are comparable to those of any of the large hospitals in Seoul. As for the Sun International Healthcare Center, it became the world’s first international health screening center to be accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) after passing the evaluation consisting of a whopping 1,200 items.

Q3. After being chosen as a leading hospital in treating foreign patients by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Sun International Healthcare Center saw more than 850 foreign patients in the first year, after which around 5,000 foreign patients have been visiting annually. What are the strengths of the Sun International Healthcare Center that differentiate it from the major hospitals in the capital area?

The fact that you can receive treatment and care from outstanding medical professionals using state-of-the-art equipment and obtain quality healthcare services at a remarkably lower cost than other medically advanced countries like the United States and that the cost of receiving a health examination is less than half the cost of receiving the same exams at famous university hospitals in Seoul is receiving a favorable response from medical tourists.

Q4. What are the diverse health screening programs offered by the Sun International Healthcare Center for medical tourists?

The health screening programs we offer are largely divided into three types: a basic screening program consisting of essential tests and exams for early detection of adult diseases and cancer; an in-depth screening program examining the brain, heart and digestive tract and screening for 7 most common types of cancer including lung cancer and gynecologic cancer; and a VIP health screening program where patients stay inside a ward that is comparable to a five-star hotel and provided with care and services by a coordinator on a one-on-one basis.

The Sun International Healthcare Center offers health screening programs that are specifically tailored to the patient’s age group or a certain theme, like a couple who are about to get married, women, seniors and so on. The fourth floor of our building has been turned into a ward for patients who admit themselves for the VIP health screening program.

We have patients coming from Seoul and even from abroad for the VIP health screening program, and they get to unwind and relax at Yuseong Hot Spring and undergo basic health screening, PET-CT scans, cancer screening, and in-depth heart and brain examinations in a private space.

The hospital rooms provided to patients in the VIP health screening program are private spaces that can also function as an office with a fax machine and a computer, and each patient is assigned a nurse to receive one-on-one health screening services.

Q5. Could you provide more details on the Sun International Healthcare Center’s concierge service and IT service for medical tourists?

One-on-one concierge service is provided by the International Healthcare Team (English, Chinese, Russian, Mongolian, etc.) comprised of local coordinators who are former doctors to assist foreign patients in communicating with the medical staff in Korea. Medical tourists are picked up at the airport on a limousine bus and brought to the hospital. We book nearby hotels for patients on their behalf, and if they want to go sightseeing around town, we provide related tourist information. If a problem is found in any of their tests or exams, we book an appointment for them so that they can receive the necessary treatment.

As for the IT service, our website is available in foreign languages for medical tourists to obtain information they need about our hospital in their own language. They can also contact our coordinators and make appointments via the website. When it comes to the VIP health screening program, patients are each given a tablet PC, through which they can check the information on their checkups in real time and receive information on the sequence of the tests and exams they will receive.

Q6. Are there any special programs or promotions for medical tourists, who are postponing their trips or finding it difficult to come to Korea due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

We are doing our best to cater to the schedules of medical tourists by identifying the potential factors that may cause delays in their entry process due to COVID-19. We are practicing infectious disease control and prevention measures very stringently at the hospital, and we check whoever comes into our hospital for fever and respiratory symptoms. There is a hand sanitizing system at every passing point between the screening tests and exams. In addition, we disinfect the tag keys, patient cards, and slippers that the patients come into contact with every single day.

There are few people arriving from our target countries, but at the Sun Medical Center, we are continuing to receive requests for consultation and treatment. For those making appointments in advance, we offer financial assistance to pay for their airfare if there are flights from their country to Korea.

Q7. Could you tell us about the Sun International Healthcare Center’s plans to attract medical tourists?

The Sun Medical Center has set up a system allowing the four hospitals operating under the foundation to work together closely based on the motto, “From Cancer Detection to Treatment,” thereby raising the quality of treatment and care. In order to effectively treat foreign patients, who cannot stay for long, an interdisciplinary treatment system involving medical specialists from the different hospitals is operated so as to bring forth the best possible results. Through a single visit, medical tourists can receive treatment and consultation in various areas ranging from health screening to orthopedic surgery, cardio-cerebrovascular diseases, cancer and dentistry. Not only that, they can receive dental prosthesis in just a day thanks to the 3D scanning and robot milling system.

Also, although it is still in its early stages, we are offering non-face-to-face healthcare service to overseas patients on a pilot basis. After the pilot run, we will pursue strategic PR campaigns in the target countries and provide telemedicine services. The Daejeon Sun Hospital is also engaging in overseas promotional activities centering on local users and ensuring high satisfaction by providing various services such as rescheduling of appointments to foreign patients. In order to better cater to foreign patients, we’ve created our website and brochures in multiple languages such as English, Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Mongolian, and we have doctors, nurses, and administrative staff who are fluent enough in foreign languages that they can provide consultation to patients via e-mail. The Sun Medical Center has seen a dramatic increase in foreign patients, thanks to word-of-mouth, and is receiving training requests from foreign medical professionals wishing to learn the advanced health technology applied at the hospital. In fact, more than 200 doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff from around 10 countries including Vietnam, Mongolia, and Russia have received training in artificial joint replacement surgery, laparoscopic cancer surgery, stent placement in the heart, and so on or hospital management and service training. We are also being contact by people in China, Russia, and Africa for consulting services and assistance in hospital establishment.

Q8. What are the three biggest reasons that medical tourists should choose the Sun International Healthcare Center for a health screening?

1. We’ve been chosen as a leading health screening center for foreign patients by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
- There are 11 departments with 36 medical specialists with extensive health screening experiences, so it’s possible to receive professional health screening services in every area of medicine.

2. We offer systematic screening for patients.
- We keep the patients updated on their health screening using a computer system for improved convenience. We have 13 coordinators working in 5 countries and provide foods that satisfy the palate of patients from the 7 target countries. So you can rest assured that our health screening services will be systematic and convenient.

3. We’re equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment allowing high-quality testing and accurate diagnosis and treatment.
- As the world’s first JCI-accredited health screening center, we received excellent scores in 1,200 evaluation items including health screening items, infection control, patient safety and medical records. We became the first in Korea to introduce RHYTHMIA Mapping System, a state-of-the-art mapping system for atrial fibrillation, and this is allowing us to screen for the condition at 25 times the precision of the conventional system.

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