Beyond Digital Reform: E-Hui Technology Unveils Next-Gen Innovations in Smart Healthcare
The digital economy is sweeping across all industries, with digitalization becoming a primary driver of economic growth and a watershed moment in the new round of global industrial competition; the healthcare sector is no exception.
The development of digital technology is gradually leading the transformation of the healthcare industry. Meanwhile, every link in the healthcare industry’s value chain will be reconstructed through the intervention of digital technologies, bringing more new demands and opportunities. Healthcare IT enterprises are important participants in this transformation. VCBeat has been examining the impact of this transformation on various stakeholders in the industry, considering the opportunities and risks brought by digitization from multiple perspectives, including hospitals, doctors, patients, and IT enterprises. Recently, VCBeat interviewed Yihui Technology Co., Ltd., a leading enterprise in the healthcare IT industry, to further explore the trends in the field of healthcare informatization.
In recent years, the healthcare IT industry has seen a steady stream of mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships among its major players. Meanwhile, the application of next-generation information technologies—such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G—in the healthcare sector has continued to deepen, accelerating the pace of smart healthcare development. These trends have collectively stirred significant changes throughout the entire healthcare IT landscape.
Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has illustrated the evolutionary trajectory of healthcare informatization—from its past to its future—to VCBeat through the progression of its own products.
From the perspective of Yihui Technology Co., Ltd, the mission of healthcare IT enterprises is to continuously innovate and explore in technical services, thereby better facilitating healthcare delivery. “Innovation” is the DNA that has run through Yihui Technology’s 12-year development history. We can clearly see how “innovation” has served as the driving force behind the transformation of healthcare IT, evident in the company’s proactive trajectory of continuous change.
Hangzhou Binjiang District Yihui Center
In 2009, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. was established, and the story began with China’s first QR code wristband.
Phase 1: Focusing on patient safety and service quality, marking the beginning of China's mobile healthcare era.At that time, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. launched China’s first QR code wristband for inpatient identification, pioneered the introduction of mobile Wi-Fi technology into clinical settings, and rapidly implemented it at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Centered on patient safety, Yihui Technology subsequently developed a series of mobile healthcare products.
Phase II: Building a Closed-Loop Medical Process to Usher in the New Era of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT).Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has expanded its focus to closed-loop medical processes centered on patient safety, pioneering the concept of closed-loop management for medical workflows. By successfully leveraging medical Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the company has established ten major closed-loop processes, including pre-hospital emergency care, patient identification management, medication safety management, and mobile clinical care, thereby building a system for continuous improvement in healthcare quality.
In 2011, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. launched the WNDAP280R, the world’s first innovative product based on Internet of Things (IoT) applications. This solution integrates in-hospital wired networks, wireless networks, and RFID networks, enabling fused data transmission and unified management of wireless and RFID systems on a single platform.
In 2015, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. partnered deeply with H3C to create a globally leading “four-networks-in-one” IoT infrastructure common platform, integrating wired networks, wireless networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), and internal/external networks. By incorporating dual-mode Wi-Fi and RFID technologies along with multi-frequency capabilities, the platform resolved challenges related to heterogeneous interconnectivity and data fusion among the four networks.
Leveraging this IoT hardware architecture platform and the common open IoT platform, Yihui Technology has established closed-loop management for 41 core hospital business processes, enabling intelligent collection and transmission of critical data on hospital personnel and equipment. This has significantly improved medical efficiency and laid the foundation for the collection, development, and utilization of healthcare big data.
Phase III: Pioneering the First Open Platform for Medical Intelligence.With the closure of the loop for in-hospital patient services, Yihui Technology has further proposed the concept of “whole-person, whole-course, accessible, and continuous” care, extending its focus to out-of-hospital settings.
Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has launched an innovative application architecture featuring “Intelligent Open Platform + Miniaturization,” breaking through the information interface barriers inherent in traditional models, achieving standardized construction of hospital information systems, and ushering in a new model of information service delivery for hospitals.
Phase 4: Building an AI-powered Healthcare Brain, Focusing on Personalized Services for Medical Professionals.
In 2016, Yihui Technology partnered with IBM to leverage Watson artificial intelligence and cognitive computing technologies to develop precision medicine.
