Photo courtesy of Sun Group
Sun Group's soon-to-rise hospital in Phú Quốc City in Vietnam's Kiên Giang Province will be the first in its network to deploy an AI-powered hospital information system as part of the group’s broader smart hospital transformation.
The private healthcare business of Vietnam's leading real estate developer, SunGroup Healthcare, recently engaged New Zealand-based Amalga, an HIS provider under McCrae Tech, to implement the system, establishing a unified digital foundation for its hospital network.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
In an interview with Healthcare IT News, Amalga CEO Niru Rajakumar said the Sun Group chose its proposal "due to our strong value proposition and key differentiators, including a flexible, modular, multi-site, and multi-lingual HIS." The HIS will cover several modules, including EMR, PAS, RIS, LIS, CPOE, and RCM.
The HIS rollout will be done in phases, beginning at the upcoming Sun Serenia Hospital, with a go-live scheduled on 30 April next year. Construction of the hospital is expected to finish later in December.
"The Hanoi flagship hospital will follow approximately two months later, after the Phú Quốc system has been fine-tuned and stabilised. Deployments at Da Nang and Ninh Binh hospitals will proceed in similar two-month intervals thereafter," added Rajakumar.
In customising the New Zealand-developed HIS, Amalga is maintaining 80% standardisation while incorporating 20% localisation to align with country-specific requirements, the company CEO said.
Amalga had engaged the system's end users early to ensure buy-in. It also took an interactive development approach so the system aligns with clinical expectations before user acceptance testing and training.
"We also adopt a train-the-trainer model, equipping hospital super users to lead their teams effectively. This is supported by comprehensive training materials and a dedicated hyper-care period during and after go-live to ensure a smooth transition," Rajakumar explained further.
The HIS will be hosted on Sun Group's private data centre, aligning with Vietnam's data sovereignty requirements and adhering to HIPAA-equivalent standards.
WHY IT MATTERS
According to the Amalga CEO, the project aims to deliver a "modern HIS capable of aggregating data across the hospital network to deliver a unified clinical environment." It is also expected to enhance back-office and administrative functions, providing operational insights into efficiency, productivity, and financial performance.
The HIS is a key enabler of SunGroup Healthcare's smart hospital transformation. Rajakumar said it serves as the network's digital foundation, enabling standardised processes, centralised data, and interoperability, while its modular design allows for future integration of advanced analytics, AI-driven decision support, and IoT-based hospital operations.
Moreover, the system's initial AI capabilities, as Rajakumar underscored, are expected to help reduce administrative workload, relieving staff burnout. Advanced AI features, including ambient scribing, clinical dictation, and coding suggestions, will be introduced in the second phase of the rollout following the April go-live, he disclosed.
THE LARGER TREND
Amalga, which has operated in Vietnam for the past two decades – beginning under Microsoft and later as part of Orion Health – has also delivered HIS for other private healthcare providers, including Vinmec International Healthcare System, FV Hospital, and American International Hospital.
"We are committed to deepening our presence and expanding partnerships across Southeast Asia," Rajakumar told this publication.
By next year, Amalga is expected to introduce new patient engagement capabilities, including pre-admission workflow modules, a patient portal, and telehealth.
Besides SunGroup Healthcare, another private provider group, Hoan My Medical Corporation, has recently implemented an EMR system across its network.
Beyond the private sector, the Vietnamese government has been working to roll out an EMR system across public hospitals nationwide. The government-developed EMR was piloted in capital Hanoi in July last year.
