WeDoctor Launches 'Partner Program' to Open Core Capabilities and Accelerate Regional Digital Health Community Expansion

“Passionate about the healthcare industry, with professional experience in the health and medical sector (including medical services, pharmaceuticals, health insurance, digitalization, etc.), and possessing experience in corporate operations and management...”

This is not a recruitment notice, but rather the “Regional Digital Health Community Partner Recruitment Plan” (hereinafter referred to as the “Plan”), internally released by WeDoctor on February 22, which seeks regional digital health community partners across China. The “Plan” states that it will open up its models and capabilities in health communities to regional partners by exporting standardized capabilities in payment and supply systems, thereby accelerating the expansion, construction, and operation of “health communities” through a joint venture model.

Since 2019, WeDoctor has vigorously promoted the implementation of its Digital Health Community across various provinces through self-initiated expansion, self-construction, and self-operation. With the release of this “Plan,” WeDoctor is shifting from its original “direct-operated” model to a “joint operation” model by recruiting regional partners. This approach involves “open-sourcing” core standardized capabilities—such as expansion, construction, and basic operations—to incubate medical insurance pooling areas (prefecture-level cities) that are yet to be developed or are in the early stages of operation, providing support in terms of capital, resources, and talent.

Which regions are the key focus areas for WeDoctor’s Health Community expansion?“The Plan” reveals that, with medical insurance pooling areas (generally prefecture-level cities) as the unit, the total population of the area is required to be over 5 million. Local governments must attach great importance to the development of healthcare and pharmaceutical services. Priority will be given to pilot cities for national hierarchical diagnosis and treatment reform (medical alliances and medical consortia) or pilot cities for national medical insurance payment method reform.

What Are the Requirements to Become a Partner of WeDoctor’s Healthcare Consortium?“The Program” requires partners to be fully committed to the development of regional digital healthcare communities and possess professional experience in the healthcare industry (including medical care, pharmaceuticals, health insurance, and digitalization); they must also have abundant resources and operational experience in government public service projects within their respective regions, as well as stable business strength and team management capabilities.

For eligible partners, WeDoctor will fully unlock the core standardized capabilities developed through its benchmark Digital Health Community cases, supporting regional partners and their teams in designing and implementing local Digital Health Communities. Additionally, it will provide on-demand access to branding, corporate public services, and operational management capabilities, helping regional partners further reduce expansion costs and enhance scientific operational management standards.

This “Plan” is a continuation of WeDoctor’s strategic and organizational upgrades.According to media reports, WeDoctor has previously integrated its various business units, capability modules, and regional operations. By focusing on the payment and supply sides of healthcare services, it has established four business hubs centered around the core capabilities of “medical care, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and data,” thereby achieving more focused operations, refined management, and a leaner organizational structure.

On the payment side, specifically regarding “insurance coverage,” WeDoctor has enabled medical insurance payments across 18 of its internet hospitals, making it the earliest and largest platform in China to integrate medical insurance reimbursement for online consultations. WeDoctor has implemented global budget management for medical insurance and disease-based/capitation payment models in multiple regions. Meanwhile, it is promoting integrated products combining basic medical insurance with commercial health insurance, such as “Qilu Bao,” as well as commercial health insurance products like cancer insurance.

On the supply side, in terms of “medical services,” WeDoctor operates more than 30 internet hospitals across China, with regional internet hospitals in Tianjin and in Tai’an and Jinan in Shandong Province generating revenues that have reached or even surpassed those of large tertiary hospitals. In terms of “pharmaceuticals,” WeDoctor owns platforms such as the Haixi Pharmaceutical Trading Center, which serves the Sanming healthcare reform initiative, and has established a pharmaceutical supply system through coordination with the supply and payment sides of healthcare services. Meanwhile, WeDoctor has developed an integrated digital product portfolio comprising both software and hardware, including internet hospital infrastructure, intelligent health insurance monitoring, digital chronic disease management systems, and smart terminals.

Leveraging its “Payment + Supply” capability framework, WeDoctor has implemented Digital Health Communities across multiple regions in China.By enhancing the coordination and operational efficiency among medical care, pharmaceuticals, and health insurance (the “Three Medical” sectors), Health Communities effectively improve residents’ health indicators within their regions and curb the growth rate of health insurance expenditures. For instance, the “Tianjin Primary Care Digital Health Community,” built and operated by WeDoctor in Tianjin, has achieved significant results after more than a year of operation. Within this Health Community, the standardized management rate for diabetic patients at pilot primary care institutions reached 76.68%; the blood glucose compliance rate among patients managed for over three months improved by 21.58%; primary care institutions implementing capitation-based payment reported health insurance surplus rates ranging from 16% to 31%; and outpatient visits at pilot primary hospitals increased by 120%. Meanwhile, the revenue of WeDoctor Tianjin Internet Hospital, as the leading entity of the Health Community, has surpassed that of large tertiary hospitals.

From “Direct Operation” to “Joint Venture”: Industry Experts Point Out Three Key Implications Behind WeDoctor’s Shift in Business Expansion StrategyOn the one hand, this model requires that the Health Community Consortium (HCC) has already established standardized pathways for expansion and operations, with WeDoctor having standardized its capabilities on both the payer and provider sides. On the other hand, the expansion and basic operations of HCCs require substantial localized resource support; a “partnership model” can better incentivize external participation, adopting an approach similar to Aier Eye Hospital’s “external incubation” strategy. Furthermore, from an objective standpoint, for WeDoctor, which is in the final stretch toward its initial public offering (IPO), this approach represents a viable measure to reduce book losses incurred by market expansion and optimize its financial statements.