The rapid growth of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (SNUBH) is drawing attention, as the medical institution celebrates its 15th anniversary this year.

Opening as a branch hospital of Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) on May 10, 2003, the SNUBH has become one of the leading hospitals in Korea.

According to state portal All Public Information in One (ALIO), SNUBH marked 678.4 billion won ($607.7 million) in sales last year, an 11.2-fold increase compared to 60.5 billion won in 2003. Last year’s revenue was 68.2 percent of that of SNUH, which stood at 994.9 billion won.

Although SNUBH suffered 20.6 billion won and 7.6 billion won operating losses in the first and second year, respectively, it successfully turned around to post 700 million won operating profit in 2005. From 2005 through 2011, the hospital kept reaping operating profits for seven consecutive years.

The construction of the new building, currently used as Cancer and Cranial Nerves Center, led the hospital to mark losses from 2012. However, as more patients visited the new building, the hospital’s operation improved. Since 2016, the hospital has been making profits again.

SNUBH became state-of-the-art hospital after focusing on seniors

Not many had expected that SNUBH would become successful. Although its name included the famous title of “SNUH,” people had expected that the label of the “branch hospital” would limit the growth.

However, the hospital strived to make various efforts such as securing human resources and conducting research actively, seeking innovation continuously and establishing advanced medical information system early.

Now, it has become one of the five largest hospitals in Korea.

SNUBH initially aimed to become a 500-bed general hospital, with specialties in geriatric diseases, rehabilitation center, and emergency trauma center, to meet the needs of aged society.

However, beyond the original goal of a geriatric hospital, SNUBH is taking the initiative to blend the latest information and technology with medical care.

The hospital’s medical care information system was the first in Korea to receive the highest ratings from the U.S. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. The hospital exported its system to the Middle East and the U.S. where most advanced medical systems compete against each other.

“We could attain good results because they recognized the expertise and excellence of our system,” SNUBH President Jheon Sang-hoon said. “The ‘Best Care 2.0A’, exported to Saudi Arabia, is optimized for the Middle East. Compared with global vendors, our system has a competitive edge in quality and price.”

Jheon went on to say that the hospital’s “Best Care 2.0B,” exported to the U.S., won rave reviews as well. “After trying the ‘Best Care 2.0B’ at Charter Oak Hospital, American physicians praised it saying they have never seen such intuitive and excellent user interface (UI) solution as this,” he added.

SNUBH completed overhauling the outpatient care room and the emergency center last year. With the most optimal environment and medical care infrastructure, the hospital will provide globally-competitive healthcare services and put patients’ safety and happiness as a priority, it said.

The hospital plans to maintain the number of beds and outpatients at the current level and focus on boosting the quality of medical care.

SNUBH will also seek exchanges with internationally leading hospitals to update the hospital’s service to the global standards and reinforce its global brand name.

The hospital is preparing to establish a Korean-style hospital with advanced technologies in the Moscow’s Skolkovo International Medical Cluster in Russia. Through the project, SNUBH aims not only to export its medical service and information system but to lead the internationalization of Korean healthcare industries including hospital design, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.

The hospital also plans to build “Bio Cluster-Healthcare Special Zone” in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, to nurture the healthcare industry for the Fourth Industrial Revolution era and lay the foundation to help Korean businesses expand in the global market.

Its plan includes establishing a special medical zone where healthcare industries ranging from hospitals to “Healthcare Innovation Park” and research facilities are clustered.

SNUBH will also put more endeavors to enhance the capacity of its working staffs. The hospital plans to expand the long-term training system, which used to apply only to professors, to general employees and dispatch them to corresponding positions at advanced hospitals.

Besides, the hospital will promote the referral-transfer system with neighboring hospitals to focus more on severely ill patients and offer efficient and high-quality medical services.

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