On one hand, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. pioneered the introduction of innovative medical artificial intelligence technologies into clinical practice. By adopting a dual-drive model powered by both data and knowledge, the company launched a service matrix of medical AI cognitive capabilities centered on THINK-GO, featuring independent intellectual property rights. It established an innovative medical cognitive service system by building engines for medical big data processing, medical knowledge services, intelligent medical interaction, and open AI services. Furthermore, it has extensively developed clinical intelligent auxiliary diagnosis systems for more than 20 single-disease categories, including respiratory, digestive, infectious, endocrine, and oncological diseases. These systems not only provide clinicians with decision support but also offer intelligent solutions for medical management challenges such as scientific research exploration, medical quality control, and health insurance cost containment.
On the other hand, in terms of the development path for medical artificial intelligence, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has leveraged its deep insights into healthcare operations and the extensive application of innovative technologies to develop core capabilities including medical natural language processing, medical knowledge graphs, and medical image analysis. The company has gradually built a comprehensive portfolio of core knowledge assets—such as disease phenotype knowledge, clinical pathway knowledge, and cross-omics disease knowledge—generated and accumulated under a multi-modal big data-driven model. Furthermore, it has begun to utilize its accumulated innovative AI technologies and knowledge services to create an all-encompassing closed-loop AI cognitive service system covering clinical care, scientific research, management, and patient services.
Phase V: Facilitating Digital Transformation and Pioneering the Digital Healthcare Ecosystem.Yihui Technology Unveils Smart Healthcare Cloud Ecosystem Service PlatformLeveraging a microservices and blockchain-based architecture, the platform utilizes big data to establish a seamless continuum connecting regional medical institutions, patients, and regulatory authorities—from healthcare delivery to service supervision. This integrated system supports diverse application scenarios, including cloud-based regional medical collaboration, internet healthcare, single-disease management, health services, and smart elderly care.
To provide the public with comprehensive and convenient personal health services; to help hospitals rapidly establish a “trinity” smart hospital system encompassing smart healthcare, smart services, and smart management; and to assist regional health administrative authorities in building precise decision-making and management mechanisms. In the broader health industry, Yihui Technology is steadily growing into a builder of an innovative ecosystem.
To date, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has clients across all provinces, municipalities, and regions in China, excluding Taiwan Province. It serves more than 1,600 hospitals at various levels and regional healthcare institutions, including 14 of the top 20 hospitals nationwide, 50 of the top 100 hospitals nationwide, and seven hospitals in Hong Kong and Macao. The company is a leading domestic provider of comprehensive smart healthcare infrastructure solutions.
As of 2021, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. had helped 11 hospitals achieve Level 5 or above in the National Electronic Medical Record System Functional Application Level Evaluation, including one hospital at Level 7 and two at Level 6. The company also assisted more than 50 hospitals across China in passing the National Medical and Health Information Interconnectivity Standardization Maturity Assessment, with 10 hospitals achieving Grade B at Level 5 and 45 hospitals achieving Grade A at Level 4.
In 2020, Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center passed the rigorous national evaluation for Level 7 of the Functional Application of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Systems (2018 Edition), becoming one of only four hospitals in China to achieve this highest rating. Leveraging Yihui Technology’s intelligent open platform and with the hospital’s strong collaboration, the center spent nearly two years upgrading its original information system architecture. It successfully established five key highlights: convenient patient services, closed-loop quality control management of medical processes, paperless EMRs across the entire hospital, advanced clinical decision support based on Clinical Pathway 2.0, and a regional healthcare collaboration system.
Yihui Technology has also participated in the informatization construction of multiple hospitals in Hong Kong and Macau, most notably the Smart Hospital project at The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hospital, the first fully smart hospital in Hong Kong. During the preliminary phase, the project underwent a six-month international bidding process, from which Yihui Technology emerged as the winner among more than 60 internationally renowned shortlisted suppliers. From top-level design to the hospital’s current full-scale operations, the project fully demonstrates Yihui Technology’s international vision, technical prowess, and product value. Leveraging technologies such as microservices, artificial intelligence, and big data, the project has introduced numerous innovative applications in role-based personalized services, international medication safety, and support for international health insurance schemes. Furthermore, by fully utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology, the hospital has achieved high-precision positioning and proactive information delivery across entire processes and closed loops in areas including staff management, intra-hospital specimen transport, medication delivery, precision medication administration, and infant security management.
Yihui Technology Participates in the Smart Construction of The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hospital
Why Can Yihui Technology Continuously Innovate and Transform?
