Boao Lecheng Sets New Benchmark in Multi-tier Healthcare with Innovative Medical Device and Drug Payment Solutions
On the afternoon of September 23, the product launch event for “Worry-Free Medical Care in Boao Lecheng and Global Innovative Payment Solutions for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices in Lecheng” was grandly held at the Boao International Center for Exchange and Translation of Innovative Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices.
Guided by the Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration and the Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Medical Products Administration, this event was hosted by the Boao Lecheng Innovative Commercial Insurance Payment Platform—jointly established by Shanghai Medbanks Health Technology Co., Ltd. and the Lecheng Pilot Zone Administration—and the Hainan Provincial Branch of Bank of Communications.
Users can log in to the "Lecheng Pilot Zone Administration Bureau Release" WeChat official account, where they and their relatives may apply for interest-free installment financing services through the Boao Lecheng Innovative Commercial Insurance Payment Platform. The platform offers up to RMB 700,000 in interest-free installment financing per year, potentially saving users more than RMB 126,000 in interest annually. Over the next three years, the Boao Lecheng Innovative Commercial Insurance Payment Platform is expected to serve 1,000 patients in Lecheng, leverage expert resources from over 230 cities, and facilitate the clinical application of more than 100 innovative drugs and medical devices.
Scan the QR code to instantly apply for Lecheng’s Global Innovative Drug and Medical Device Payment Service
At the event, numerous government officials, healthcare institution administrators, and industry leaders gathered to provide professional recommendations for the development of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, while also offering insights on innovative medical services and the construction of healthcare management systems.
Liu Zhefeng, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Hainan Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration; Tian Meipan, General Manager of China Life Reinsurance Company Ltd.; Pan Lu, Vice President of Zai Lab; Zhang Xinran, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Bank of Communications Hainan Provincial Branch; Fang Pihua, President of Boao Super Hospital; and Zhang Xiaodong, Chief Executive Officer of Shanghai Medlinker Health Technology Co., Ltd., attended the meeting.
For a long time,For many patients, some new specialty drugs and innovative medical devices present the pain points of being “unavailable” and “unaffordable.”
To help address this issue, the “Boao Lecheng Innovative Commercial Insurance Payment Platform” was officially established in Boao, Hainan, at the end of 2019. The platform is dedicated to providing enhanced innovative medical payment services for patients requiring new and specialty drugs, as well as those with chronic and rare diseases.
Specifically, the platform incorporates internationally advanced therapies and pharmaceuticals introduced in the Boao Lecheng Medical Zone into the coverage of commercial health insurance through various innovative payment mechanisms. This serves as an effective supplement to basic medical insurance, thereby alleviating the financial burden on patients, particularly those with low-to-middle incomes.
Launched against this backdrop, the “Worry-Free Medical Care in Boao Lecheng and Innovative Payment for Global Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices in Lecheng” product is a benchmark service offering that encompasses financial payment solutions, specialty drug insurance, pharmaceutical benefits, and medical services.
In the realm of financial payments, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone Administration Bureau, in partnership with Medbanks Health and the Hainan Branch of Bank of Communications, provides interest-free medical installment solutions for patients within the medical pilot zone. As the operating platform, Medbanks Health primarily offers patients guidance on financial applications, financial risk control assessments, and matchmaking with financial institutions. Regarding special drug insurance, Lecheng has collaborated with insurance companies to develop special drug insurance products and, acting as a third-party service provider for urban inclusive supplementary medical insurance (Hui Min Bao), has facilitated the inclusion of Lecheng’s special drugs into coverage.
In terms of pharmaceutical benefits, by integrating resources from pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions, and pharmacies, we offer pharmaceutical benefit programs that provide coverage such as efficacy insurance and transportation allowances. In the area of medical services, Lecheng has partnered with Boao Super Hospital in the Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, the Lecheng Branch of Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital, and Ciming International Hospital to deliver high-quality and accessible medical care to patients in China.
In the future, Lecheng Worry-Free Medical Care will launch a benefit program for patients with hyperlipidemia. This program will provide patients receiving Inclisiran treatment with value-added medication services, including efficacy coverage worth RMB 3,000, a Hainan medication subsidy allowance worth RMB 2,000, and numerous membership service benefits. With this addition, Lecheng Worry-Free Medical Care now offers comprehensive support to patients, spanning specialty drug insurance, financial payment solutions, pharmaceutical benefits, and medical services.
It is well known that medical consultation, medication use, payment, and prognosis are the four major challenges in the healthcare services sector.This innovative payment solution helps patients receive better medical care in Boao Lecheng, gain faster access to globally innovative drugs and medical devices, and alleviate financial burdens through novel payment mechanisms. The aim is to extend high-quality medical services to a broader patient population, thereby improving patient prognosis.
Taking cochlear implants as an example, as an implantable medical electronic device designed for patients with severe to profound hearing loss, cochlear implants can bypass damaged inner ear hair cells and directly deliver electrical pulse stimulation to the nerve fibers within the cochlea, thereby restoring auditory perception in patients.
