Building a connected future for healthcare

Koç Healthcare has over 100 years of history, starting with the American Hospital, and expanding now to four facilities. Can you tell us why you think the expansion has been so successful?

The foundation of Koç Healthcare’s growth lies in the unique combination of the Vehbi Koç Foundation’s not-for-profit model and the long-term vision of Koç Holding. Following the integration of the American Hospital into the Foundation in 1995, it became possible to reinvest resources into healthcare infrastructure, research, technology, and talent development. This approach has also played a critical role in strengthening the trust placed in our institutions.

A second key factor behind our success is our strong academic foundation. The establishment of Koç University Hospital, together with its close integration with the School of Medicine and School of Nursing, created a model that brings healthcare delivery, education, and research together under one ecosystem. This structure has enabled us to attract and retain highly qualified physicians, nurses, and researchers. At the same time, our investments in robotic surgery and advanced medical technologies have been central to our strategy of developing centres of excellence in specialised fields of medicine.

Our growth strategy is not simply based on expanding our footprint through new facilities. Instead, we focus on deepening expertise in areas where we can create meaningful value for patients. Through our investments in Bodrum, İzmir, and Antalya, we have extended the American Hospital’s century-long experience and standards of care to the Aegean and Mediterranean regions.

Our investments in robotic surgery and advanced medical technologies have been central to our strategy of developing centres of excellence in specialised fields of medicine

Advanced capabilities in orthopaedics, spine care, oncology, and complex surgical procedures, supported by state-of-the-art technology, have positioned these centres as important regional referral destinations.

Another important differentiator is the way our institutions operate as a single, connected healthcare ecosystem. Through our digital infrastructure, patients receiving care in different cities can benefit from multidisciplinary evaluations that bring together specialists from across our network, including experts based in Istanbul. For example, complex oncology cases can be reviewed through joint tumour boards involving physicians from multiple locations. This integrated approach helps ensure consistency, collaboration, and high clinical standards throughout the entire healthcare system.

Can you tell us about your International Patient Program (IPP)?

Through Koç Healthcare International, we provide comprehensive support for patients travelling from abroad, covering every stage of their healthcare journey, from medical consultation to travel and accommodation arrangements. Our services include medical consultations, appointment coordination, pre-arrival review of medical records, secondopinion services, treatment planning, and cost estimations, ensuring that patients have a clear understanding of their options before travelling.

In addition to clinical coordination, we assist with airport meet-and-greet services, VIP transportation, and accommodation arrangements, creating a seamless experience for international patients and their families. To ensure smooth communication throughout the treatment process, our hospitals offer professional interpretation services in 22 different languages, helping patients navigate their care without language barriers. Managing international insurance coverage and maintaining a broad network of institutional agreements are also important components of the programme.

Our approach extends well beyond the delivery of medical treatment. We aim to coordinate and support the entire patient journey, from the moment patients begin considering treatment in Türkiye through their recovery and follow-up care. By combining clinical excellence with personalised support services, we strive to make healthcare accessible, transparent, and reassuring for patients travelling internationally.

Looking ahead, we plan to further strengthen our international presence and partnerships, particularly in the UK and other key markets. Our objective is to continue expanding access to the high standards of care, advanced medical expertise, and patient-centred approach that define the Koç Healthcare experience.

Your digital infrastructure focuses on making healthcare more accessible, personalised, and holistic for international patients. Can you tell us more about this?

We view our digital infrastructure as a comprehensive platform that supports every stage of a patient’s healthcare journey. Through our patient portal and mobile applications, we bring together appointment scheduling, access to laboratory and radiology results, medical record management, and virtual consultations within a single, integrated ecosystem.

For international patients, this infrastructure enables a seamless experience from the very first point of contact through medical evaluation, second-opinion services, treatment planning, travel coordination, and post-discharge follow-up care. A key element of this approach is ensuring that each patient’s medical history is accurately assessed, that they are connected with the most appropriate specialist as quickly as possible, and that multilingual support is available throughout the process.

Remote healthcare solutions and wearable technologies have further strengthened our ability to monitor patients’ health data beyond the walls of the hospital. In the past, much of this information could only be collected during hospital visits. Today, connected health technologies allow for more continuous engagement and provide clinicians with a broader view of a patient’s health status over time.

Managing international insurance coverage and maintaining a broad network of institutional agreements are also important components of the programme

Importantly, our goal is not to replace human interaction with technology. Rather, we use technology to enhance the physician-patient relationship by creating a care experience that is more connected, secure, and continuous. By bringing together health data generated across different channels and at different points in time, we gain a more complete picture of the patient’s condition, enabling more informed clinical decisions and, ultimately, better treatment outcomes.

At Koç Healthcare, we believe the future of healthcare lies in the intelligent integration of clinical expertise and digital innovation.

Technology is most powerful when it helps deliver more personalised care, supports better clinical outcomes, and allows healthcare professionals to spend more meaningful time with their patients.

What new technology is Koç Healthcare currently exploring?

Our priorities for the future are firmly focused on biotechnology, genetics-based therapies, cellular therapies, and clinical research.

One of our most ambitious initiatives is the development of what we envision as Türkiye’s first international cellular therapy and biotechnology hub. By bringing together leading scientists from around the world with the research leaders across our hospitals, we have created a highly collaborative environment that enables us to expand our portfolio of stem cell and cell-based products while contributing to the advancement of modern medicine.

We are also placing significant emphasis on healthcare services for ageing populations and the evolving field of longevity medicine. In addition to closely monitoring global developments in genetics-based medicine, we actively evaluate and implement innovative therapies with proven clinical value. Our objective is not only to follow scientific breakthroughs, but also to translate them into meaningful treatments that improve patients’ quality of life and clinical outcomes.

Looking ahead, we believe telemedicine and artificial intelligence (AI) will play an increasingly important role in shaping the future of healthcare. By combining advanced digital technologies with clinical expertise, we can make healthcare more accessible, predictive, and personalised. From AI-enabled diagnostics and clinical decision support to virtual care platforms that connect patients with specialists regardless of location, these innovations are helping create a healthcare model that is more efficient, data-driven, and responsive to individual patient needs. Our focus is to harness these technologies responsibly while preserving the human connection that remains at the heart of high-quality care.

Can you tell us about your new launch, the Health Pass?

Koç Health Pass is a next-generation membership platform that brings together preventive healthcare, digital health services, and lifelong health support under a single ecosystem. It is designed to help individuals manage the health and wellbeing of their entire family, from infants to seniors, and even pets, through one integrated platform.

Through the platform, members can access remote medical consultations, online physician appointments, follow-up services, and 24/7 support from healthcare professionals. In addition, smart health devices allow key health indicators such as body temperature, ECG data, oxygen saturation, and heart rhythm to be shared with healthcare providers in real time, enabling more proactive and continuous monitoring.

One of the programme’s unique advantages is that it allows individuals living abroad to remain connected to Türkiye’s healthcare ecosystem. Members can receive online consultations while overseas and benefit from prioritised in-person services across our healthcare institutions when they visit Türkiye.

Koç Health Pass is an important example of our ecosystem approach, which extends healthcare beyond traditional hospital visits by integrating preventive care, digital monitoring, and lifelong health support. Our aim is to move from a reactive model, where healthcare waits for patients to seek care, to a more proactive model that accompanies individuals throughout their lives, supporting their health whenever and wherever they need it.