Leader genes profoundly shape corporate culture. Zhang Lizhong, Chairman of Ewell Technology, is an IT technology expert who previously served as a visiting scholar at a renowned U.S. university’s institute for intelligent systems. He is recognized as a talent in technological innovation and entrepreneurship under the National Special Support Program for High-Level Personnel. He has received three first prizes, four second prizes, and one third prize in provincial-level science and technology awards, including the Zhejiang Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award and the Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Award. The medical solutions he led in development were honored by Intel with the “Best Technology Innovation Award.”
Zhang Lizhong, Chairman of Yihui Technology Co., Ltd.
From the perspective of Yihui Technology employees, the company has completed its initial exploration from 0 to 1 and is now embarking on a practical journey from 1 to infinity. At this stage, the Chairman’s personal vision, broad perspective, inner perseverance, and ideals are crucial factors in maintaining Yihui Technology’s innovativeness.
“Innovation” has always been positioned at the strategic core of Yihui Technology Co., Ltd’s corporate development. Since its entry into the healthcare industry, Yihui Technology has been committed to the goals of “patient safety, medical quality, clinical efficiency, and cost-effective care.” Yihui Technology was among the first to integrate Internet of Things (IoT) technology into comprehensive smart healthcare solutions, pioneering the research and development of many popular innovative applications. This leadership was particularly evident during the preparation of IoT-related reports by VCBeat Eggshell Research Institute. In our desk research across relevant fields, numerous in-hospital innovative applications within various clinical departments were presented as case studies based on Yihui Technology’s IoT application solutions.
Hua Songyuan, General Manager of Yihui Technology Co., Ltd., stated that to encourage innovation, the company has established a comprehensive internal incubation and incentive mechanism to motivate team members to engage in R&D and entrepreneurial ventures. These innovative projects span various niche sectors; while operating independently in their development and management, they collaborate synergistically with Yihui Technology’s medical business to form an ecosystem community, thereby creating greater value. For instance, Jianhai Technology, incubated internally within Yihui Technology, has secured two rounds of financing this year. In March, it closed a RMB 150 million Series B round led by Sequoia China, and in November, it raised RMB 500 million in a Series B+ round led by Huaxing New Economy Fund.
In 2013, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. established its Corporate Research Institute, which was recognized by the Zhejiang Provincial Government as one of the first provincial-level key enterprise research institutes in the field of smart healthcare. As an innovation platform for Yihui Technology, the Corporate Research Institute operates independently as a dedicated department focused on forward-looking technological research and development.
The future functional planning of Yihui Technology’s Corporate Research Institute focuses on three main areas: first, the introduction and application of new technologies; second, the formulation of national and provincial industry standards and the conduct of related scientific research projects, which constitutes the core mission of the Corporate Research Institute; and third, the implementation of interdisciplinary research combining clinical practice with technology.
Since its inception, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has been actively involved in and led national-level scientific research projects. In 2009, the company participated in a national scientific research project for the first time, undertaking the key project under the Ministry of Science and Technology’s 11th Five-Year National Science and Technology Support Program, titled “Research on Key Technologies of National Digital Health and Regional Demonstration Applications.” During this project, Yihui Technology proposed the concepts of a closed-loop patient service system and interoperability of medical data, and completed feasibility validation.
To date, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has undertaken more than 20 national and provincial-level research projects, including multiple key projects under China’s 11th, 12th, and 13th Five-Year Plans, and has incorporated some of the research outcomes into its own products.
For instance, research conducted under the National 863 Program (four projects) laid the theoretical foundation for the development of Yihui Technology Co., Ltd., encompassing demonstration and validation of standards, data interoperability, products, and technologies in individual digital hospitals and regional collaborative healthcare systems. Furthermore, as part of the National Science and Technology Major Project on “New Generation Broadband Wireless Mobile Communication Networks” (Project 03), studies were carried out on the infrastructure, key technologies, interaction platforms, terminal devices, and application systems of the Internet of Things (IoT). These efforts were demonstrated and validated in multiple hospitals, exerting a significant impact on Yihui Technology’s development in the medical IoT sector.
Meanwhile, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. has been committed to the development of healthcare informatization standards and has participated in the formulation of multiple medical information standards by the National Health Commission. The company also holds significant influence in the construction of domestic and international standard systems. In recent years, three ISO standards developed and released by Yihui Technology Co., Ltd., including the “Classification Framework for Chinese Clinical Terminology of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine,” have received high recognition from relevant international standardization organizations, marking a new breakthrough for China in the field of international healthcare standards.
