Korean Hospitals Outperform Global Peers in Digital Health Maturity, Pilot Study Finds
April 2026 — South Korean hospitals have scored significantly higher than global averages in digital health maturity, according to a pilot study conducted by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) in collaboration with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
The study assessed the digital maturity of 10 Korean hospitals using the HIMSS Digital Health Indicator (DHI), which measures digital transformation on a scale of 0 to 400 across four areas: governance and workforce, interoperability, person-enabled health (patient-facing services), and predictive analytics.
Korean Hospitals Score Above Global Average
The pilot evaluation found that the 10 Korean hospitals scored an average of 285 out of 400, significantly higher than the global average of 166 and the Asia-Pacific average of 239. All but one of the assessed hospitals scored above the Asia-Pacific average.
The hospitals performed particularly well in:
- Governance and workforce (88%)
- Interoperability (86%)
- Predictive analytics (78%), which is much higher than the global average of 37%
However, the study found that patient-facing digital services, such as digital patient engagement and data sharing, were the least developed area among Korean hospitals.
Hospital Size Not a Major Factor
The study also found that hospital size did not always determine digital maturity. Some mid-sized hospitals performed at the same level as large hospitals, and general hospitals performed similarly to major tertiary hospitals. Private hospitals showed slightly higher overall performance compared to public hospitals.
Need for National Digital Maturity Framework
KHIDI emphasized that while large hospitals in Korea are digitally advanced, smaller and regional hospitals still lag behind. The report highlighted the need for a national digital maturity framework to measure progress and guide investments in digital healthcare infrastructure.
The report recommended:
- Expanding the Korea Digital Health Indicator (Ko-DHI) nationwide
- Strengthening predictive analytics capabilities
- Improving patient-driven data sharing
- Increasing digital infrastructure investment in regional hospitals
The digital maturity assessment program is expected to expand nationwide, with hospitals being evaluated every one to two years to track progress and guide healthcare policy.
Government’s Digital Health Strategy
The Korean government previously conducted surveys focused mainly on IT infrastructure, such as electronic medical records and information systems. However, those surveys did not fully measure digital transformation outcomes, which led to the development of the new digital maturity assessment framework.
Officials said future government policies may focus on improving digital infrastructure, data usage, and digital technology adoption in clinical environments based on the results of these digital maturity assessments.
