Anjian Medical Leverages AIoT to Bridge the Last-Mile Gap in Grassroots Healthcare with Remote Telemedicine Solutions

The unequal distribution of medical resources in China and the long-standing difficulties in seeking cross-regional medical care.

Currently, China’s medical resources are predominantly concentrated in public hospitals, particularly tertiary Grade A hospitals, where routine outpatient examination departments often operate beyond capacity. In contrast, some primary healthcare institutions struggle to provide effective services due to the prohibitive costs of advanced diagnostic equipment, leaving them in a predicament regarding medical testing capabilities. This pronounced disparity has resulted in an imbalance between supply and demand in China’s healthcare sector.

To this end, in 2018, the National Health Commission issued the Notice on Deepening the “Internet + Medical Health” Convenience and Benefit Activities, which stipulated that by 2020, telemedicine services should cover all medical consortia and county-level hospitals across China. According to statistics from the National Health Commission, as of June 2021, there were more than 1,600 internet hospitals in China, with telemedicine covering all prefecture-level city hospitals and nearly 90% of county-level hospitals. Additionally, 30 provinces had established provincial-level regulatory platforms for internet-based medical services.

Undoubtedly, telemedicine will undoubtedly play a role in the future development of healthcare.. Amid favorable national policies and the call of the times, how can telemedicine companies carve out their own path?Anjian Medical may have provided an answer: leveraging IoT-based telemedicine services to make healthcare accessible at your fingertips.

In the telemedicine arena, Dr. Chen Mingyang, founder of Anjian Medical Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., offers unique insights. He emphasizes thatThe core of telemedicine lies in returning to the essence of healthcare, closely connecting medical institutions with one another, and ensuring that professional medical practices are always conducted within medical institutions.. The key to achieving this goal lies in two aspects: first, coordinating medical resources within the region to achieve interconnectivity of medical information and data; second, establishing medical alliances to promote mutual recognition of test and examination results among different medical communities and medical consortia, thereby further breaking down information barriers.

However, in practice, the issue of misinformation has become a critical pain point that urgently needs to be addressed. To this end,Anjian Medical introduces AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) technology, integrating artificial intelligence with the Internet of Things for practical applications. By generating and collecting massive, multi-dimensional data via IoT and storing it in the cloud and at the edge, the company leverages big data analytics and artificial intelligence to achieve comprehensive data digitization and intelligent connectivity of all things.In the healthcare sector, AIoT applications are extensive and profound, demonstrating immense potential across areas ranging from disease detection and diagnosis and remote patient monitoring to electronic health record analysis for predicting disease risks and drug interactions, as well as robotic surgical systems.

In terms of specific layout, the Anjian Medical team uses dedicated hardware as a data collection entry point to uniformly collect medical data onto the platform. Driven by AI technology, it is committed to building an efficient, secure, and convenient medical information system.

Within this system, the team interfaces with county-level medical consortia, providing access to routine diagnostic equipment such as ultrasound, digital radiography (DR), hematology analyzers, and biochemistry analyzers, thereby enabling real-time synchronization of data results. At smart outpatient terminals, they have reengineered the digital consultation room by integrating various physical examination devices to achieve remote, real-time transmission of examination data and haptic feedback with force reflection. Meanwhile, at tertiary hospitals, the system integrates with LIS, PACS, and HIS platforms, facilitating one-click appointment scheduling and real-time synchronization of test results, which reduces patient queueing and report waiting times.

Meanwhile, the team has also developed an AI-assisted end-to-end outpatient service system. By integrating Medical GPT, AI-powered disease knowledge graphs, and DRG-based case grouping, the system enhances medical efficiency and diagnostic accuracy, enables personalized care, and optimizes the allocation of healthcare resources.

During the pre-consultation phase, the team leveraged GPT technology to implement disease triage and patient routing, providing precise medical consultation recommendations. In the intra-consultation phase, AI-assisted diagnostic tools were employed to enhance both the accuracy and efficiency of disease diagnosis. Furthermore, the team utilized GPT technology to interpret health examination reports, helping patients better understand their health status. In the post-consultation phase, personalized rehabilitation plans were delivered to patients through AI technology.

Providing tools for physicians is merely the first step. Chen Mingyang stated that his team is leveraging GPT technology to develop a patient guidance and triage system, while fine-tuning the model in reverse using previously accumulated health data to enhance its accuracy and practicality. This commitment to continuous optimization and innovation is key to Anjian Medical’s ongoing breakthroughs in the field of telemedicine.

