Chengdu Residents Gain Major Benefit: Online Medical Services Now Support Individual Medical Insurance Account Payments

Recently, impacted by the epidemic, the Chengdu Medical Insurance Bureau collaborated with enterprises to explore online payment using personal medical insurance accounts. Chengdu High-Tech Haier Sen Internet Hospital, under Medlinker (hereinafter referred to as “Medlinker Internet Hospital”), has officially enabled online payments via personal medical insurance accounts for its medical services in the Chengdu area. Starting today, residents of Chengdu can use their medical insurance cards to pay for consultations and medication purchases at Medlinker Internet Hospital, thereby realizing online medical consultations with personal medical insurance account payments. The launch and integration of this feature is undoubtedly welcome news for Chengdu residents during the epidemic, meaning that they can “consult doctors without leaving home, avoid queues for consultations, purchase medications online, and pay using medical insurance.” This not only reduces the risk of cross-infection associated with visiting hospitals in person but also significantly saves time previously spent queuing for registration, consultations, prescription renewals, and medication purchases at hospitals.

Patient Visit Flowchart

Chengdu residents can access the exclusive medical insurance consultation channel by following the “Medlinker Health” WeChat Official Account and clicking the “Chronic Disease Medication” button in the bottom menu. Here, residents can not only use their medical insurance cards to purchase over-the-counter (OTC) drugs independently, but chronic disease patients can also consult with doctors online. Doctors will issue electronic prescriptions, and patients can pay directly using the personal account balance on their medical insurance cards, with medications delivered straight to their homes. What previously required a three-hour hospital visit for Chengdu residents can now be completed in just three minutes via the Medlinker Internet Hospital, significantly improving the efficiency of medical consultations and medication purchases.

Livelihood issues have always been a high priority for the government. During the pandemic, Medlinker, as a representative enterprise of Chengdu’s new economy, enabled online payment via personal medical insurance accounts for its internet medical services provided through its affiliated physical hospitals. This initiative marked a proactive exploration through government-enterprise collaboration, creating a safe and convenient healthcare channel for Chengdu residents that integrates “online consultation and medication purchase with medical insurance payment.” The Medical Insurance Bureau will continue to collaborate with enterprises to explore and improve online medical insurance payment systems, thereby providing greater convenience and benefits to the public.

Wang Shirui, Founder and CEO of Medlinker, stated, “Medlinker Internet Hospital actively responds to the national policy encouraging the vigorous development of internet-based healthcare. By leveraging advanced digital health technologies, we enable patients to access integrated medical services from the comfort of their homes, including online follow-up consultations, prescription renewals, medication purchases, and home delivery of pharmaceuticals. As the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus continues, citizens are advised to minimize outdoor activities, adhere to home isolation and protective measures, and safeguard their personal health and safety. Medlinker Internet Hospital features physicians from major hospitals across China, providing 24/7 online consultations. We offer services such as medical consultations, medication purchases, and chronic disease management. Additionally, residents of Chengdu can use their personal medical insurance accounts for direct online payments, enjoying the convenience and safety of having medications delivered to their doorstep.”

“On August 30, 2019, the National Healthcare Security Administration issued the ‘Guiding Opinions on Improving Price Formation and Medical Insurance Reimbursement Policies for “Internet+” Medical Services.’ This signifies that the state has granted the internet healthcare industry greater room for development in adopting new technologies and models that significantly enhance the cost-efficiency of medical care and better meet multi-tiered healthcare needs. As the first online medical institution in Sichuan Province to enable online payment via individual medical insurance accounts, Medlinker Internet Hospital represents an exploration and advancement by Medlinker in the realm of online medical insurance payments. This can be regarded as the ‘Medlinker Chengdu’ model for online medical insurance reimbursement, which merits further research and exploration by the healthcare industry,” remarked an industry insider.

As a leading internet hospital in China, Medlinker was established in 2014 and is among the first enterprises in the country to obtain an official license for operating an internet hospital. The platform currently aggregates over 700,000 real-name verified physicians and more than 35,000 contracted doctors across China. By covering various stages of medical care—including screening and prevention, diagnosis and treatment, follow-up management, patient education, insurance coverage, and medication delivery—Medlinker provides services such as online consultations, electronic prescriptions, and home delivery of medicines. This enables patients to access high-quality and efficient medical services without leaving their homes, ultimately empowering and optimizing the allocation of medical resources and healthcare delivery models, improving the efficiency and quality of medical services, and alleviating the difficulties and high costs associated with accessing healthcare.