Dolphin Digital Healthcare Industrial Park Hosts 2021 Chengdu Digital Healthcare Industry Summit, Unveiling New Explorations in Internet Healthcare and Digital Therapeutics

2021 was destined to be an extraordinary year.

In the aftermath of the 2020 pandemic, both industry professionals and the general public have recognized the value brought by digital health. Innovation in the healthcare sector is undergoing significant transformation. The "2021 China Health Trends Development Report" points out that medical innovation in China will break through a critical threshold, entering a phase of explosive growth. The trend toward healthcare digitization is particularly pronounced.

Guided by the Shuangliu District Health Commission, Shuangliu District Healthcare Security Administration, and Shuangliu District Investment Promotion Bureau of Chengdu, hosted by Taozi Health Group and Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park, with support from Chengdu Xingu Industrial Park Development Co., Ltd., and organized by VCBeat, the Launch Ceremony of the Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park and the 2021 China Chengdu Digital Health Industry Summit were officially held on September 24. The conference invited numerous industry experts to jointly explore new opportunities in the healthcare industry driven by the dual cores of “Internet Healthcare + Digital Therapeutics,” further helping Chengdu accelerate the formation of a new collaborative development pattern characterized by dual-core drive and region-wide prosperity.

Driven by the wave of digitalization, how can digital technologies empower the healthcare industry to achieve deep integration? How can we truly construct a "patient-centric" digital health service system? In today’s landscape, where digital therapeutics—penetrating the core of medical practice—are gaining significant momentum, how can they be rapidly implemented in real-world settings? These are undoubtedly pressing questions that the industry must urgently address.

What insights did the attendees share, and what sparks of innovation emerged? Focusing on hot topics such as the validation of internet healthcare models, licensing, and the development of medical consortia, participating experts provided in-depth analyses of industry pain points, including the opportunities and challenges for internet healthcare accelerated by the pandemic.

VCBeat has compiled some of the highlights from the conference speakers for our readers.

Liang Fei, Deputy District Mayor of Shuangliu District People’s Government of Chengdu and Party Secretary of Chengdu Xingu Development Service Bureau; Liu Zhaofeng, Director of the Health Service Industry Development Division of Chengdu Municipal Health Commission; relevant officials from Chengdu Medical Security Bureau, Shuangliu District Health Bureau, District Medical Security Bureau, District Investment Promotion Bureau, and Chengdu Xingu Development Service Bureau; as well as Wu Hao, President of Taozi Health Group and Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park; He Haihua, Vice President of CEC Optics Valley and General Manager of Chengdu Xingu Company; and Yang Lijuan, Deputy General Manager of Chengdu Xingu Company, attended this meeting.

On the day of the conference, the Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park was officially launched. This marks the establishment of the first specialized “park-within-a-park” in Chengdu Chip Valley. In 2020, Taozi Health Group actively responded to the national call for vigorous development of new infrastructure. Leveraging Chengdu’s advantages in medical resources, business environment, and geographic location, the group has been providing supporting services for digital medical infrastructure to pharmaceutical and innovative healthcare enterprises. With strong support from the Chengdu Municipal Government and the Shuangliu District Government, it created the Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park, an industrial cluster focused on internet healthcare and digital medicine. Today, the park officially embarks on a new chapter.

At the conference, representatives from JD Health, Kingdee Health, Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, Jointown Pharmaceutical Group, Jiashitang Pharmaceutical, Xinhe, Xiao Yaoyao, and Qingmiao Dental signed on-site agreements to establish their presence in the Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park.

The gradual maturation of digital technologies, such as 5G network deployment and the Internet of Things (IoT), has accelerated the informatization and intelligent transformation of healthcare, further driving the iterative upgrading of traditional medical service models. As the “infrastructure” of digital healthcare, internet hospitals have helped alleviate the imbalance in medical resource distribution. During the pandemic, internet hospitals served as a “second front” in the fight against COVID-19, significantly reducing the risk of cross-infection associated with in-person visits and providing convenient medical services to chronic disease patients requiring long-term medication. The Dolphin Digital Healthcare Industrial Park supports enterprises within its ecosystem by offering practical services—including system platform development, pharmaceutical warehousing and logistics, security, industrial synergy, and operational coordination—thereby enabling these companies to leverage the internet hospital model and digital diagnosis and treatment to drive innovation in medical service delivery.

