Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital Introduces "mediPhone" Support Service for Foreign Patients

Mediphone Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Mayumi Sawada; hereinafter "Mediphone"), which provides remote medical interpretation for medical institutions and supports corporate health management®, is pleased to announce that it has begun providing its foreign patient reception support service "mediPhone" to Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital (Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Hospital Director: Yasuhito Tajiri; hereinafter "Hiroo Hospital"), a local independent administrative agency, Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital Organization. To meet diversifying patient needs, by establishing a 24/7 remote medical interpretation system, Mediphone supports smooth communication with foreign visitors and residents and contributes to reducing the workload of medical professionals.

Hiroo Hospital is a Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital with a 130-year history, established in the Meiji era as a medical hub for infectious diseases. It focuses on emergency medicine, disaster medicine, island medicine (receiving transfers from the Izu and Ogasawara Islands), and provides extensive medical care to foreign patients. Under the philosophy of "We provide safe, secure, and high-quality medical care to all patients," the hospital has established a comprehensive medical care system ranging from minor illnesses to tertiary emergency care.

■ Background of Introduction

Hiroo Hospital is located in an area with many embassies and accommodation facilities, and it routinely handles foreign tourists and resident foreign patients, as well as foreign patients transported by ambulance. Given this regional environment, the hospital has implemented measures such as assigning medical coordinators for foreigners and in-house interpreters. However, there was a growing need to further enhance the system to achieve rapid and polite multilingual communication and allow medical professionals to concentrate on medical treatment.

Against this background, "mediPhone" was chosen for its ability to handle multiple languages, including rare languages, its 24/7 connection system, and the support provided by interpreters who understand medical terminology.

■ Support Content and Expected Effects

"mediPhone" resolves language barriers in medical settings through remote medical interpretation, supporting smooth communication with foreign patients.

● 24/7 Support: Provides a stable interpretation environment for all hours, including emergencies.
● Medical-specific Interpretation Quality: Support by interpreters trained in the medical field.
● Functions tailored for on-site operations: Standard features include three-way calls and document translation, suited for daily tasks.
● Reduction of Medical Professionals' Workload: Contributes to reducing communication burden associated with foreign patient care.

【Comment from Hiroo Hospital Representative】

Dr. Masamitsu Shirokawa, Director of the Emergency and Critical Care Center

"Our hospital receives patients whose native languages are diverse.
Visiting a medical institution can cause anxiety not only due to language but also cultural and customary differences.
By introducing Mediphone's service, we aim to alleviate such anxieties."

■ Future Outlook

Mediphone will continue to work on improving situations where necessary medical information is not properly conveyed due to language differences, aiming to realize a society where "all diverse people, regardless of nationality or language, can live vibrant lives as long as possible by their own will."

*"Health Management®" is a registered trademark of the NPO Health Management Research Group.

【About Mediphone Inc.】

Mediphone Inc. promotes the internationalization and DX of Japanese healthcare by developing "mediPhone," a foreign patient reception support service, and "mediment," a cloud-based health management system.

"mediPhone" has been adopted as an ancillary service for Japan Medical Association members, providing an environment usable by approximately 88,000 medical institutions and local governments nationwide, supporting the resolution of language barriers between foreign patients and medical professionals. "mediment" supports the health management of approximately 300,000 employees and the health management of client companies through DX in health checkup data management and industrial physician consultations.

With the mission of building "medical infrastructure for a new diverse society," we aim to create a social foundation where everyone, regardless of nationality or language, can access medical care with peace of mind.

Headquarters: Akasaka Kurahashi Building, 6-14-2 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Established: August 2017
Representative: Mayumi Sawada, CEO
Business Activities: Medical interpretation business, health management SaaS business, and other related businesses
URL: https://corp.mediphone.jp/