Hospital of the Future? Chaum Life Center for Personalized Medicine

During a recent visit to Korea, FUS Foundation Director of Global Business Development Heather Huff-Simonin toured several sites but none impressed her more than Chaum Life Center in Seoul.

“Visiting the center was like taking a journey into the future of healthcare. Its an amazing facility, organized around the concept of personalized medicine. The therapeutic goal is to create a positive and memorable experience for the patient,” Huff-Simonin says.

Opened in October 2010, the center was created by Kwang Yul Cha, MD, the founder and head of CHA Health Systems. CHA currently operates a global network of healthcare facilities that includes Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, 12 general hospitals in Korea and two fertility treatment and anti-aging research centers in the US and Korea.

Because of their interest in maintaining the integrity of the human body, Chaums clinical team has a keen interest in noninvasive treatments, such as MR-guided focused ultrasound. Currently, the center is using the highly precise sound wave therapy to treat uterine fibroids and will soon use it for fertility enhancement. “At Chaum, MR-guided focused ultrasound is viewed as part of an integrated solution. Patients choose this therapeutic option because it is safe, effective, noninvasive, offers quick recovery and doesnt expose them to ionizing radiation,” she notes.

Chaum also emphasizes early diagnosis, preventive strategies and lifestyle changes. Its approach integrates ancient healing arts with leading-edge technology to achieve optimal health, harmony and balance of the body, mind and spirit,” Huff-Simonin explains.

The inspiration for Chaums approach to patient care came from an unexpected source – American inventor Thomas Edison, who said, “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

Cha himself has said, “The new vision of a hospital is not a hospital at all – it is an urban oasis that people want to visit as part of their lives, a place they belong to, designed to slow the aging process through the prevention of disease.”

Huff-Simonins tour of Chaum was hosted by Sang-Wook Yoon, MD, a radiologist who leads the focused ultrasound team at one of CHA’s other facilities in Seoul, Bundang Medical Center.