Konkuk University Medical Center and its ... - Korea IT Times

u-hospital
tumor during the surgery of breast cancer patients. This cuttingedge
cancer treatment offers many benefits, including easy visibility
for the physician, the protection of critical organs, and more.
A system that will allow the center to offer this kind of treatment
is also planned to be introduced.
The department of surgery on the first floor will change its focus
to a department that is fully dedicated to serving patients with
breast cancer and thyroid cancer. The new department will share
space with the Integrated Medicine Clinic. The research that will
be conducted to identify ways of improving cancer patients' lives
through food, dietary supplement and immunotherapy, among
others, will be in the purview of the Integrated Medicine Clinic.
In order to remain abreast of the increasing number of cardiac
patients, the cardiothoracic surgeon’s office is being moved and
extended from the second floor to the first floor. Following the
move, the office will undergo an upgrade in specialized equipment
and systems for cardiac, pulmonary and esophageal diseases.
The injection room will also be relocated to the second
floor, in a space once occupied by a laboratory. This move will result
in 10 additional beds, bringing the total number to 27. The
reason for enhancing the capacity in the injection room is so that
it will be able to accommodate an increasing number of patients
who are undergoing chemotherapy. The clinical laboratory that
formerly occupied the new injection clinic space has secured a
new location on the second basement level. The lab's new area is
twice as big as the old space, providing an opportunity to enhance
the lab equipment and systems, including the addition of a pneumatic
tube.
The Introduction of Equipment
The most critical operational need for the medical center is deployment
of new MRI scanning capability. The two pieces of
equipment, 1.5T and 3.0T are already in full operation and functioning
at maximum capacity. The center is also debating the
need for the introduction of more PET-CT scanning equipment
to augment the existing apparatus, which has been scanning 350
cases a month. Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT), uses
electron beam radiation to directly treat a tumor bed or residual
Konkuk University Medical Center holds the
highest rating in hemodialysis assessment.
Konkuk University Medical Center received the highest ratings
from the ‘Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service' in hemodialysis
evaluation, with the score of 94.2. This score is higher
than the score of the general medical institution average (81.8),
that of institutions of the same classification(84) and those in the
same region (86.1). This assessment is based on the comprehensive
evaluation including the structural side such as manpower,
facilities and equipment and also the relevance of hemodialysis,
blood vessel control and anemia control. Konkuk University
Medical Center holds a top 0.2% rank in the ratio of hemodialysis
specialists, the frequency of the water quality examination, the
frequency of testing the relevance of hemodialysis and the sufficiency
of monitoring fistula stenosis.
Also Konkuk University Medical Center received a good grade
in the possession and management of emergency equipment used
in the hemodialysis room and equipment for only those with hepatitis
type B. Dr. Jo, Young-il, a professor and a cardiac physician,
said, “We are glad to be recognized for our constant effort to
perform safer and more accurate hemodialysis for our patients.”
He also said that Konkuk University Medical Center has succeeded
in the past in caring for the health of their patients through continuous
and efficient medical quality management and will continue
to do so in the future.
Konkuk University Medical Center Enters
a Cooperative Agreement with UPMC
Konkuk University Medical Center said that they had met with
representatives of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
(UPMC) during their recent visit to Korea on June 26 and 27.
The groups discussed mutual cooperation in the cardiac disorder
field. UPMC introduced the details regarding the cooperative
agreement, and proposed the academic tie at the meeting, which
was attended by cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiovascular physicians,
radiologists and anesthesiologists. UPMC is renowned for
having the world’s highest skilled and professional organization
in the heart transplant and mechanical heart fields. UPMC’s recent
development of a web-based health care program utilizing
Bluetooth technology put UPMC ahead of U-Healthcare.
“We hope this can be the opportunity to raise the medical stan-
30 KOREA IT TIMES | October 2010