This year’s Asia-Pacific Healthcare Quality Conference, themed “The Evolution and Transformation of Healthcare Quality in the Age of AI,” brought together leading international healthcare experts and heads of Taiwan’s benchmark hospitals to explore how digital technologies and data-driven approaches can elevate Taiwan’s healthcare quality onto the global stage.

One of the conference’s major highlights was the strategic partnership between the SNQ National Safety and Quality Mark and ICHOM. The cooperation agreement was formally signed by Dr. Wei-Chao Chen, Chief Convener of the SNQ Review Committee, and Jennifer L. Bright, Chief Executive Officer of ICHOM. resize 20251206100705__DSC4862

The SNQ, a medical quality indicator originally developed in Taiwan, has now become ICHOM’s first partner in Asia. Under this collaboration framework, the two organizations will assist healthcare institutions in adopting patient-reported quality assessment mechanisms, incorporating patients’ subjective experiences into care processes and transforming those perceptions into quantifiable healthcare quality indicators.

The Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) promoted by ICHOM have already become a core indicator in authoritative international evaluations. Notably, Newsweek has officially included PROMs as a key parameter in its “World’s Best Hospitals 2025” ranking criteria.

As an independent and impartial third-party organization for healthcare safety and quality assessment, SNQ’s strategic partnership with ICHOM further expands its international credibility and reinforces its role in connecting Taiwan’s healthcare system with global standards.

20251206104116-_DSC5235_1
Founded in 1998, SNQ has certified nearly 3,000 medical services and products, and has awarded more than 10 “National Biotechnology and Medical Quality Gold Awards” to world-leading medical teams. These honors span fields such as liver transplantation, craniofacial reconstruction, atrial fibrillation ablation, intestinal transplantation and reconstruction, oral cancer treatment, and precision medicine for hypokalemia. SNQ-certified teams and technologies have set benchmarks in healthcare quality, attracting medical professionals from around the world to Taiwan for exchange and learning.

Hospitals certified by SNQ have also been featured in Newsweek’s previously released “World’s Best Smart Hospitals” list, as well as the recent “World’s Best Hospitals” rankings.

SNQ’s long-established professional credibility, combined with its strong international connections, has successfully drawn the attention of the globally influential organization ICHOM for in-depth collaboration. This evaluation framework—highly aligned with international benchmarks—demonstrates that SNQ now possesses the capacity to make even greater contributions on the global stage. resize 20251206113235-_SHU3122_0

SNQ’s growing international influence was also reflected in the conference’s distinguished lineup of speakers. Dr. David Bates, Chair of the Newsweek World’s Best Hospitals Ranking Committee, offered incisive insights into the balance between AI and human oversight. Jennifer L. Bright, CEO of ICHOM, provided an in-depth analysis of patient-centered outcome measurement. In addition, speakers from Singapore General Hospital (ranked 9th globally by Newsweek), The University of Tokyo Hospital (2nd Best Hospital in the Asia-Pacific), and Stanford University’s Center for Health Policy and Primary Care and Outcomes Research shared practical experiences from Singapore, Japan, and the United States in hospital safety and quality governance.

Leaders from Taiwan’s flagship medical centers—including National Taiwan University Hospital, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Tri-Service General Hospital, and China Medical University Hospital—also engaged in cross-national dialogue during the event.

Looking ahead to the coming year, SNQ will continue to be rooted in Taiwan while expanding internationally, allowing its influence to flourish across the Asia-Pacific region.