Which nurse will be assigned to my surgery today? Data will decide... Samsung Medical Center wins U.S. patent

[Financial News] A technology that uses data rather than a manager’s intuition to determine which nurses to assign to each surgery has been granted a U.S. patent. The technology is a core feature of DOCC (Data-based Operation & Communication Center), a data-driven hospital operations platform developed in-house by Samsung Medical Center (SMC), whose technological capabilities were recognized in Europe last year and now in the United States.
SMC said that its “Method and Apparatus for Providing Medical Personnel Information,” which analyzes the experience and capabilities of operating-room nursing staff to assign personnel, was registered as a U.S. patent on September 15. The technology was also registered as a domestic patent on October 12.
DOCC is a system that brings together and displays on a single screen called “Pan (PAN)” operational status and forecasts for hospital resources, including operating rooms, testing equipment, beds and medical staff. Medical and administrative staff can use this data to adjust the allocation and operation of hospital resources in advance.
This is the second time DOCC technology has been granted a patent overseas. Earlier, in December 2025, technology that optimizes operating-room assignments by analyzing actual operating-room utilization was registered as a European patent, securing rights in Germany, the United Kingdom and France. This brings the total number of DOCC-related patents to six: four in Korea, one in Europe and one in the United States. Several other DOCC-related patent applications are also under review in Korea and abroad.
Sohn, Tae Sung, deputy director of clinical affairs at SMC and a professor of gastrointestinal surgery, said, “The safety and outcomes of surgery depend greatly not only on the surgeon but also on the proficiency of the operating-room nurses who work closely with them.” He added, “With this technology, recognized in the United States after Europe, we will support with data nurse staffing assignments that had relied on managers’ experience, ensure that appropriately skilled staff are on hand for every surgery, and improve both patient safety and the efficiency of care.”
Lee Gyu-seong, head of SMC’s AX Promotion Task Force and a professor of Urology, said, “Being ranked fourth in the world in Newsweek’s Smart Hospitals assessment reflects the recognition our efforts to integrate data and AI throughout clinical and operational settings have received.” He added, “By combining the operational data accumulated in DOCC with AI, we will further enhance forecasting and decision support and build a future-oriented smart hospital model in which AI supports hospital operations across the board.” 

[email protected] Jung Myung-jin, Medical Correspondent Reporter