Wuhan Central Hospital, Alibaba Health, and Alipay Co-Create the 'Upgraded Future Hospital': Filing Prospectus for Digital Healthcare Innovation

On March 27, Wuhan Central Hospital announced the official launch of the “Future Hospital,” a joint initiative developed in collaboration with AliHealth and Alipay. By linking their medical information to Alipay, residents of Wuhan can access card-free medical services at the hospital—eliminating the need for physical ID cards, electronic health cards, or social security cards—and enjoy a truly end-to-end healthcare experience that significantly saves time and avoids long queues. As a result, Wuhan residents will be the first to experience comprehensive online medical services throughout the entire care process.

“Letting the public run fewer errands while letting data do the running” is the national expectation for “Internet + Healthcare.” In April last year, the General Office of the State Council officially issued the Guidelines on Promoting the Development of “Internet + Medical Health.” This March, the General Office of the National Health Commission released the Graded Evaluation Standard System for Smart Hospital Services. Its core content requires and encourages medical institutions to fully leverage internet-based technologies to innovate medical services, improve patients’ healthcare experience, and enhance the accessibility and convenience of high-quality medical and health services.

“In fact, Wuhan Central Hospital has not only demonstrated strong initiative and accumulated practical experience in the development of its internet hospital, but also fully leveraged Alibaba’s mature internet capabilities and resources through its collaboration with AliHealth. The two parties have cooperated in areas such as real-person identity verification, financial payment systems, mobile medical insurance payments, trading platforms, and logistics distribution, thereby providing patients with more convenient and stable service support.”

Yang Guoliang, Vice President of Wuhan Central Hospital, stated, “The five core components of the future hospital we have jointly developed—namely, the consultation assistant, blockchain technology, end-to-end facial recognition for medical services, video consultations, and the full-process application of online prescriptions—embody the value of our partnership.”

During an on-site trial, the reporter observed that by using Alipay’s Medical Assistant service, patients can enjoy a seamless experience without needing to carry physical cards. This includes services such as appointment registration, waiting for consultations, in-clinic payment, and online access to test results. Once a prescription is issued, patients can simply select medical insurance payment and proceed directly to the pharmacy window to collect their medication. Through services like video follow-up consultations and home delivery of medications, Wuhan Central Hospital has been able to extend its medical and service capabilities to a broader population. This approach expands healthcare services from within the hospital setting into communities and homes, establishing a hospital-based extended care system that provides long-term rehabilitation and home-based recovery support for patients with chronic diseases.

“Wuhan Central Hospital has always been a high-quality partner of AliHealth,” said Yang Feng, Vice President of AliHealth. This is reflected in the hospital’s openness, exploratory spirit, and internet-oriented operational mindset. The hospital boasts a proactive and boldly innovative leadership team that actively initiates exploration of new models and encourages AliHealth to engage in courageous trials and bold experimentation. Health ecosystem partners, exemplified by Wuhan Molian Co., Ltd., have played a significant role in the development of this internet hospital.

Jiao Yahui, Deputy Director of the Bureau of Medical Administration and Hospital Management under the National Health Commission, recently pointed out that the first domain of smart hospitals is electronic medical records oriented toward medical staff. The second domain is “smart services” for patients, which mainly refers to hospitals—particularly tertiary hospitals—leveraging information technologies such as the Internet and the Internet of Things to provide patients with services including appointment scheduling, waiting reminders, and in-hospital navigation.

Wuhan Central Hospital has taken the lead in leveraging internet technologies. Public information indicates that the hospital has established an online medical service platform via its network hospital for collaborative units within the medical consortium, launched O2O health management services, opened Hubei Province’s first internet hospital, and built a comprehensive family health and medical big data application system. Its intelligent management and service capabilities rank among the most advanced in China.

In recent years, under government guidance, AliHealth has actively collaborated with medical institutions to pioneer the “Internet + Healthcare” model. In January this year, the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, AliHealth, Alipay, and multiple hospitals jointly announced the launch of China’s first integrated internet hospital platform combining services and regulatory oversight in Zhejiang Province. To date, several top-tier hospitals have joined the platform.

It is reported that Wuhan Central Hospital will continue to deepen the integration of AliHealth’s service resources in the future, further achieving integrated innovation and leveraging technology to benefit the public.