Internet Hospitals and Smart Healthcare Innovation Forum: Patient-Centric 'Internet + Full-Care-Continuum Management' – Opportunities and Challenges

The integration of internet information technology with the healthcare industry has given rise to an internet-based healthcare system centered on internet hospitals, featuring a deep fusion of a comprehensive health ecosystem that encompasses pre-consultation inquiries, in-diagnosis treatment, post-diagnosis rehabilitation and healthcare, chronic disease management, and health prevention. The development of this integrated healthcare platform is predicated on medical informatization, linking key elements such as medical care, pharmaceuticals, rehabilitation, and insurance. By leveraging the time- and space-spanning advantages of the internet, and through mechanisms like doctor-patient interaction and shared medical information, this system effectively reduces healthcare costs—addressing the issue of “high medical expenses”—while also helping to alleviate the problem of “difficulty in accessing medical care” caused by the uneven distribution of medical resources.

In 2022, regulatory policies for the two key sectors of internet healthcare and pharmaceuticals were introduced, charting a clearer course for the industry’s healthy development, with medical quality and safety becoming central themes. Under the normalized epidemic prevention and control measures, China’s internet healthcare has played a positive role in consolidating pandemic containment achievements and improving medical services, thereby continuously driving the rapid and healthy development of internet hospitals.

The Top 100 Conference features a special sessionForum on the Innovative Development of Internet Hospitals and Smart Hospitals, and hopes to seize this opportunity to spark the deep integration of internet technology with healthcare services, address new challenges, establish new mechanisms, and develop new models, thereby building a comprehensive, full-cycle healthcare service model for the general public and facilitating the high-quality development of hospitals.

I.Forum Highlights

(1)Policy Orientation: A Vision for High-Quality Development of Modern Hospitals

The concept of the “Smart Hospital” was proposed 13 years ago, and major hospitals worldwide have since undertaken explorations to varying degrees and in diverse directions. Since 2013, China has progressively implemented the practical construction of “Smart Hospitals” at the national strategic level, applying technologies such as the internet and artificial intelligence across various domains, including hospital management and medical services. This forum has invited Jin Dong, Chief Expert in Digital Medicine at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, as the keynote speaker. He will review and summarize China’s development and regulatory policies for smart hospitals, along with typical case studies from practical construction and operations. The aim is to provide references for the “smart” transformation of various hospitals, offer compliance recommendations, and facilitate the smooth advancement and sustainable operation of smart hospital initiatives.

(II)Hot Trends: Advancing Service Capacity Building to Promote Healthcare Quality Improvement

Recently, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Improving the Medical and Health Service System" (hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"), which propose developing "Internet + Healthcare," building an industrial internet platform oriented toward the medical field, and accelerating the application of internet, blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and big data in the healthcare sector. The opinions also emphasize strengthening the construction of systems for the sharing, exchange, and security of health and medical big data. The "Internet + Healthcare" service industry will leverage business scenarios to acquire substantial amounts of medical and health data, thereby improving medical efficiency, reducing healthcare costs, innovating diverse business models, creating more convenient medical and health services, and promoting the development of smart healthcare systems.

(3)Innovation-Driven Development “Internet+” Full-Course Disease Management System: Opportunities and Challenges

“With the changing disease spectrum, many patients may live with chronic diseases for their entire lives. The proportion of time patients spend in hospitals will decrease, while more time will be spent outside of hospital settings. Therefore, it is essential to strengthen whole-course disease management,” said Huang Erdan, Deputy Director of the Health Service System Research Department at the Health Development Research Center of the National Health Commission.Establishing a patient-centered “Internet+ Full-Course Disease Management” service model is of great significance for continuously improving the quality of patient services and the experience of medical consultation and medication, as well as alleviating healthcare challenges such as the strain on medical resources. This forum will invite hospital representatives, experts in healthcare informatics, online payment, commercial insurance technology, and operators of internet hospitals to jointly explore the opportunities and challenges of the “Internet+ Full-Course Disease Management” system.

II.ForumIntroduction

ForumTime:May 5–7, 2023

ForumLocation:Shanghai · Zhangjiang Science Hall

Forum Name:Forum on the Innovative Development of Internet Hospitals and Smart Hospitals

Attendees:Jin Dong | Chief Expert in Digital Healthcare, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital

Participating Companies/Institutions:Naiterui, Huaxi Public Utilities

※ Listed alphabetically by company name; no ranking is implied. Additional companies are being confirmed.

ForumAgendaPlanning:

A Vision for High-Quality Development of Modern Hospitals

Reflections on the Path to Lean Management in Public Hospitals

How Should Integrated Continuous Managed Care Services Across Inpatient and Outpatient Settings Be Implemented?

How Digital Technologies Support Medical Quality and Safety in Internet-Based Diagnosis and Treatment Services?

How Can Third-Party Technical Support Providers Facilitate Enterprises’ Digital Transformation?

Advancing the Development of Clinical Specialty Service Capabilities to Promote Improvements in Medical Quality

Prospects for Accelerating Healthcare Informatics Construction in the Era of DRG/DIP Payment

Opportunities and Challenges of the “Internet Plus” Full-Course Disease Management System

※The proposed agenda is for reference only; the final agenda is subject to on-site confirmation.