Why Did Taikang Choose Chengdu for Its First Premium Clinic? Unveiling Its Integrated Healthcare Strategy

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) reported that on September 5, the Taikang Medical Chengdu Clinic (hereinafter referred to as the “Chengdu Clinic”), located in Raffles City Plaza in Wuhou District, Chengdu, officially made its public debut.

This clinic is the first high-end integrated outpatient facility under Taikang Insurance Group. Covering a total area of 2,000 square meters, it integrates various health service offerings, including general practice, health management, a vitality rehabilitation center, and dental care. Catering to local and surrounding residents, insurance clients, and expatriates in Chengdu, it delivers high-quality, comprehensive health services through a convenient one-stop service model.

Taikang Medical Chengdu Clinic: Actual Photos (Image source: Provided by the enterprise)

To meet customers’ “medical care, elderly care, rehabilitation, and wellness” needs in conjunction with insurance coverage, Taikang has been actively building a comprehensive health industry ecosystem since 2007. Across China’s five major regions—East, West, South, North, and Central—it has established customer-centric, quality- and experience-driven, high-service-standard medical and elderly care closed-loop systems, progressively enhancing full life-cycle coverage.

In Southwest China, Taikang has successively established physical entities in Chengdu, including Taikang Community·Shuyuan, Shuyuan Hospital, and Chengdu Clinic. In the future, Taikang will develop a high-quality, multi-format, three-dimensional, and networked health industry hub in Chengdu, integrating clinics, medical centers, rehabilitation hospitals, and senior living communities.

Under the slogan “Taikang Is Here,” what has Taikang brought to the table? Why is it launching general practice clinics? What are the distinguishing features of these clinics? Why was Chengdu chosen as the location for its first general practice clinic? What are Taikang’s strategic visions for healthcare services in Southwest China? VCBeat interviewed multiple executives from Taikang Insurance Group to gain insights into their perspectives.

“At present, the healthcare system across society is most lacking at two ends: one is the primary care physician-led preventive and health maintenance system, and the other is rehabilitation and long-term care following the acute phase,” said Liu Tingjun, Vice President of Taikang Insurance Group and CEO of Taikang Health Investment.

Source: Provided by the enterprise; graphic by VCBeat

As clearly illustrated in the figure above, foreign healthcare systems adopt a dumbbell-shaped structure, wherein tertiary hospitals specializing in critical care—such as West China Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Beijing Tiantan Hospital in China—are relatively scarce within the overall healthcare architecture. Instead, the emphasis is placed on pre-hospital prevention and post-hospital rehabilitation. In contrast, China exhibits an opposite, spindle-shaped structure. Qiu Wei, Assistant President and Chief Planning Officer of Taikang Health & Elderly Care Investment, stated that Taikang aims to flatten this spindle-shaped structure and shift it as much as possible toward a dumbbell-shaped model.

Liu Tingjun stated that Taikang is building a health service system compatible with the current social medical system, strengthening the supply of out-of-hospital services to ensure the most efficient utilization of effective resources.

“Our medical care, nursing, and health management are all patient-centric,” said Qiu Wei. In traditional healthcare models, the lack of effective coordination among primary care, acute care, and post-acute services often forces patients to seek care from multiple disparate sources, resulting in a poor patient experience. Adhering to the philosophy of “patient-centeredness and people-first,” Taikang has integrated all its service offerings to provide customers with one-stop medical and health services, thereby enhancing the overall healthcare experience for patients.

 Taikang Medical Chengdu Clinic Medical Team (Image source: Provided by the company)

As the starting point for one-stop healthcare services, Chengdu Clinic plays a pivotal role. Accordingly, the clinic is built in accordance with international JCI standards, covering multiple specialties including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology, rehabilitation medicine, and stomatology. It provides customers with integrated primary healthcare services, diagnosis and treatment for various clinical conditions, and long-term health management services. While ensuring comprehensive coverage of medical specialties, the clinic highlights select specialized disciplines to establish brand advantages.

Taking pediatrics as an example, the Chengdu clinic offers diagnosis and treatment of common pediatric conditions, along with nutritional assessments, developmental evaluations and monitoring, future height prediction and management, comprehensive developmental training, Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) developmental screening, and motor function assessments. The clinic also provides parents with guidance on feeding and child developmental training, focusing on optimizing children’s developmental outcomes and social-emotional growth, identifying strengths and critical thresholds in development, and safeguarding healthy growth. The ultrasound department offers services such as ultrasound-guided breast biopsy monitoring. The Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) Department provides specialized procedures including laryngoscopy, otoscopy, and rhinoscopy. Our medical services balance comprehensiveness with precision, catering to the personalized and customized needs of diverse patients.

Respect for life, care for life, and celebration of life. This is Taikang’s attitude toward life, and the foundation that drives Chengdu Clinic’s exploration of “humanized services.”

On-site, the reporter observed an authentic review from a Taikang customer following a clinic check-up. Two detailed aspects are worth considering for all service providers: first, during chest and cervical spine X-rays, medical staff provide customers with radiation-protective skirts for the lower body; second, the ultrasound probe is warmed, and the lubricating gel is also heated.

 Taikang Healthcare Chengdu Clinic Pharmacy (Image source: provided by the enterprise)

“Details determine success or failure.” Lin Min, Deputy Head of the Preparatory Team for Taikang Southwest Medical Center (Preparatory) and General Manager of Taikang Healthcare’s Chengdu Clinic, shared this sentiment with deep conviction, outlining four representative points for reporters.

First, implementAppointment System. The appointment-based system not only helps customers manage their time effectively but also demonstrates respect for them. Furthermore, regarding health check-ups, the clinic limits the number of daily appointments to fewer than 40.