Dong Chi, Director of the Public Affairs Department at Sitrue Yihui, stated that the national research projects undertaken by Yihui Technology are closely linked to the company’s overall development and its technological products. “During the course of our research, we continuously make new discoveries. For instance, in our study of IoT architecture, Yihui Technology proposed the concept of ‘Four-Network Integration.’ The emergence of new ideas and approaches, in turn, helps enhance the company’s own R&D capabilities.” Currently, Yihui Technology is actively participating in the application for and research of national projects under the 14th Five-Year Plan, with a primary focus on the integration of artificial intelligence with healthcare, the integration of blockchain with healthcare, and proactive health management.
Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. proactively embraces new technologies, leveraging core competencies in the Internet of Things (IoT), data interoperability, and artificial intelligence to continuously enhance its capabilities in top-level design for hospital informatization and the delivery of comprehensive solutions, thereby enriching the variety and volume of its product portfolio.
When discussing emerging technologies, the team at Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. is optimistic about the application potential of blockchain in the healthcare sector, particularly its pivotal role in data privacy protection. Much of the data in healthcare, including personal health records and medical histories, demands extremely high security and immutability. This need for credible record-keeping becomes especially critical when these data assets are utilized or transferred.
Recently, the collaboration between Yihui Technology and Nanhai Cloud has sparked intense market interest. Zhang Lizhong, Chairman of Yihui Technology, stated to VCBeat that this is a strategic partnership between two industry leaders.
In Zhang Li’s view, the mission of healthcare IT enterprises is to pursue integrated innovation in technical services, thereby better supporting healthcare delivery.Nanhai Cloud boasts substantial technical expertise in blockchain technology. This collaboration aims to drive further industry innovation through the integration of new technologies, thereby addressing long-standing pain points within the sector.The original intention of this collaboration stems from “innovation.” It is based on the addition of both parties’ values, core philosophies, and technological foundations. By integrating resources and strengths, it aims to deliver greater value returns to governments, medical institutions, patients, enterprises, and society.
“A collaborative and open industry ecosystem is essential for better development and for providing superior services to healthcare professionals and patients. Yihui Technology positions itself as a collaborator with more partners in the medical and health industries, jointly shouldering the responsibility of serving the broader healthcare sector,” said Zhang Lizhong. To this end, Yihui Technology is actively partnering with innovators in the healthcare industry to jointly explore business models that not only meet hospital needs but also promote its own sustainable growth.
Technology itself is objective; its value lies in the scenarios in which it is applied and the clinical needs it serves.
Zhang Lizhong also shared Yihui Technology’s future plans: “Closely align with national strategic directions, leverage effective big data resources, and develop the digital economy.” To this end, Yihui Technology leverages the continuous iteration and upgrading of information technologies such as the Medical Internet of Things (MIoT), data interoperability, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to ultimately achieve more convenient medical services and efficient management.
These macro-level policies have provided Yihui Technology with an ideal strategic environment. Burdened with the mission of driving the development of the healthcare informatization industry, Yihui Technology has achieved a solid start over the past decade. As healthcare reform enters its deep-water zone, the vision of "Healthy China" is drawing nearer. Against the backdrop of growing demand for personalized, precise, and high-quality medical services, the digital and intelligent healthcare solutions offered by Yihui Technology are ushering in significant development opportunities. With only nine years remaining until 2030, what will the future trajectory of Yihui Technology look like?
Reflecting on the past of Yihui Technology Co., Ltd, Zhang Lizhong candidly admitted, “Previously, we focused heavily on architectural development, resulting in a less robust ecosystem and limited strategic collaborations with other enterprises. Moving forward, we will collaborate with various stakeholders in the healthcare industry to build a more open ecosystem and platform.”
From the perspective of the Yihui Technology team, while the scale and business model of Yihui Technology may evolve in the future, the company will remain true to its original mission, steadfastly committing to doing what is difficult yet right.
At the micro level, Yihui Technology will align with national strategies, strengthen underlying data-driven capabilities, and build a robust platform to support the digital transformation of healthcare. A closed-loop business system, an open service architecture, and integrated data support across all scenarios constitute the foundation for achieving this strategy.
On a broader scale, Yihui Technology Co., Ltd. aims to develop more valuable big data resources driven by healthcare big data, foster a sustainable digital economy, and ultimately achieve “whole-person, whole-process, accessible, and continuous” medical services for residents.
“No matter how long the road, you will reach your destination if you keep walking; no matter how difficult the task, you will succeed if you keep working.”