Helping patients reduce their burden
Although the policy of connecting medical data has been set out for a long time, the connection and sharing of test results between medical examination and treatment facilities has not yet been implemented synchronously nationwide. This causes many patients to fall into the situation of "spending money - wasting time - affecting health" just because they have to repeat previous paraclinical techniques.
Mr. Tran Quang Hong in Hai Anh commune, Ninh Binh province recounted that he had previously had the diagnosis of hepatitis B at a local medical facility. Worried, he went to Hanoi to check again, but all the test results that he had just done a few days ago were not accepted, forcing him to start over.
"Just waiting for the supersonic number to be Sequential has to wait until the afternoon before it's our turn. The blood test also had to be close to noon to get the results. Then continue to wait for the doctor's conclusion. It takes a lot of time, money and effort. Fortunately, central hospitals have linked test results, so this situation is limited," said Mr. Hong.
Mr. Hong shared that recently, before transferring to a local hospital, he took an X-ray. However, when he went to another hospital in the province and then to the central level, he was still asked to take a photo from the beginning. "Each photo is another cost and waiting. We patients just hope that the data between hospitals can be connected together to make it less difficult," said Mr. Hong.
Ms. Le Kim Dung in Cau Giay ward, Hanoi underwent lung tumor surgery at the Vietnam Cardiovascular Institute - Bach Mai Hospital. Previously, Ms. Dung discovered a lung tumor and performed all tests at K Hospital. When she went to the Vietnam Cardiovascular Institute for surgery, the doctors recognized the entire results of this test, helping the patient not have to start over.
Bach Mai Hospital has been without documents and has linked test results with many other medical facilities since the end of 2024.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital - said that all patient information, from the patient's medical history to the treatment process, is stored online and accessed immediately. Digitization helps doctors reduce errors in diagnosis, patients register for examination via phone or application, thereby significantly shortening waiting time. The electronic medical record system allows connectation of test results between medical facilities, reducing duplication testing and unnecessary costs. At the same time, digital data helps manage health insurance costs more transparently, reduces administrative procedures and shortens the time to process documents.
No longer printing paper medical records and diagnostic images, the hospital is expected to save tens of billions of VND per year. The shared data system also allows the reuse of test results, limits duplication testing and reduces medical examination and treatment costs. Procedures with insurance agencies are also handled more quickly and transparently.
Patient Duong Thu Thao in Thanh Hoa shared: I was diagnosed with liver disease, when I transferred from Bach Mai Hospital to the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, I did not have to do some tests again, saving more than 2 million VND. For a farming family like us, it is a huge sum of money.
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap - Deputy Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases - the recognition of test results has been applied for a long time but not all tests can be reused because many results are only valid for a certain period of time. The acceptance of the results depends on the reputation and quality of the laboratory where the patient is transferred and the professional evaluation at the consultation.
Doctor Chau cited that many cases of severe dengue fever have recently been recognized by the hospital for lower-level ultrasound results, helping patients receive faster treatment and significantly reduce costs.
There are still gaps in connecting test results
According to the Ministry of Health, the Project "Enhancing the capacity of the quality management system of medical laboratories in the period of 2016 - 2025 and implementing the connection of test results" has just been summarized.
In the period of 2016 - 2025, the Ministry of Health has implemented many key solutions to standardize and improve the quality of laboratories nationwide. Thousands of officers have been trained and trained at many levels; a list of nearly 3,000 shared testing technical codes has been issued; at the same time, two quality accreditation centers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have been established, creating an important foundation to ensure the accuracy and consistency of test results.
Thanks to that, some end-line hospitals such as Tu Du Hospital, Gia Dinh People's Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City Children's Hospital 1 or Thai Nguyen Central Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital have combined test results with a reuse rate of 80 - 100%.
To promote connectivity on a wider scale, the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management (Ministry of Health) has advised the issuance of nearly 100,000 shared portfolio codes for specialized terms and techniques, including 2,964 testing codes directly serving the implementation of electronic medical records and connection of unified medical data nationwide.
Dr. Ha Anh Duc - Director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management - said that the situation of requiring repeat testing when transferring to a higher level or re-examination still occurs, causing significant costs for people.
He cited: Every year, just by reusing 1-2% of paraclinical tests, the whole country can save 300 - 600 billion VND.That shows great potential for standardizing and connecting test results across the system.
However, in reality, the connecting route still has many barriers. Currently, only about 500 out of a total of 3,000 laboratories nationwide meet quality standards according to regulations. The large difference in human resources, technology and infrastructure between levels has caused uneven testing quality. Not all tests can be reused. Some medical facilities are still concerned about the accuracy of test results from the destination, leading to the habit of prescribing repeat testing - causing waste and making patients more tired.
The Ministry of Health is finalizing a Circular guiding specific implementation categories and processes. The Ministry also requires localities to continue to improve the quality of laboratories, publicize assessment levels and deploy synchronous linkages with electronic medical records.
At the same time, digitizing diagnostic images brings great benefits, allowing remote reading of films and avoiding re- designating unnecessary techniques. The long-term goal is to unify electronic health records, exploit available data instead of requiring new testing.
