SET-listed Bangkok Dusit Medical Services Plc (BGH), the country's largest hospital chain, is maintaining its growth projection of 11% this year.
Dr Chatree (left) and Mr McCoy present B-eXchange, a database that connects medical records at all BGH hospitals.
Dr Chatree Duangnet, chief operating officer for medical affairs, said the number of foreign patients coming to Thailand on their own has edged down 2% this year because of political conflicts earlier in the year.
There two types of visiting foreign patients: agent referrals and those who come on their own.
"Now that political conflicts have been resolved, many patients have begun to return and the number is likely to recover in the fourth quarter," Dr Chatree said.
To make up the shortfall, BGH aims to attract more domestic patients, who now make up about 60% of its patients.
"We hope to increase the volume of middle-class patients by making it easier for them to get into the BGH network through expanding product lines and increasing access through insurance claims," said Dr Chatree.
He said insurance claims now represent 21% of domestic patients and BGH hopes to increase the number to 25% by next year and eventually to 30%.
BGH operates Bangkok Hospital Group, BNH Hospital, Samitivej hospitals, Phaya Thai hospitals and Paolo Memorial hospitals.
It recently acquired Sanamchan Hospital and its assets to increase its coverage in western Thailand.
The group comprises 43 hospitals with 5,616 beds. BGH plans to expand to 50 hospitals and 8,000 beds next year.
"Further expansion of BGH's hospital network remains possible and it will likely be in areas where its presence is not so strong," said Dr Chatree.
BGH yesterday launched its 20-million-baht B-eXchange, a database that connects medical records in its hospital network into one centralised system.
"The system integrates all information such as allergies, medications and results of medical exams. It will help improve quality of care and reduce the cost for customers as medical tests already taken will be available for the examining physicians and nurses," said Dr Chatree.
B-eXchange will be used in most BGH hospitals except for Phaya Thai and Paolo Memorial hospitals due to compatibility issues that will be resolved this year.
Mike McCoy, BGH's chief medical information officer, said B-eXchange has been developed with international standards so that it can be scalable and compatible to accommodate medical records in the whole country as well as records of hospitals outside the BGH network.
"Patients can choose whether to share their medical records in the network and information can only be accessed by relevant doctors and nurses," said Mr McCoy.
BGH hospitals are visited by about 22,000 people a day.
BGH shares closed yesterday on the SET at 16.10 baht, down 10 satang, in trade worth 312 million baht.