Miao Health Leverages 'Group+Global' Dual-G Strategy to Expand Digital Health Solutions Overseas

In the realm of global digital health, mature markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom are undoubtedly at the forefront, whereas China remains an emerging market. The high penetration rate of mobile internet has become a critical foundation for the successful launch of digital health products and services.

China’s large population base determines the development prospects of digital behavioral health, and More Health, born amidst the wave of innovative healthcare, is a pioneer in this digital health surge.

Effective May 21, 2019, Beijing Miaoyijia Information Technology Co., Ltd. was officially renamed Beijing More Health Technology Group Co., Ltd. Its external brand will also change from “Miao Jiankang,” which primarily served online health behavior management, to the current group name, “Miaoyijia.” The company also announced the official launch of its “Double-G” strategy, aiming to prepare for overseas market expansion while operating under a group-based organizational structure.

Unlike Alibaba’s cross-sector “Double H” health strategy, Miaoyijia, which has long made Health its primary battleground, will concentrate its efforts on two fronts: Groupification and Globalization.

Since its establishment in 2015, More Health, now renamed Beijing More Health Technology Group Co., Ltd., has transformed from a startup into a group corporation.

As its business segments expand, More Health has completed its layout across five major business units: Miao+, Miao Cloud, the Miao Health App, Miao Bao, and the Canada Health Management Center (China).

The synergy among the five business groups has established a comprehensive, online-offline integrated health management service system, centered on three core capabilities: health data tracking, AI-driven health interventions, and gamified operations. This system provides health management solutions for employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and insurance members.

Rather than pursuing conglomerate-style expansion, “going global” has remained the focal point of development in the healthcare industry. Companies in the broader health sector, such as Ping An Good Doctor, have chosen to expand overseas through acquisitions. Meanwhile, technology-driven firms like Infervision are actively showcasing China’s domestic advantages in international markets. While our competitive edge may be more pronounced in Southeast Asia, in European and American markets we observe a greater emphasis on establishing joint R&D laboratories abroad, with less evident outward expansion efforts.

So, how can health management, originally an imported concept from overseas, achieve its own "global expansion"?

Recently, at the Future Innovators Summit, themed “Global Vision, Innovating for the Future,” co-hosted by 36Kr and HSBC and co-organized by Zhongguancun Startup Street, Gu Shufeng, Vice President of More Health, revealed the company’s long-standing overseas-oriented strategic direction during a roundtable discussion.

Gu Shufeng, Vice President of More Health

(Image source: Provided by the company)

At the Future Changemakers Summit, Gu Shufeng stated, “From the perspective of health management, our ultimate goal is to improve individuals’ health through health behavior management, thereby achieving the final objective of controlling medical or insurance costs. This is what More Health has been consistently committed to.”

In recent years, the rise of overseas insurtech startups such as Clover Health, Oscar Health, Bright Health, and Devoted Health has enabled Beijing More Health Technology Group Co., Ltd. to identify opportunities in the development of health behavior data and AI technologies.

Health insurance is a financial services industry centered on underwriting health risks, while health management serves the dual functions of delivering health services and controlling risks, creating a natural synergy between the two. Insurance companies have clear objectives in partnering with internet-based health management organizations, primarily focused on customer acquisition and reducing claims expenses. This strategic imperative is shared by insurers both domestically and internationally.

Improving individual health through health behavior management to achieve the ultimate goal of controlling medical or insurance costs has become the business model for new types of health insurance. For insurance companies, More Health can address their pain points through its connectivity capabilities, AI technologies, and gamified operations.

In April this year, following the completion of its nearly RMB 500 million Series C financing round, More Health joined forces with Pacific Medical Health Management Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Pacific Medical Health”), a subsidiary of China Pacific Insurance under the same investment consortium, to jointly launch the new mobile health management service brand “CPIC Miao Health.” Meanwhile, the country’s first “Health Interaction Insurance Plan,” developed in collaboration with Pacific Medical Health, was officially launched. The interactive features embedded in the “Hui Plan” and “Xiang Plan” are designed to guide policyholders toward adopting healthier lifestyles.

Gu Shufeng stated, “From the outset, More Health has maintained a global perspective. We have continuously monitored emerging overseas sensor technologies and innovative insurtech solutions within the insurance industry. Our goal is to adapt these advancements to China’s specific context and market conditions, thereby addressing critical pain points in China’s current healthcare system—particularly in medical cost containment and challenges faced by insurers. Only by doing so can we achieve a complete cycle from technological innovation and R&D to commercial implementation. In the future, we will apply the mature frameworks developed through our collaborations with domestic insurers to our overseas operations.”

“Provisions before troops.” Before its official overseas expansion, More Health had already made moves in international markets.

Recently, Dr. Luo Xiaobin, CMO of More Health and representative of the Canadian Health Management Center (China), attended the 8th Healthy Lifestyle Forum held in Europe, presenting an integrated solution encompassing “smart hardware + health data + artificial intelligence + platform.” The showcase included More Health’s independently developed all-in-one health monitoring kiosk (overseas version), which received the “Annual Smart Medical and Health Device Award” under the Metis Awards for Smart Terminals in 2018.

More Health’s Self-Developed All-in-One Health Monitoring Device (Overseas Version) Showcased at the 8th Healthy Lifestyle Forum in Europe

(Image source: Provided by the company)

At the conference, Dr. Kerry Olson, Chief Health Expert at Mayo Clinic, expressed endorsement of More Health’s health management philosophy and indicated an intention to collaborate. Following the session, he invited Dr. Luo Xiaobin to visit Mayo Clinic for further exchanges.

Subsequently, More Health and 24alife, a subsidiary of Mikropis Holding, reached a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement on paid prescriptions and the export of all-in-one medical devices. The two parties will engage in deeper collaboration in the broader health and wellness sector in the future. The Strategic Development Department established within More Health Group will be specifically dedicated to handling such overseas business operations.

It is reported that in the second half of 2019, Beijing More Health Technology Group Co., Ltd. will implement its overseas strategy, which is mainly reflected in three aspects: First, the export of hardware, including all-in-one health monitoring devices and smart wearable hardware; second, the provision of AI-based health intervention solutions through collaboration with foreign data collection and medical service companies to serve international insurance providers; and third, the establishment of an overseas business division.

Gu Shufeng stated that China’s overseas medical market is still in an exploratory phase, whereas the overseas health market is relatively mature. Expanding globally presents opportunities to access high-quality resources worldwide and brings significant revenue growth benefits.