Nanjing International Hospital: Pioneering Differentiated Healthcare Delivery through Innovation and Global Integration
In September 2024, after a four-day hospital stay, 89-year-old Ms. Tang was discharged from Nanjing Hengxin Hospital · Nanjing International Hospital Affiliated to the Medical School of Nanjing University (hereinafter referred to as “Nanjing International Hospital”).
Contrary to common perception, during these four days, the hospital not only provided Ms. Tang with medical care and rehabilitation training but also assumed responsibility for her daily living needs, alleviating her loneliness and anxiety during hospitalization through warm, friendly, and professional communication.
This is not the first time Nanjing International Hospital has provided unaccompanied nursing services to patients. The so-called unaccompanied nursing service refers to comprehensive care and nursing services provided to patients who are unable or inconvenient to be accompanied by their family members. Patients do not need to bring their own caregivers or third-party nursing assistants, as they can receive professional and meticulous services throughout their stay from professionally trained nurses through the hospital.
At Nanjing International Hospital, it is already a highly mature service. Yet, it represents merely the “tip of the iceberg” of the innovative medical services offered by Nanjing International Hospital.
Daily Care Checklist, Image Source: Nanjing International Hospital
Nanjing International Hospital is “very new.”
As the first tertiary general hospital approved for establishment in Jiangsu Province during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Nanjing International Hospital is jointly built by four parties: Nanjing University, the People's Government of Jianye District, Nanjing City, the Administrative Committee of Hexi New Town Development and Construction, Nanjing City, and Zhongheng Guoxin Group. The hospital has a total construction area of 159,000 square meters and a planned capacity of 800 beds.
On January 16, 2024, Nanjing International Hospital commenced operations. Beyond the “novelty” of its clinical environment, what is more significant is the “innovation” in its medical services. This achievement is underpinned by the enhanced competencies of physicians across departments, the deployment of advanced medical equipment, and the transformation of service delivery models.
On one hand, from the perspective of departmental planning, the hospital closely aligns with its core strategy of “integration of medical care, teaching, research, and rehabilitation.”, with the general practice setup of a tertiary general hospital as its foundational framework, it has prioritized the development of three Centers of Excellence in surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and ultrasound, while simultaneously advancing multiple specialized centers, including the Traditional Chinese Medicine Center, the Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine Center, the Hepatobiliary Surgery Center, and the Sports Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Center.
Currently, Nanjing International Hospital is supported by a team of distinguished academic leaders, including Professor Ding Yitao, a renowned authority in hepatology and the hospital’s Honorary President; Director Hong Ying, former Head of the Department of Gynecology at Gulou Hospital; Director Wang Yuliang, former Head of the Ophthalmology Department at Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine; and Director Wu Yafu from the Department of General Surgery (Hepatic and Transplantation) at Gulou Hospital, among others. The hospital continues to actively recruit top-tier talent across various specialties through highly competitive compensation packages and comprehensive professional development programs.
On the other hand, from the perspective of equipment configurationJiangsu’s first and globally leading United Imaging uEXPLORER PET-CT and the GE Revolution 256-detector, 512-slice CT are soon to be installed at Nanjing International Hospital. Other advanced systems, such as the United Imaging uMR 780 3.0T MRI and BNCT treatment equipment, will also be available at the hospital. The presence of these high-end imaging and therapeutic devices enables the hospital to meet patient needs while maintaining a high standard in clinical diagnosis and disease treatment.
Building on its foundation of high-quality physician resources and advanced medical equipment, Nanjing International Hospital is also innovating in service delivery to better serve patients—
First, it enhances diagnostic and therapeutic services under the MDT model.In traditional consultations, the involvement of other departments in subsequent patient diagnosis and treatment is often minimal, with diagnostic and therapeutic decisions predominantly led by the initial consulting department. In contrast, the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) model ensures continuous discussion of the patient’s condition throughout the care process, and long-term patient survival is incorporated into the evaluation metrics. For patients, the MDT model provides higher-quality disease management services. In February this year, an emergency patient with abdominal trauma and intestinal rupture achieved clinical stability within two days and survived the critical period, thanks to the concerted efforts of multiple departments, including the Department of Laboratory Medicine and the Department of Surgery, at Nanjing International Hospital. The MDT model played a significant role in this successful outcome.