Second, 15 to 30 minutesConsultation Time"Waiting three hours for a three-minute consultation" is a major pain point of traditional medical care. Chengdu clinics provide ample time for consultations and communication, enabling physicians to gain a deeper understanding of patients' physical conditions and offering patients greater peace of mind;

Third, DoctorsAccompanyPatients visit the pharmacy to collect their medications. During this process, physicians provide comprehensive, end-to-end service by thoroughly informing patients about dosage regimens, precautions, and other relevant medication guidelines.

Fourth, provideBilingual Services and Direct Billing with International Insurance. More than half of the staff at Chengdu Clinic are capable of communicating with patients in English. Furthermore, to facilitate care for international patients, Chengdu Clinic is actively negotiating with overseas insurers to establish direct billing services.

In addition, a walk through the clinic in Chengdu reveals many thoughtful details. For instance, the snack bar is open-plan; when the reporter visited in the afternoon, it was stocked with pastries, fruits, black tea, and other refreshments prepared for patients undergoing non-fasting health checkup items. Staff at the snack bar informed the reporter that both Western-style and Chinese-style breakfast options are served there in the morning.

Take water cups as another example: the Chengdu clinic provides either glass tumblers or bottled mineral water. Lin Min explained, “Guided by the principle of prioritizing customer health, we have replaced paper cups with glass ones. Although glassware is fragile and requires rigorous sterilization—undoubtedly increasing operational costs—we ultimately decided to adopt glass cups after comprehensive consideration.”

Advanced Equipment at Taikang Medical Chengdu Clinic (Image source: Provided by the company)

In addition to service details, the quality of both services and equipment constitutes a core area of focus. Regarding equipment, the clinic is equipped with imported medical-grade devices, such as Ritter general examination tables and Mindray multi-parameter vital signs monitors; imaging systems, such as Carestream digital medical X-ray radiography systems; and laboratory instruments, such as fully automated sublimation analysis systems. Furthermore, the pharmacy at the Chengdu clinic stocks over 200 types of medications covering common diseases, with sourcing strictly limited to imported products, joint-venture pharmaceutical manufacturers, and leading domestic brands.

Service quality is positively correlated with physicians’ technical expertise. The physician team at the Chengdu clinic largely comprises professionals with overseas work experience and backgrounds in international high-end clinics, possessing solid professional foundations and extensive clinical experience. They provide personalized, accessible, and round-the-clock medical services to clients. Serving as family medical advisors, the clinic’s physicians thoroughly understand the health status of clients and their family members, promptly and accurately addressing health concerns to safeguard the well-being of client families.

General practice services at the clinic can address the majority of medical conditions. As the first point of contact, the primary significance of general practice lies in accurate diagnosis and triage; for conditions that cannot be managed on-site, professional referral recommendations are provided to patients, alongside the dissemination of essential health knowledge. Taikang’s initial launch of its general practice clinic project in Chengdu further underscores the strategic importance of Chengdu to Taikang’s overall development.

“Chengdu boasts abundant medical resources, with the density of medical institutions ranking among the top in China, home to more than 1,000 healthcare facilities. The Wuhou District, in particular, stands out as one of the leading areas in Chengdu for medical resources,” Qiu Wei further explained. This constitutes a crucial component of Taikang’s grand strategy, which aims to establish a comprehensive service ecosystem encompassing clinics, senior living communities, and rehabilitation hospitals, with the future addition of a Southwest Medical Center. The potential of this integrated closed-loop model is immense.

It is reported that Taikang has invested in the construction of the Taikang Southwest Medical Center in Chengdu’s Tianfu New Area. Construction commenced in October 2018, with a total investment of approximately RMB 3 billion, and operations were scheduled to begin in 2023. This facility marks the third tertiary general hospital established by Taikang nationwide. Committed to value-based healthcare and premium services, the hospital will fully integrate with domestic and international insurance direct billing systems, aiming to become a regional, international medical center based in Tianfu New Area, serving Chengdu, and extending its reach across Southwest China. The Taikang Southwest Medical Center will be constructed and operated in accordance with Chinese standards for tertiary general hospitals, adopting the internationally leading model of “comprehensive outpatient and emergency services plus specialized center clusters.”

 Taikang Community·Shuyuan Actual Scene (Image source: Provided by the enterprise)

In addition to the Southwest Medical Center, Taikang Insurance Group’s large-scale, full-service, high-quality medical and elderly care community in southwestern China—Taikang Home·Shuyuan—has also commenced operations in Chengdu. The community includes the affiliated Shuyuan Hospital, which aims to provide long-term health management with geriatrics at its core. By integrating emergency referrals, long-term care, preventive healthcare, and rehabilitation services, the hospital has established a comprehensive medical-nursing-rehabilitation system that forms a three-tier defense line encompassing emergency care, chronic disease management, and rehabilitation.

It is understood that Taikang is actively promoting the construction of a modern healthcare system across China, integrating medical centers with specialized clinic chains. By aligning with its senior care and rehabilitation service network and transforming clinical care models, Taikang provides technical support and expedited medical access (“green channels”) to its Taikang Community retirement communities through cloud services, telemedicine, and internet-based healthcare, thereby achieving a higher level of integration between medical care and elderly care.

Notably, in addition to serving Taikang Insurance customers in Sichuan, the Chengdu clinic leverages its core competencies to collaboratively develop insurance products tailored to diverse needs, such as outpatient claim insurance. It also fully integrates with domestic and international direct billing systems, establishing commercial health insurance payment channels within the clinic. This facilitates multi-tiered payment solutions for clients, fostering a win-win scenario for payers, service providers, clients, and society at large.