Guoyao Online and Chongqing Taimin Launch First Pilot of Chronic Disease Management Cloud Platform in Yuzhong District, Chongqing

As early as September 2019, the National Healthcare Security Administration issued the “Guiding Opinions on Improving Pricing and Medical Insurance Payment Policies for ‘Internet+’ Medical Services” (No. 47 [2019] of the National Healthcare Security Administration) (hereinafter referred to as “Document No. 47”), deploying “Internet+ Medical Insurance” initiatives at the national level.

During the 82nd National Pharmaceutical Fair, the “Yuzhong District Chronic Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Platform,” jointly developed by Sinopharm Taimin, China Pharmaceutical Health Online Co., Ltd., and the Yuzhong District Government of Chongqing Municipality, made a stunning debut and attracted widespread attention.

“The Yuzhong District Cloud Platform for Chronic Disease Diagnosis and Treatment is a new pilot project under the 'Internet + Healthcare' initiative, jointly developed in accordance with relevant national policy directives and in response to the national call for tiered diagnosis and treatment and the convenient access to high-quality medical resources, in collaboration with the People's Government of Yuzhong District, Chongqing Municipality. Adhering to Sinopharm Group’s core philosophy of 'Caring for Life, Safeguarding Health,' this project holds significant importance in promoting tiered diagnosis and treatment for patients with chronic and special diseases, facilitating the sharing of diagnostic and treatment resources among medical institutions within the region, meeting the needs for primary care and two-way referrals, and enhancing convenience for such patients in seeking medical attention and obtaining medications.”

This platform, built upon the regional medical information sharing infrastructure, explores and establishes a three-tiered collaborative system for hierarchical diagnosis and treatment spanning “city-district-community” levels. Patients can easily communicate with professional doctors via mobile phones, access specialist consultations, and enjoy a more considerate and convenient healthcare experience. Online follow-up visits, prescription renewals, and medication consultations are made faster and more accessible. Electronic prescriptions, chronic disease management, rational drug use, and drug traceability enhance pharmaceutical care capabilities. The central smart pharmacy and automated medication dispensing machines make drug supply readily accessible, creating a new model of safe, manageable, and controllable pharmaceutical services, bringing significant benefits to patients.

With the continuous development of internet-based healthcare, internet-based medical insurance will inevitably face changes that match its evolution.

During the pandemic, a series of policies were successively introduced and rapidly implemented, with ten provinces and municipalities across China explicitly incorporating “Internet + Healthcare” services into their medical insurance reimbursement systems. On March 2, the National Healthcare Security Administration and the National Health Commission jointly issued the Guiding Opinions on Promoting “Internet +” Medical Insurance Services During the Prevention and Control of COVID-19, which included eligible fees for “Internet +” medical services within the scope of medical insurance coverage and encouraged designated medical and pharmaceutical institutions to provide contactless medication purchase services.

The chronic disease management cloud platform, jointly established by Guokong Taimin and China Pharmaceutical Health Online Co., Ltd., has launched its first pilot in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, with the Chongqing Emergency Medical Center serving as the pilot hospital. The platform enables remote follow-up consultations and e-prescribing for patients with chronic diseases, along with contactless home delivery or pickup at designated institutions covered by medical insurance. With the liberalization of Chongqing’s medical insurance policies, 30 medical institutions have currently enrolled in the “Internet+” medical insurance service pilot program, which will be expanded to 15 additional districts and counties, including Jiangbei, Nan’an, and Banan.