Secondly, Nanjing International Hospital has integrated its innovative service management standards of “pain-free, no companion care required, no waiting, and no red envelopes” into its operations.By establishing a “Pain-Free Hospital,” it helps reduce patients’ pain and discomfort, thereby improving treatment outcomes and satisfaction. The availability of escort-free nursing services provides patients with greater peace of mind and personalized care, ensuring comprehensive, continuous, and safe daily living assistance throughout their medical journey. Furthermore, through the development of a smart hospital and the reengineering of online and offline healthcare processes, Nanjing International Hospital has significantly alleviated the burden on patients seeking medical care.
As a healthcare institution catering to the mid-to-high-end market, Nanjing International Hospital distinguishes itself by meeting patients’ needs for personalized diagnosis and treatment. In addition to offering VIP wards and direct billing with commercial insurance, Nanjing International Hospital is further enhancing service quality through international medical resources.
One aspect is that when patients with complex and difficult-to-diagnose diseases have a need for consultation with overseas physicians, Nanjing International Hospital can collaborate with international specialists to provide remote online consultation services.For example, in February this year, Nanjing International Hospital officially entered into a partnership with MORE Health, an international telemedicine collaboration platform. The latter is an internet healthcare institution founded in Silicon Valley, United States, in 2011. MORE Health has established strategic partnerships with renowned U.S. hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Mayo Clinic, as well as with multiple Grade A tertiary hospitals in China. With a resource pool of over 30,000 U.S.-based physicians, it provides services to users in more than 180 countries and regions worldwide.
Secondly, when patients need to seek medical treatment overseas, Nanjing International Hospital can facilitate overseas referrals by leveraging its partnerships with international hospitals., ensuring that patients can promptly access high-quality and affordable medical services and guiding them to make thorough preparations in advance. For instance, patients can save an average of 21 days in treatment time after traveling to the United States, and Nanjing International Hospital helps patients further reduce their treatment costs.
While leveraging international medical resources to deliver high-quality services to patients, Nanjing International Hospital is also further strengthening its collaboration with both international and domestic medical resources to enhance its internal capabilities, thereby providing patients with premium, high-end medical care—
Tracing its history back to 2015, prior to the hospital’s establishment, “Nanjing International Hospital” was part of the U.S. integrated academic medical system—Under the consulting guidance of Mass General Brigham (formerly Partners Healthcare) in the United States, the hospital completed its internationalized design and process management., and has established deep collaborations with multiple globally renowned medical and academic institutions, including the century-old, world-leading cancer treatment center, Institut Curie in France. In the early stages, a comprehensive system was built to ensure service quality.
Building on this organizational foundation, Nanjing International Hospital continuously integrates high-quality medical resources from both China and abroad to pursue innovative exploration. For example,Domestically, in September 2023, Nanjing International Hospital signed a cooperation agreement with the Institute of Translational Medicine at Shanghai Jiao Tong University., establish the Nanjing Branch of the National Science Center for Translational Medicine (Shanghai), focusing on critical technical bottlenecks in advanced radiotherapy and nuclear medicine diagnosis and treatment for major diseases such as malignant tumors. It is committed to exploring technologies for clinical translation, further benefiting cancer patients. From an international perspective,In April 2024, Nanjing International Hospital further signed a letter of intent for cooperation with the IBF International Respiratory Foundation.This also marks the first collaboration undertaken by the International Breath Foundation (IBF) within China. The Swiss Hehe Group has also signed a letter of intent with Nanjing International Hospital, outlining their mutual intention to collaborate on life sciences-related projects and product development.
Continuous advancements in academic research and clinical collaboration are also delivering higher-quality medical services, benefiting patients. In fact,For Nanjing International Hospital, the goal is to establish an “international, research-oriented, smart, and future-focused” international hospital.Currently, with a keen insight into the development of the global healthcare industry, hospitals are further advancing their “patient-centered” approach by establishing comprehensive medical service systems and standards. By introducing cutting-edge management concepts into hospital construction and development, they are continuously enhancing their capacity to deliver high-quality patient-oriented medical services.