To help more patients with severe or profound sensorineural hearing loss, Boao Super Hospital in the Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone has introduced multiple advanced cochlear implant products that are marketed abroad but not yet available in China. Through inpatient surgical treatment, the hospital has successfully performed over 375 advanced cochlear implantation surgeries and completed 772 upgrades of cochlear implant sound processors, thereby helping these patients restore their hearing.
However, since the total cost of cochlear implant surgery and hospitalization is approximately RMB 300,000, some families have missed the optimal treatment window due to their inability to make a lump-sum payment. Through the Boao Lecheng Commercial Health Insurance Innovative Payment Platform in the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone, the total cost of RMB 300,000 can be paid in 12 monthly installments of RMB 25,000 each, enabling patients to receive treatment first and pay later. This interest-free installment plan does not impose additional financial burden on patients, thereby truly achieving multi-tiered medical security through insurance and innovative payment mechanisms.
It is precisely through payment innovation that “Worry-Free Medical Care in Boao Lecheng” addresses the challenge of “payment for medical consultations and medications” from multiple dimensions, including special drug insurance, financial payment solutions, pharmaceutical benefits, and medical services.
The Challenge of Innovative Payment Models Lies in Implementation.
To address this issue,“Worry-Free Medical Care in Boao Lecheng and Global Innovative Payment for Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices in Lecheng” features a sufficiently detailed program design.
More importantly, this innovative payment solution is based on the Boao Lecheng Innovative Commercial Insurance Payment Platform.The platform has partnered with more than 30 domestic insurance companies to incorporate internationally advanced therapies and drugs introduced in the Boao Lecheng Medical Zone into health insurance coverage through financial instruments such as installment payment plans and outcome-based insurance, thereby serving as an effective supplement to basic medical insurance. As the operator, Medbanks Health addresses the payment side by aggregating the needs of self-paying patients and integrating upstream and downstream segments of the healthcare industry chain, thus enabling patients to access cutting-edge pharmaceuticals and medical services at lower costs and with greater convenience.
In recent years, the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone in Hainan has fully leveraged the special policies granted by the state, integrated institutional innovations associated with the construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port, pioneered a “basic medical insurance + commercial health insurance” mechanism, and improved its multi-tiered security system, thereby enabling high-quality medical resources to benefit the Chinese public first.
For instance, earlier this month, the Hainan Provincial Medical Products Administration, the Hainan Provincial Health Commission, and Haikou Customs jointly issued the “Several Measures to Further Optimize Regulatory Services in Support of the High-Quality Development of the Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone.” These measures further optimize the approval processes and models for imported drugs and medical devices urgently needed for clinical use, addressing bottlenecks to enhance efficiency and support the high-quality development of the Lecheng Pilot Zone.
It is precisely with the support of the aforementioned factors that innovative payment solutions have been more effectively implemented, making worry-free medical care a reality.
China’s health and wellness industry is entering a critical period of opportunity.
First, from a technological perspective, the integration of the healthcare industry with emerging technologies is gaining significant momentum, driven by breakthroughs and advancements in the Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and other scientific fields. Second, from the standpoint of national policy, the issuance and implementation of the “Healthy China 2030” Planning Outline since 2016 has provided substantial impetus to the development of China’s broader health industry. Third, regarding public awareness, the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened people’s recognition of the importance of health.
Amid this major trend, commercial health insurance payment is continuously innovating with technological support.From an industry perspective, commercial health insurance payment involves multiple segments: “medical care, pharmaceuticals, insurance, and wellness.” Customers receive financial compensation for health-related expenses directly or indirectly from payers; obtain diagnostic, therapeutic, and prescription services from healthcare providers; and access comprehensive, lifecycle-oriented health services and wellness incentives from health service providers. Consequently, achieving interoperability among customers, data, and systems between payers and service providers was previously challenging. However, these issues have now been addressed to varying degrees.
It is evident that by innovating healthcare payment models and promoting the deep integration of financial instruments with the healthcare sector, a comprehensive protection ecosystem encompassing patient services, commercial insurance services, and pharmaceutical enterprise services can be established. This approach achieves a win-win outcome for all stakeholders, including patients, medical institutions, the government, pharmaceutical companies, and insurance providers.
The Innovation Pathways of Commercial Insurance Payment Align with Policy Trends.The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) and 12 other ministries and commissions proposed in the “Opinions on Promoting the Development of Commercial Insurance in the Social Services Sector” that the application of new medical technologies, new drugs, and new devices should be gradually included in the coverage of commercial health insurance. In light of recent important guidelines such as “supporting commercial insurance institutions in participating in medical insurance services and cost containment, improving the operational supervision mechanism for critical illness insurance, and promoting the integrated development of health insurance and health management,”China’s healthcare delivery, medication use, and payment systems are being rapidly optimized, evolving toward a multi-tiered medical security system.
As a “testing ground” for China’s big health industry, Hainan Boao Lecheng will continue to drive innovation in healthcare payment, collaborating with high-quality partners such as MedXin Health to achieve continuous breakthroughs and deliver accessible, high-quality medical services to a broader population.
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