Beijing Wangyi Alliance Launches Nationwide COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing Appointment Platform

On January 29, 2021, Beijing Wangyi Alliance Technology Co., Ltd. developed and launched the National COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing Appointment Platform. The platform provides services such as online appointment scheduling, online payment, and result inquiry for COVID-19 nucleic acid testing.

It is currently the depths of winter, with a new wave of the pandemic raging worldwide. Sporadic cases and even localized outbreaks have emerged successively in regions such as Hebei and Heilongjiang provinces in China. To meet epidemic prevention and control requirements, the government has organized and arranged planned mass nucleic acid testing for entire populations within specific areas. In addition, employers and individuals have their own needs for nucleic acid testing due to work, daily life, and health considerations. As the Spring Festival approaches, people returning to their hometowns are required to present negative nucleic acid test results; some individuals also wish to undergo testing out of concern for their personal health, while others need testing for work-related travel. In 2020, in response to epidemic control needs, nucleic acid sampling and testing capabilities were established across China, extending in many areas to township health centers, fully capable of meeting the public’s essential testing needs. Therefore, it is highly necessary to establish a convenient and efficient nucleic acid testing appointment platform to cater to people’s daily work, life, and health requirements. Against this backdrop, Beijing Wangyi Alliance Technology Co., Ltd. rapidly developed and launched the National Novel Coronavirus Nucleic Acid Testing Appointment Platform.

Nucleic acid testing services on the platform are provided by medical institutions, including third-party laboratories. These institutions are subject to stringent access requirements, such as online application and registration, in-person contract signing, and qualification review. Leveraging the mobile internet diagnosis and treatment system registered with the Web Doctor Alliance, the platform automatically generates an online testing module, ensuring convenient and efficient operations. The platform implements catalog-based management for nucleic acid testing items; medical institutions are only permitted to offer items listed in the master system catalog. Meanwhile, institutions retain autonomy in determining pricing, service models, report turnaround times, and report delivery methods.

The platform implements a multi-channel, fully self-service online appointment process for medical examinations. Participating medical institutions on the platform range from large hospitals to primary care facilities, such as township health centers. Users can schedule appointments online, in advance, across different regions, or on behalf of others; appointments can be made individually or in groups. Sample collection can be conducted via home visits or at designated sampling sites. Payment options include online and offline methods. Reports can be collected in person, delivered by courier, viewed online, or uploaded to health code applications. Notably, the platform offers time-slot-based scheduling, allowing nucleic acid testing appointments to be booked with precision within 30-minute intervals. The public need only arrive at the medical institution according to their scheduled time, effectively addressing the issue of long queues for nucleic acid testing, reducing wait times, and preventing crowd gatherings.

After a trial run, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) found the platform extremely user-friendly. Users can simply scan a QR code to open the appointment page via their mobile browser, or download the Wangyi Alliance app and tap through to access the appointment platform. Once on the appointment page, users can select testing institutions based on factors such as proximity, price, and institution type, with the option to manually adjust their location. After selecting a testing institution, users can book a nucleic acid test, complete the payment online, and then undergo testing at the scheduled time, making the process simple and efficient.

The Internet Medical Alliance also announced that the appointment platform is non-profit, charging neither testing institutions nor users. Additionally, the platform features a nationwide query function for officially designated nucleic acid testing institutions, allowing users to search for information on such facilities across China by administrative division, including institution names, addresses, and contact details.

Currently, approximately 100 medical institutions in provinces and municipalities such as Beijing, Hebei, Hubei, Guangdong, Shandong, and Sichuan have launched SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing services on the National SARS-CoV-2 Nucleic Acid Testing Appointment Platform. The platform will next expand to cover more medical institutions across China. The mature operational mechanism of the Online Medical Alliance can support the onboarding of a large number of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid testing institutions, greatly facilitating public access to nucleic acid testing.

Beijing Wangyi Alliance Technology Co., Ltd., the developer of the platform, serves as a vice-chairman unit of the Internet Hospital Development Working Committee under the Chinese Health Information and Healthcare Big Data Society. Centered on a mobile internet diagnosis and treatment system, the company has pioneered a new “Medical Taobao” model. Medical institutions of all sizes, from Grade 3A hospitals to village clinics, can join the Wangyi Alliance with minimal setup; upon onboarding, an online hospital is automatically generated for each institution. These online hospitals are equipped with internet-based diagnosis and treatment capabilities, enabling them to apply to local health commissions for internet diagnosis and treatment qualifications or an Internet Hospital Practice License. To date, more than 1,200 medical institutions and 3,500 physicians have joined the platform, and over 20 entities in Beijing, Shandong, Ningxia, Guangdong, and other regions have obtained Internet Hospital Practice Licenses and internet diagnosis and treatment qualifications. Meanwhile, the company has implemented comprehensive digital onboarding for medical institutions in areas such as Ju County (Shandong Province), Jiangling County (Hubei Province), and Jiange County (Sichuan Province). By leveraging its patient management system, it promotes a new model of family doctor contract-based internet follow-up visits, manages the health of impoverished households, and supports local tiered diagnosis and treatment services, earning widespread acclaim.

Patient Portal for Appointment Platform

Institution Registration Portal:www.bjwylm.com