Taiwan’s AI Hospital Pioneers a New Era in Healthcare

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to shape the future of healthcare delivery due to its remarkable speed and ability to provide critical insights for medical experts, ensuring greater diagnostic precision and improved patient outcomes.

China Medical University Hospital (CMUH), located in the centre of Taichung, Taiwan, is a shining example of healthcare innovation and AI integration. With a rich history dating back to its founding in 1980, CMUH has grown into a world-class medical facility known for its cutting-edge technologies and patient-centred approach to care.

Taichung’s CMUH includes seven medical buildings, 2,202 beds, and 6,373 professional workers. It receives 190,000 outpatient visits, 12,000 emergency visits, 7,600 inpatient admissions, and 5,100 surgeries per month, making it Taiwan’s second-largest healthcare system and providing top-notch medical care and education in both Western and Chinese medicine.

Diagnosis and treatment with AI

At the forefront of CMUH’s transformative journey lies its embrace of AI technologies. The hospital pioneered voice-based AI medical systems in Mandarin, enabling doctors to accurately convert spoken content into written text. This development is called the Generative Healthcare Intelligent System (gHI), helping reduce medical record input time from 30 to 10 minutes. It also supports various languages spoken in Taiwan, including Mandarin, English, and local dialects.

Another breakthrough in CMUH’s AI initiatives is its “intelligent antimicrobial system,” which is powered by AI algorithms made in partnership with Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. This efficient system is implemented across its 12 hospitals and has revolutionised the detection of bacteria, slashing diagnosis times from 72 hours to just one hour. As a result, antibiotic costs have plummeted by 30%, with patient mortality rates witnessing a remarkable 25% decrease.

In addition, CMUH’s AI-powered analysis of electrocardiograms (ECGs) for heart attack detection proves particularly beneficial when deployed in ambulances, aiding in identifying heart attacks during transport to the hospital. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, CMUH has cut down treatment times for potential heart attack patients, ensuring swift and life-saving interventions.

Currently, CMUH runs 10 AI clinics staffed by teams of doctors and AI researchers from different fields working together to address a myriad of medical challenges. From cancer detection to stroke treatment, AI models provide specialists with real-time diagnosis while also simplifying clinical operations.

CMUH: a cornerstone of modern healthcare

CMUH was honoured as the world’s third smart hospital by the US Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) in its 2022 Digital Health Indicator (DHI) ranking. Additionally, Newsweek recognised CMUH as one of the World’s Best Hospitals for 2023 and one of the World’s Best Smart Hospitals for 2024.

The hospital emphasises its commitment to sharing its AI tools globally by utilising the Azure platform, which makes it fast and practical to deploy AI models to hospitals and clinics all over the world. The cloud platform can also protect sensitive health data, prioritising patient privacy while making AI healthcare accessible, leading to a progressive change in medical practice.

In an era defined by rapid technological expansion, CMUH sees AI as a cornerstone for its future strategy. With its “AI-assisted Physician” system to help healthcare officials with diagnosing diseases, planning treatments, educating patients, and conducting medical research, the hospital is redefining the boundaries of what’s possible in patient care and remains firm in its mission to deliver the best healthcare solutions that transcend borders and transform lives.

Taiwan’s spotlight in medical tourism

Taiwan is becoming a popular choice for medical tourists from Asia, primarily because it provides high-quality medical services with modern facilities and skilled professionals at a lower cost compared to many Western countries.

It has also become a hotspot for traditional Chinese medicine, such as acupuncture, herbal cures, and holistic approaches to health. Along with this, cosmetic and plastic surgery procedures are in demand, particularly rhinoplasty, breast augmentation, and facelifts. Furthermore, convenient transportation and accommodation options make the experience easier for medical tourists.

The nation’s medical tourism continues to thrive thanks to its blend of excellent care, affordability, and strategic utilisation of modern technological advancements.