Hospital Rankings Based on Medical Experiences of 74 Million Patients

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese government has attached great importance to the application of next-generation information technology in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, reshaping management and service models, optimizing resource allocation, improving service efficiency, and promoting the standardized development of “Internet + Healthcare.” The Health Industry Development Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, in collaboration with Haodf Online, has studied the annual index of integrated development between medical institutions and the internet, and released the 2021 Ranking of Internet Influence of Chinese Hospitals. This marks the sixth consecutive year that this ranking has been published.

Based on real-world doctor-patient behavioral data from the mainstream internet healthcare platform “Haodf Online” over the past 15 years, the Health Industry Development Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences conducted an index-based study by analyzing 64.49 billion patient browsing trajectories, internet medical service records for 74.09 million patients, 680 million doctor-patient interactions, and 5.269 million online reviews posted by patients after hospital visits. The study yielded a comprehensive ranking of patients’ choices between online and offline medical consultations across 30 specialty fields in 2021.

Research has found that the integration of healthcare institutions with the internet is continuously deepening. On one hand, public hospitals are leveraging internet platforms to extend diagnostic and treatment services throughout the entire patient care journey, ensuring that treatment is not interrupted by changes in time or space, thereby enhancing service depth and patient satisfaction. On the other hand, the internet is also promoting improvements in medical efficiency and the development of specialized disciplines, becoming a new channel to support the high-quality development of hospitals.

This study was designed by the research team for the “Study on Internet Influence of Chinese Hospitals,” led by Chen Qiulin, Deputy Director of the Health Industry Development Research Center at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The findings are released in the form of a ranking list.