Tianjin WeDoctor General Hospital Becomes One of the First Designated Long-Term Care Service Providers, Empowering China’s “Sixth Insurance” through Digital Primary Healthcare Consortium

Grandma Zhang, a 92-year-old resident of Heping District in Tianjin, suffered a sudden cerebral infarction two years ago that resulted in paralysis of both lower limbs. Prolonged bed rest led to muscle atrophy, making basic activities such as eating and bathing significant challenges for her family. Her daughter and son-in-law, both nearing 70 years of age, found it increasingly difficult to provide care. Upon learning that Tianjin was actively promoting long-term care insurance (hereinafter referred to as “LTCI”), Grandma Zhang’s daughter promptly applied and enrolled in the program.

Recently, Tianjin Weiyi General Hospital was approved for long-term care institution qualifications, becoming one of the first designated service providers for long-term care insurance in Tianjin. As a newly added “vital force,” Tianjin Weiyi General Hospital collaborates with member units of the Tianjin Grassroots Digital Health Community and third-party elderly care institutions to jointly provide contracted users with professional nursing services—including blood glucose monitoring, nasogastric/urinary catheter replacement, cognitive training, and palliative care—as well as personal care services such as hair washing, oral hygiene, assisted bathing, and haircuts.

After Grandma Zhang completed the enrollment, professional caregivers began providing regular in-home visits. In accordance with Tianjin’s unified standards and guidelines, and after reimbursement by the basic medical insurance fund, Grandma Zhang only needs to pay a minimal out-of-pocket amount to access professional and convenient nursing care at home.

Data from the Seventh National Population Census show that, as of November 2020, the number of people aged 60 and above nationwide reached 264 million. Among them, Tianjin had 3.0027 million registered elderly residents aged 60 and above, accounting for 21.66% of the city’s total registered population.

To proactively respond to population aging and address the long-term care security needs of individuals with severe disabilities, in September 2020, the National Healthcare Security Administration, together with the Ministry of Finance, issued the Guiding Opinions on Expanding the Pilot Program of the Long-Term Care Insurance System. The document proposed striving to basically establish a policy framework for the long-term care insurance system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period that aligns with China’s level of economic development and trends in population aging. Tianjin was added as a new pilot city. In December of the same year, the Tianjin Municipal People’s Government issued the Implementation Plan for the Pilot Program of the Long-Term Care Insurance System in Tianjin, which standardized aspects such as coverage, fund raising, benefit payments, service settlement, and fund management.

As a key driver of the digital upgrade of primary healthcare in Tianjin, the Tianjin Primary Digital Health Community leverages the advantages of its “cloud services” platform to optimize the allocation of medical resources in accordance with the service standards for Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI), providing users with multi-form, multi-level, and diversified nursing services. Users who have passed the LTCI assessment may choose to call the customer service hotline of the Tianjin Primary Digital Health Community at 95169022 to schedule an in-home contract signing, or visit WeDoctor General Hospital located at No. 3 Tai’an Road, Heping District, Tianjin, for offline contract signing. After professional care aides and medical personnel jointly develop a customized care plan, users can independently schedule their services.

Additionally, based on the Tianjin Primary-Level Digital Health Consortium“Cloud Pharmacy,” “Cloud Management”The platform can also meet the medical and healthcare needs of partially disabled users, including medication management, follow-up consultations, referrals, and rehabilitation.It is reported that Tianjin Weiyi General Hospital has signed cooperation agreements on the Grassroots Digital Health Community with 13 districts, including Xiqing District, Nankai District, and Heping District, as well as 152 grassroots medical and health institutions.

With the implementation of long-term care insurance services, the long-term care needs of an increasing number of disabled individuals, such as Grandma Zhang, are being met, thereby alleviating the heavy burden of family caregiving for these individuals.

In the future, Tianjin’s grassroots digital health consortium will collaborate with vocational training schools qualified to provide elderly care-related training to organize medical caregiver training programs. This initiative aims to expand the city’s pool of nursing personnel and enhance service quality. Additionally, it will work in conjunction with official platforms to leverage the advantages of digital empowerment, accelerate the development of system service platforms for users and healthcare professionals, achieve information sharing and interoperability, and continuously promote the development of the elderly care industry and health services sector.