Liang Fei, Deputy District Mayor of the Shuangliu District People's Government of Chengdu and Party Group Secretary of the Chengdu Chip Valley Development Service Bureau

Liang Fei, Deputy District Mayor of Shuangliu District People’s Government of Chengdu and Party Secretary of the Chengdu Xingu Development Service Bureau, pointed out that as the home to an international airport, Shuangliu District serves as the “main front” for Chengdu’s construction of a Pan-European and Pan-Asian international gateway hub, the “main battlefield” for the Western (Chengdu) Science City, and a “new highland” for strategic emerging industries. “Seizing this momentum, the Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park is committed to building an advanced cluster for internet healthcare and digital medical industries, accelerating its development into China’s largest hub for the digital medical industry.” The government will further enhance services for enterprises by providing supporting facilities to facilitate the rapid growth of medical companies within the park.

He Haihua, Vice President of CEC Optics Valley and General Manager of Chengdu Chip Valley Company

He Haihua, Vice President of CEC Optics Valley and General Manager of Chengdu Chip Valley Company, stated that the development prospects in the digital healthcare sector are immeasurable. As one of the first enterprises in Chengdu to be approved as an internet hospital, Taozi Health has been actively promoting and developing innovative technologies in the internet healthcare industry and has proposed a plan to build a “National Digital Healthcare Industrial Park.” Its subsidiary, the Dolphin Digital Healthcare Industrial Park, has settled in Chengdu Chip Valley, aligning perfectly with Chengdu Chip Valley’s philosophy of adhering to an industry-ecosystem orientation and leveraging the leading role of key players in niche sectors. This also marks the establishment of Chengdu Chip Valley’s first specialized “park-within-a-park” focused on a specific niche field.

President, Taozi Health Group and Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial ParkWu Hao

Wu Hao, President of the Dolphin Digital Healthcare Industrial Park, stated that as part of the digital healthcare ecosystem, the park will provide comprehensive development services to enterprises with needs in digital and internet-based healthcare infrastructure. “The opening ceremony is merely a beginning. With the guidance and support of the Chengdu Municipal Government and the Shuangliu District Government, the Dolphin Digital Healthcare Industrial Park will firmly seize the new trends and opportunities presented by the wave of digital healthcare, promote and lead the development of the digital healthcare ecosystem, establish a model for China’s digital healthcare advancement, and jointly contribute to the early realization of the ‘Healthy China’ initiative.”

During the pandemic, although the user base for online medical services experienced rapid growth, most internet healthcare companies were unprepared to handle the massive surge in demand for medical services resulting from this sudden increase in users. Today, with the pandemic under control, how to further develop internet healthcare to better meet user needs has become a key topic of discussion.

Wen Jian, President of the Internet Hospital Branch of the Chinese Research Hospital Association

Wen Jian, President of the Internet Hospital Branch of the Chinese Research Hospital Association, pointed out that, first and foremost, the achievements made in the development of internet hospitals should be affirmed. The rapidly growing internet hospitals are strengthening the healthcare security system. Meanwhile, as a means to deepen healthcare reform, they not only optimize the allocation of medical resources but also better serve the public.

Nevertheless, challenges persist. For instance, how can internet hospitals ensure medical quality and safety, and how can data security issues in the healthcare sector be addressed? Furthermore, since insurance reimbursement for internet hospitals involves physical hospitals, how should differing provincial medical insurance pricing standards be handled? How should discipline construction within internet hospitals be carried out? In his view, “internet healthcare should also adhere to the principles of evidence-based medicine, establishing consensus guidelines for disease management and the diagnosis and treatment of specialized conditions through practical exploration and validation.” Meanwhile, it is essential to comply with national health and medical data security regulations regarding the compliant collection, management, and use of data.

Huang Hui, Co-founder and COO of YunKai YaMei

During the pandemic, patients with chronic diseases flocked to online platforms. How does internet healthcare provide services tailored to them? Huang Hui, Co-founder and COO of Yun Kai Ya Mei, pointed out that the company focuses on diseases with a prevalence rate in the per mille range, offering patient-centered specialized disease management services. By restructuring diagnostic and treatment pathways and comprehensively collecting patient data to build detailed user profiles, the company provides more professional and personalized medical recommendations. For instance, in cases of osteonecrosis within rheumatic bone diseases, early patient screening enables timely pharmacological and surgical interventions, helping patients avoid disease progression that would otherwise necessitate hip replacement surgery. She emphasized, “Internet healthcare is not merely about improving efficiency; it places greater emphasis on treatment outcomes and enhancing patients’ quality of life and health.”

