Gangnam-gu builds an integrated care system that stays responsible after discharge
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Gangnam St. Peter's Hospital 26-02-25 18:45Main content
On February 25, Gangnam-gu in Seoul (Mayor Cho Sung-myung) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the district office with six healthcare institutions in the district to carry out the ‘Integrated Care Discharged Patient Support Program’, in order to reduce gaps in care after discharge and strengthen community-based care. The signatories are Samsung Medical Center, Gangnam Severance Hospital of Yonsei University College of Medicine, St. Peter's Hospital, Nanoori Hospital, Medrex Hospital and Gangnam-gu Municipal Haengbok Long-Term Care Hospital.
Under the agreement, the medical institution identifies and assesses at an early stage those patients due to be discharged who need integrated care, and refers them to Gangnam-gu. Gangnam-gu comprehensively reviews each person's health status and care needs, draws up an individually tailored support plan through an integrated support meeting, and links and provides the necessary services step by step.
In particular, Gangnam-gu plans to integrate local health and welfare resources such as home-visit medical care and nursing, long-term care, daily living support, and housing support into a single system, thereby implementing a preemptive care framework that minimizes gaps in care immediately after discharge and prevents unnecessary readmission.
The agreement gives concrete form on the ground to the policy direction of the ‘Act on Integrated Support for Community Care including Medical and Long-term Care’, due to take effect in March 2026, and is significant in strengthening the link between medical care and social care so that patients can go on living stably in the community after hospital treatment.
Gangnam-gu Mayor Cho Sung-myung said, “Discharge is the end of treatment, but care must continue afterwards,” adding, “Through this agreement we will jointly build an integrated care model based on hospital–local government cooperation, in which medical care, long-term care, and daily care are organically connected even after discharge, and we will continue to provide support so that residents can carry on with their daily lives with peace of mind in the place where they live.”
Under the agreement, the medical institution identifies and assesses at an early stage those patients due to be discharged who need integrated care, and refers them to Gangnam-gu. Gangnam-gu comprehensively reviews each person's health status and care needs, draws up an individually tailored support plan through an integrated support meeting, and links and provides the necessary services step by step.
In particular, Gangnam-gu plans to integrate local health and welfare resources such as home-visit medical care and nursing, long-term care, daily living support, and housing support into a single system, thereby implementing a preemptive care framework that minimizes gaps in care immediately after discharge and prevents unnecessary readmission.
The agreement gives concrete form on the ground to the policy direction of the ‘Act on Integrated Support for Community Care including Medical and Long-term Care’, due to take effect in March 2026, and is significant in strengthening the link between medical care and social care so that patients can go on living stably in the community after hospital treatment.
Gangnam-gu Mayor Cho Sung-myung said, “Discharge is the end of treatment, but care must continue afterwards,” adding, “Through this agreement we will jointly build an integrated care model based on hospital–local government cooperation, in which medical care, long-term care, and daily care are organically connected even after discharge, and we will continue to provide support so that residents can carry on with their daily lives with peace of mind in the place where they live.”