Patient outflow is significant in western China, a trend corroborated by the National Monitoring and Analysis of Performance Appraisal for Tertiary Public Hospitals Nationwide (2018). The report indicates that Tibet, Anhui, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, and Gansu ranked among the highest nationwide in terms of patient outflow rates, whereas Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong recorded the highest patient inflow rates.

Based on this, the Anjian Medical team has also prioritized its focus on western China. Chen Mingyang explained to VCBeat that there are three main considerations for choosing the western region: first, the vast territory of western China provides ample space and greater potential for innovation in implementing new healthcare models; second, there is a significant imbalance between the medical needs of the population and the distribution of high-quality medical resources in the region; and third, compared with coastal cities in eastern China, the overall economic conditions in western China are relatively lower, which presents more opportunities for the promotion and widespread adoption of new healthcare models.

To establish a three-tier linked telemedicine network, the Anjian Medical team set up remote consultation rooms in township health centers and village clinics in western China, carrying out physical space renovations and workstation deployments. Meanwhile, the team also established dedicated departments for remote consultations within tertiary hospitals.Chen Mingyang vividly likened the situation, stating, “Township health centers and village clinics are like the terminal nodes of this network, while Grade 3A hospitals serve as its core hubs.”

Consequently, the Anjian Medical team has established partnerships with numerous top-tier tertiary hospitals (Grade 3A), leveraging them as upstream providers to supply high-quality physician resources for remote outpatient services. Chen Mingyang revealed that the team primarily connects with Grade 3A hospitals through three channels: recommendations from local Health Commissions, the team’s educational backgrounds and business networks, and collaborations with strategic industry partners. Currently, the team has secured access to physician resources from over 300 Grade 3A hospitals as upstream partners.

Leveraging this network, Anjian Medical has launched four core businesses in the western region:First, remote outpatient services: By deploying dedicated remote outpatient equipment to connect primary healthcare institutions with high-quality provincial and municipal hospitals, this model enables physicians to conduct remote consultations and allows patients to receive medical care closer to home. Second, two-way referrals: This facilitates operational coordination within regional or cross-regional medical consortia, promoting the upward referral of patients from primary care settings and the downward referral of patients in the rehabilitation phase. Third, integrated examination and treatment: A unified portal for primary care health examinations is established, leveraging medical big data and GPT technology to enable intelligent generation and interpretation of examination reports; furthermore, one-click recommendations for post-examination services are provided based on Remote Multidisciplinary Team (RMDT) consultations. Fourth, training courses for primary care physicians: By integrating telemedicine service platforms with continuing medical education systems, this initiative aims to enhance the service capacity of primary healthcare providers.

It is worth noting that Anjian Medical’s target population is no longer limited to the elderly but has expanded to a broader grassroots demographic, including women and children. Meanwhile, the range of conditions addressed by the team covers 147 common diseases, such as seasonally prevalent illnesses and chronic diseases. In the realm of chronic disease management, the team has developed innovative solutions specifically tailored for patients with the “three highs” (hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia) and disabled elderly individuals. These solutions, such as smart home medication boxes, integrate advanced sensor technology and intelligent platforms to achieve precise, full-lifecycle patient management.

Currently, Anjian Medical is fully accelerating the initial validation phase of the project. Chen Mingyang stated that the goal of this phase is to comprehensively assess the feasibility and practical effectiveness of the project model through a series of practical activities.The team will also focus on two major strategies: on the one hand, flexibly employing diversified business strategies to seek breakthroughs in a complex and ever-changing market environment; on the other hand, intensifying promotional efforts in other markets to attract greater attention and participation, thereby building a broader public base for the project.

In this process, professional medical education and financial support are indispensable. Chen Mingyang noted that the popularization and deepening of medical knowledge constitute a critical task at the current stage; this endeavor not only requires sustained effort and time but also serves as a key determinant of the project’s long-term viability. To this end, the team must not only formulate and implement innovative and efficient business strategies to provide strategic direction, but also ensure adequate financial backing as a solid foundation.

Meanwhile, Chen Yiqun, a partner at Shangjun Investment, revealed to VCBeat that Dr. Chen Mingyang’s transition from full-time employment within the Chinese Academy of Sciences system to entrepreneurship—leveraging technological innovation to provide tools lacking in medical settings—is worthy of support from the investment community. In the future, Shangjun will also support Anjian’s development through brand building and financing assistance.

As its core strategy is progressively implemented and multi-party resources are effectively integrated, Anjian Medical is steadily advancing toward its established goals, poised to deliver higher-quality, more efficient medical services to the grassroots population in the near future.