Xinshen Heyi: Empowering Traditional Chinese Medicine and Psychological Clinics with Internet Technology to Cover the Greater Bay Area by 2020
Psychosomatic medicine is a branch of medical science that studies the relationship between psychological factors and human health and disease; it is also known as psychophysiological medicine.
In 1944, the American Psychosomatic Society was founded, marking psychosomatic medicine as a formal discipline. With advancements in technology, medical research has become increasingly profound. Consequently, psychosomatic medicine has garnered growing attention within the medical community.
On November 15, 2019, the Psychosomatic Medicine Professional Committee of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association was established, with the aim of promoting the transformation of the medical model and publicizing and promoting integrative medicine and the “bio-psycho-social” medical model.
The “Integrated Mind-Body Medicine” project was launched against this backdrop. Adhering to the theoretical framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the platform integrates TCM psychology with modern psychological systems. It is dedicated to providing mobile internet-based online marketing and service solutions for 50,000 TCM institutions and 10,000 psychological care institutions in China, delivering two core services to users: “Learn TCM, Learn Psychology” and “Find a TCM Practitioner, Find a Psychologist.”
“Psychosomatic medicine emphasizes a holistic view of ‘mind-body unity,’ comprehensively and systematically understanding the individual patient from biological, psychological, social, and environmental perspectives. Focusing solely on symptoms addresses only the manifestations rather than the root cause.” Jiang Yicheng, founder of Mind-Body Integrated Medicine, believes that “psychosomatic medicine” is consistent with the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The onset of many physical and psychological disorders is closely related to one’s surrounding environment and life experiences.
It is understood that the development of psychosomatic medicine in developed countries has reached maturity. Its practice models are mainly divided into two categories: one is the consultation-liaison model, primarily implemented by psychiatrists to provide mental health services in general hospitals; the other is the “biopsychosocial” competency model, which emphasizes that all medical personnel should acquire knowledge of psychosomatic medicine and master relevant skills.
“In recent years, with the state’s emphasis on psychosomatic medicine and its promotion by the medical community, some professionals within China’s healthcare sector have developed a relatively comprehensive understanding of this emerging field. This discipline is attracting significant attention from both domestic and international medical circles due to its unique perspective, and it is playing an increasingly important role in the onset, progression, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of diseases.” Jiang Yicheng expressed strong confidence in the development of psychosomatic medicine.
Jiang Yicheng introduced that his connection with psychosomatic medicine began with his first entrepreneurial venture.
In 2016, after more than a year of market research, Jiang Yicheng and his friends formally entered the health management industry by establishing a 2,000-square-meter health management center. The center offered a comprehensive range of services, including nutritional management, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) management, psychological counseling, family physician services, and community health management, achieving an annual revenue exceeding RMB 10 million in its third year of operation.
Jiang Yicheng is responsible for the operational management of both the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic and psychological counseling services. It was during this three- to four-year operational period that he had extensive exchanges with TCM and psychology experts in the Hong Kong, Macao, and Shenzhen regions, as well as with non-hospital-based psychological and TCM institutions. Through these interactions, he keenly recognized the promising prospects of integrating TCM with psychological care, while also gaining a profound understanding of the operational and marketing challenges currently faced by offline TCM clinics and psychological service providers.
Jiang Yicheng frankly stated that the promotion and practice of psychosomatic medicine in China are currently conducted mostly within the healthcare system. “In terms of internet-based projects focused on psychosomatic medicine, Xinshen Heyi should be the first. However, we are currently only engaged in generalized psychosomatic medicine, simply integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) with psychology. We have combined ‘learning + services’ to address users’ health needs from both mental and physical perspectives, entering this industry by empowering the operations of TCM and psychological institutions.”
How to Empower the Mental Health and Traditional Chinese Medicine Industries? What Are the Key Operational Pain Points? Jiang Yicheng Provides an Analysis from Three Perspectives.
First, customer acquisition is challenging, as offline institutions are unsure how to operate online.The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the digital transition of psychological counseling institutions and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) providers. However, after experimenting with major mental health platforms, live streaming, and short-form video content, these institutions have seen limited results.
Second, the service radius is very narrow.Services cannot be packaged and shipped; clinics require more precise traffic from within a few kilometers of their location. Furthermore, it is also challenging for offline clinics to establish long-term service relationships with customers, build stronger stickiness, and create a more comprehensive service system.
Third, most current online platforms for psychology and traditional Chinese medicine merely empower individual practitioners.However, for most users, purely online services lack a human touch, and for offline institutions, there is also the risk of potential customers being diverted.
Fourth, offline clinics lack integrated tools.It is difficult to develop systems independently, forcing reliance on channels with limited functionality and poor capacity for accumulating private-domain traffic—such as e-commerce platforms, mini-programs, Douyin, and live streaming—to expand their influence.
“To resolve these contradictions, ‘we need to connect TCM practitioners and psychological institutions with hospitals and private-sector entities, providing them with internet-enabled tools and methods, and establishing links with learning users and potential patients,’ said Jiang Yicheng.”
Drawing on years of marketing experience, Jiang Yicheng recognized the perfect synergy between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and the psychological health sector, as well as the “inelastic” consumer demand among clients. He initially chose to collaborate with hospitals, taking a unique approach by custom-building mental health centers for them. Explaining this market strategy, Jiang noted that China currently lacks a dedicated specialty in psychosomatic medicine; it is presently equivalent to a secondary subspecialty of clinical psychology within psychiatry departments. By co-developing these centers with hospitals, he helps alleviate their operational pressures while simultaneously reducing his own construction costs.
After developing a methodology for customized services, Jiang Yicheng began to explore the “Internet+” model. In late 2019, development commenced on the Mind-Body Integrated Medicine Platform System. The first batch of the system was delivered earlier this year to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and psychological institutions for use. Within two to three months of going live, these institutions saw their online and offline operational efficiencies multiply.
This platform empowers offline traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and psychological institutions through internet technology. It primarily provides an all-in-one system featuring integrated institutional profiles, paid knowledge content, live streaming, e-commerce, marketing tools, membership management, online consultation, and assessments. By directly embedding this system into the institutions’ WeChat Official Accounts, it generates strong user stickiness and promotional impact.
Jiang Yicheng stated, “Through discussions with many heads of internet platforms in the psychological and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sectors, we have found that offline TCM clinics and psychological institutions have a strong demand for online services. Moreover, an increasing number of professional psychological counselors are choosing to join these internet platforms to provide psychological counseling to users.”
Jiang Yicheng shared the service objectives of integrated psychosomatic medicine: First, to empower the operations of local psychological and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) institutions by establishing a closed-loop operational cycle encompassing user acquisition, retention, and referral. Second, to integrate online and offline services, increase service frequency, enhance user stickiness, and build a comprehensive service ecosystem.
“The development path for integrated psychosomatic medicine has become increasingly clear.” Jiang Yicheng revealed that, at the current stage, efforts are primarily focused on expanding market coverage through private institutions, with the aim of extending service reach across the entire Guangdong province by 2020, and subsequently gradually expanding into hospitals. “When the timing is right, we will also expand into the realm of internet-based healthcare.”