Zhang Meng, Director of the Operations and Promotion Department at Kingdee Medical

Public hospitals, as the primary entities building internet hospitals, often face inherent weaknesses in operations. Kingdee Medical, a long-term IT and operational service provider for public hospital internet hospitals, has leveraged its years of expertise to propose an innovative operational model centered on “internal circulation” and “external expansion,” with the hospital as the core entity. Zhang Meng, Director of the Operations and Promotion Department at Kingdee Medical, explained, “For individual hospital-based internet hospitals, Kingdee Medical focuses primarily on enhancing operational efficiency through internal circulation. For medical consortiums, we facilitate tiered diagnosis and treatment by fostering collaboration between higher- and lower-level hospitals, thereby achieving external expansion and supporting high-quality hospital development.” By continuously enhancing hospitals’ brand influence and creating exemplary models, Kingdee Medical improves hospitals’ service capabilities and overall standards, ultimately driving quality improvement and efficiency gains in public hospital internet hospitals.

Chang Jiang, CEO of Umai Technology

Building Specialty Internet Hospitals Is Seen as a Lucrative Business, but How Should It Be Done? Chang Jiang, CEO of Umai Technology, which is dedicated to building dermatology-focused internet hospitals, pointed out that dermatology is the most suitable specialty for online consultations, given its stronger consumer healthcare attributes. In the process of constructing specialty internet hospitals, Umai Technology has focused on maximizing the value of physicians on the supply side of medical services. By establishing doctors’ personal brands, providing learning platforms, and offering intelligent diagnostic tools to improve physician efficiency, the company has gradually built its own unique business model.

What New Changes Might Emerge in the Internet Hospital Sector Today?

 Zhang Xiaoxu, Senior Researcher at VCBeat

Zhang Xiaoxu, Senior Researcher at VCBeat Institute, provided an interpretation of the “2021 Internet Hospital Industry Report.” She pointed out that current policies governing internet hospitals offer substantial room for industry exploration, while ensuring medical safety and information security. The pandemic has not only driven growth in online user numbers but also intensified demand for substantive services addressing healthcare needs. Listed companies in the internet healthcare sector are increasingly dedicating themselves to healthcare and medical services.

Furthermore, with the launch of initiatives such as the Dolphin Digital Healthcare Industrial Park, the development of internet healthcare industry clusters has become more pronounced. This clustered development facilitates the construction of an ecosystem for internet healthcare. She stated that internet healthcare will be more deeply integrated into the current medical service system, shifting from a process-oriented to an outcome-oriented approach in patient treatment, with greater emphasis on patient health. Additionally, various benchmark enterprises will gradually emerge, driving deeper transformation within the healthcare industry.

Liu Guoli, Deputy General Manager of Chengdu Big Data Company

The importance of data in the healthcare industry is evident. According to Chengdu’s development plan, the city’s pharmaceutical and health industry is expected to reach a scale of RMB 500 billion by 2030. In light of this, Chengdu has established a data integration platform to achieve interconnectivity between government affairs data and medical data. Liu Guoli, Deputy General Manager of Chengdu Big Data Company, pointed out that Chengdu will next build an internet-based public service platform designed to benefit residents, serving individuals, the medical industry, and healthcare enterprises. The city will focus on public health and primary care, promoting high-quality development of public medical institutions and equitable development of community medical facilities. Furthermore, leveraging computing power, algorithms, and data, Chengdu will collaborate with industry enterprises to create platforms that support new medical research and strengthen the translation of medical achievements.

During the roundtable discussion, Wu Hao, President of Taozi Health Group and Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park; Wang Jian, Marketing Director of Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group; Liu Jinghan, General Manager of Jointown Health Technology Group Co., Ltd.; and Su Taigui, Dean of Haoxinqing Internet Hospital, discussed how industrial clusters can shape a new ecosystem for internet-based healthcare. The participants unanimously agreed that the development of internet-based healthcare has addressed the imbalance in the distribution of medical resources, although issues of redundant construction still persist.

Wu Hao pointed out, “By leveraging industrial platforms and integrating regional medical resources, we can attract leading specialized clinics and disease-specific centers across China, as well as various companies within the industrial ecosystem, to settle in the industrial park. This will ultimately form a cluster that enables synergistic market operations, maximizes the sharing of outcomes produced by top-tier medical companies, and expands innovative practices such as integration with basic medical insurance payment systems and commercial health insurance payments.” Furthermore, the development of an integrated ecosystem will have a long-term, sustained impact on enterprises within the park, supporting its healthy growth.

With this, the summit drew to a close, bringing the Launch Ceremony of the Dolphin Digital Medical Industrial Park and the 2021 China Chengdu Digital Health Industry Summit Forum to a successful conclusion. However, for Shuangliu District of Chengdu, the Dolphin Internet Medical Industrial Park, and industry practitioners, the exploration of digital health and digital therapeutics will not cease. Participating biopharmaceutical companies, chronic disease management platforms, innovative medical institutions, and other enterprises deeply rooted in the healthcare sector will continue to delve deeper, continuously empowering medical and health scenarios, providing superior solutions amidst the digital wave, and ushering in a healthier future for the public.