In today’s healthcare systems, we often face numerous challenges in process management and decision-making.
Many of us have experienced similar frustrations—spending days deciding which department to visit, waiting weeks for an appointment, then waiting hours more at the clinic, only to have a few minutes with the doctor.

At the same time, medical professionals are burdened with balancing clinical care, research, and administrative tasks, while hospitals must manage countless records, medications, instruments, and supplies.
Smart Healthcare emerges as a solution designed to effectively and accurately address these pain points.

By Bryant Chen, Medical Affairs Manager, Be Accelerator

Defining Smart Healthcare

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Smart Healthcare refers to the application of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) within the healthcare and public health domains.
It encompasses a wide range of functions including medical care, disease management, public health surveillance, education, and research.

In modern healthcare, Smart Healthcare manifests in various forms—
from telemedicine (which gained importance during the COVID-19 pandemic), to genetic testing and cell therapy, minimally invasive surgical systems, AI-assisted diagnostic imaging, and electronic medical record optimization.

However, the foundation of Smart Healthcare lies in data.
The advancement of IoT (Internet of Things) and digital technologies enables medical information to be transmitted, analyzed, and applied seamlessly across systems, platforms, and clinical environments.
With growing data storage capabilities and the global push for digital transformation, healthcare now generates massive volumes of data—making data quality and data governance more critical than ever.

The Development of Smart Healthcare in Taiwan

Taiwan possesses a unique and powerful foundation for Smart Healthcare, supported by:

• Strong research capabilities and world-class medical institutions

• A globally recognized National Health Insurance (NHI) database

• Leading-edge industries in semiconductors, electronics, and ICT

These strengths have helped Smart Healthcare become deeply integrated into daily life and have fostered the growth of numerous biotech startups and academic R&D teams.
However, further progress still depends on collaboration among industry, hospitals, and government to address key challenges:

・Integration and Digital Transformation of Medical Big Data

Comprehensive Smart Healthcare requires unified, interoperable medical data.
Currently, hospitals operate on different systems with inconsistent data formats, and many still rely on local servers rather than cloud-based storage.
This fragmentation hinders data exchange and utilization.
While the government is implementing relevant digital transformation policies, faster collaboration with healthcare institutions is essential to achieve cross-border interoperability and real-world data sharing.

・Management and Utilization of Medical Big Data

Because medical data involves personal and sensitive health information, access is strictly regulated by privacy laws.
Apart from the NHI database, most medical data remains within individual hospitals.
Obtaining access often requires complex approval processes—including proposal submission, identification of principal investigators, clinical trial authorization, and internal data verification—leading to long delays.

To overcome this, Taiwan could adopt international best practices, establishing a compliant, multi-stakeholder medical data platform through collaboration between industry, healthcare providers, and government agencies.

Toward a Patient-Centered Smart Healthcare Ecosystem

The transition from traditional to smart healthcare will undoubtedly face challenges.
Yet, it is vital that all development efforts remain centered on patient welfare, fostering an ecosystem that enables data sharing, cross-sector collaboration, and patient-driven innovation—the true foundation of future healthcare.

For more information, please contact: Bryant.chen@be.tworg.app