Tai'an Signs Shandong's First Internet Hospital Medical Insurance Agreement with WeDoctor Taishan Internet Hospital

Following the rapid implementation of online medical insurance payments during the pandemic, internet-based diagnosis and treatment in Tai’an, Shandong Province, has achieved another new breakthrough.

On June 9, the Tai’an Municipal Healthcare Security Administration and Weiyi Taishan Internet Hospital officially signed an agreement to designate the latter as a designated provider for basic medical insurance services. The two parties will explore innovative “Internet + Medical Insurance” service models focusing on online diagnosis and treatment, pharmaceutical care, medical expense settlement, and digital system support. As a result, Tai’an has become the first prefecture-level city in Shandong Province where the healthcare security authorities have entered into such a medical insurance service agreement with an internet hospital.

Tai’an City has placed great emphasis on and actively promoted the development of digital health across the municipality. Last September, the Tai’an Municipal People’s Government signed a strategic cooperation agreement with WeDoctor Group, a digital health platform, to jointly establish the Tai’an “Health Community” and China’s first internet hospital dedicated to chronic disease management. During the pandemic, there was an urgent need to meet the medical consultation and follow-up visit demands of a large number of patients with chronic conditions. Under the active deployment of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal People’s Government, and with guidance from the Municipal Healthcare Security Administration, WeDoctor Taishan Internet Hospital rapidly enabled online medical insurance payment services. As a result, Tai’an became one of the first regions in China to implement the full process of medical insurance reimbursement for online diagnosis and treatment.

By offering convenient services such as online follow-up consultations, e-prescribing, online medical insurance payments, and home delivery of medications, Weiyi Taishan Internet Hospital has not only greatly facilitated follow-up visits for patients with chronic diseases and effectively alleviated the pressure on offline clinical services, but also implemented targeted digital interventions across the entire care continuum—including prevention, diagnosis, treatment, chronic disease management, and health promotion—for high-risk and priority populations, with a focus on improving patients’ health indices. It is reported that by the end of May, nearly 10,000 patients with chronic diseases had completed online medical insurance payments through Weiyi Taishan Internet Hospital.

The “Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Medical Security System,” issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in early March, emphasizes the need to innovate the management of medical insurance agreements, include eligible medical and pharmaceutical institutions within the scope of such agreements, and support the development of new service models such as “Internet + Healthcare.” Tai’an’s initiative is a vivid practice of this innovative reform in medical insurance.

“Internet hospitals possess unique advantages in ‘Internet + Medical Insurance’ and digital chronic disease management. The signing of this agreement marks the first time that a municipal-level medical insurance agency in the province has entered into an internet medical insurance service agreement with an internet hospital,” stated Xiao Heyuan, Director of the Tai’an Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau. He added that the bureau would further strengthen its cooperation with Weiyi Group to forge the “Tai’an Model,” highlighted by “Internet + Full-Course Chronic Disease Management.” This initiative aims to leverage digital tools to advance reforms in Tai’an’s medical security system and make positive contributions to building Tai’an into a national demonstration zone for the “Health Community.”