모듈화를 통한 서비스 생산성 향상 : 일송 두경부 암센터 사례연구

The concept of the modularity is an operation strategy that designs standardized units that process independently, but functions as a whole by effective combination. This concept of modularity has been applied to design and develop the product for the components to be assembled in maximum variety in order to respond to the diversified and specialized needs of the customers in relation to the production in the manufacturing industry. It is known that the modular product structure is more flexible and applicable to changes compared to an integrated product structure and to increase the quickness of making the product by increasing the flexibility of the manufacturing process as well as enabling mass customization by producing diversified products economically. The concept of modularity has been developed intensively in the manufacturing industry, and the research on it has been spreading to the service industry recently but it is still scarce. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to find out how we can apply modularity in developing business services by exploring literature related to modularity and deploying the idea of modularity into services. Especially the hospital service amoung the service industries requires the customized diagnosis depending on the symptoms of an individual patient. The customization and agility are very important because the complaints of the visiting patients are mostly the waiting time and rapid action is necessary for emergency patients. The structuring of the service architecture made in a module is an essential industry consideration that the reduction of cost is very serious to relieve the burden of the patients. However, it is true that it is difficult to respond to the increasing patients’ requirements because many general hospitals still have a medical school department oriented organization structure regardless of the customer needs. Therefore, this study analyzes the service system change in large scale hospitals where they are recently changing from the conventional department oriented examining system to the specialized center for each disease oriented examining system through the modularity of the service architecture and the idea for structuring and suggestions are suggested. The case analysis has been adopted as a method of this study. The case is the Kangdong Medical Center of Hallym University which is located in Korea and it was analyzed intensively focused on the ‘Ilsong Head and Neck Cancer Center.’ Hallym University Medical Center has established a 15 center oriented medical consulting system that is focused on the diseases of the patients to overcome the shortcomings of the previous 24 department oriented system and to establish a more effective medical process. The multi cooperative consulting system by many departments is essential for head and neck cancer such as the ENT-Head and Neck Surgery, plastic surgery, diagnostic radio active department, physician, pathology, department of radio active tumor and department of rehabilitation across the diagnostic process, the treatment, restoration, and the rehabilitation after the treatment. The previous department oriented system had difficulties to acquire accurate data for the history of disease due to the lack of a cooperative consulting system and it was hard to correspond jointly and it had the disadvantage of difficulties in post management of patients. Also it was inconvenient for the patients to have a consultation in the place where each department is located due to the characteristics of the services industry where the production and consumption occurred concurrently. Kangdong Medical Center has established a center for expansive patient customized consulting for cancer related to the head and neck to solve such problems. In the other words, these departments are made into a module organization structure and the service module is provided while these departments are combined and separated easily at the sub-platform of the center. The customized services satisfying each customer's needs can be served promptly through easier constitution of the necessary departments depending on the condition of the patients of head and neck cancer while keeping the independence of these departments through such a system. The head and neck cancer center has established the following process for the provision of the services made in modules. First, physical space was acquired. The cooperative consulting space and the space of a meeting room to exchange the various opinions by the medical staff from many departments were acquired by means of widening the space by 4 times compared to the previous consulting space via the Head and Neck Cancer Center which is newly established in the annex building of Kangdong Medical Center. Second, the treatment guidelines were made for the patients of head and neck cancer from the foundation hospital and it was allowed for the patients information to be shared through the patients data base pool and network creation and the manpower to take the joint consulting in each department and the chasing control for the cancer patients. Third, the medical system for the Head and Neck Cancer Center has been established. Especially, the mobile operation team was constituted for the circulating consulting for the foundation affiliated hospitals and any patients who are treated by visiting any hospitals under the foundation can have a surgical operation by the mobile operation team anywhere if it is necessary, including the center. Fourth, there was a tumor board which had been performed for all the cancer patients twice a month in Kangdong Medical Center, but an independent tumor board was established as diversified approaches and treatments are necessary for head and neck cancer patients. It can be said that the cooperative consulting system for each department became easier through this. The analyzed results from the cases in the Ilsong Head and Neck Cancer Center and Gangdong Sungshim Hospital showed that the structuring of the modularity service architecture has increased the mass customization and agility in the medical service owing to the Head and Neck Cancer Center and customer satisfaction was improved and the efficiency of the service production was improved as well. In addition, it was revealed that it ultimately made a positive influence on the financial accomplishment of the hospital. Conclusively we expect that many service companies can understand the basic concept for the modular design of the service architecture and to apply it to the service process improvement based on this in the future through this case. However, the limit of this study is that it is difficult to generalize the analyzed findings because the comparison analysis has not been made for the various cases and the results from the productivity improvement has not been investigated in detail because the data for the accomplishment analysis were not sufficient. More specified and precise analysis is necessary through related case studies and practical surveys..