China Launches Physician Practice Credit Evaluation System Powered by Big Data

On June 26, the inaugural China Physicians’ Practice Risk and Protection Forum, hosted by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) and organized by WeDoctor Group, was held in Hangzhou. More than 200 leaders, experts, and scholars from the National Health Commission, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission, and related fields attended the forum. At the event, the development of the CMDA’s credit evaluation standards for physicians’ practice in single-disease categories was officially launched.

WeDoctor will leverage its nine years of accumulated big data expertise in the “medical care, pharmaceuticals, and insurance” sectors to empower the industry. In collaboration with industry associations and based on industry big data, it will jointly establish a physician practice credit evaluation mechanism in China, serving the nation’s 3.6 million physicians and creating a national “Medical Care Map.”

Documents such as the Outline of the Plan for the Construction of the Social Credit System (2014–2020) and the Opinions on Strengthening the Development of Professional Ethics in the Health and Family Planning System require strengthening integrity development within the healthcare system and establishing a credit-based medical service system. In 2017, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association launched the Physician Practice Credit Management System, which focuses primarily on credit-related conduct during physicians’ professional practice, aiming to promote industry self-discipline through the gradual establishment of physician practice credit profiles.

Physician Practice Credibility refers to the trust and integrity accumulated by physicians during their practice, which is more reflected in patients' recognition of their professional ethics and clinical service capabilities. Single-disease/single-technology is the smallest unit of cognition between doctors and patients in diagnosis and treatment services. Xie Qilin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, stated that the launch of the "Evaluation Standards for Physician's Single-Disease Practice Credibility" construction serves as the foundational unit and breakthrough point for the overall work of the "Physician Practice Credibility Evaluation Standards" system. This will serve as a basis to gradually promote the establishment of China's "Physician Practice Standards."

It is understood that, under the guidance of the National Health Commission, the Chinese Medical Doctor Association plans to join forces with Micro Medical Group and other relevant institutions to jointly establish a Joint Laboratory for Credit Evaluation of Physicians’ Practice in Single Diseases/Single Techniques, with cataract as the first pilot project. Unlike traditional physician evaluation tendencies that overemphasize publications, professional titles, academic degrees, and awards, the association’s evaluation system will primarily highlight physicians’ ethics, competence, and performance. The integration of internet and big data technologies will undoubtedly serve as a key highlight.

Xie Qilin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, Delivered a Work Report on the “Release of Credit Standards for Physicians by Single Disease Type”

According to statistical data, there are currently over 3.6 million licensed physicians in China. Building upon basic physician information, this evaluation system will primarily assess physicians’ professional credibility through peer review, analysis of clinical practice data (single-disease service capability), and patient feedback. Oriented by patient health outcome indicators, the system aims to index and communicate physicians’ clinical competencies, providing patients with industry-credible guidance when selecting medical care, thereby enabling the public to progress from “having access to medical care” to “having access to quality medical care.” Deputy Secretary-General Xie Qilin introduced that by assigning scores to physicians’ comprehensive professional capabilities, the system can fully leverage its positive guiding role, better showcase physicians’ professional value to society, and effectively promote the implementation of the tiered diagnosis and treatment policy.

Liao Jieyuan, Chairman and CEO of WeDoctor Group, Attended the Forum and Delivered a Keynote Speech

The greatest advantage of the internet lies in its ability to achieve efficient, collaborative resource matching. “We focus on two key initiatives. First, we assist medical associations in establishing a Chinese Physician Practice Credit Evaluation Platform on a specialty-by-specialty and disease-by-disease basis, thereby creating a physician practice credit map categorized by discipline and condition,” said Liao Jieyuan, Chairman and CEO of WeDoctor. “This will also serve as a dynamic ‘medical consultation map’ for precise healthcare seeking by the general public across China, enabling patients to quickly and conveniently find the most appropriate physicians.” Liao Jieyuan further introduced, “In addition, more than 240,000 physicians have already purchased WeDoctor’s online medical liability insurance. Moving forward, we will continue to support medical associations in launching comprehensive medical liability and health insurance products covering both online and offline services, thereby safeguarding physicians engaged in multi-site practice.”

It is understood that as an internationally leading healthcare technology platform, WeDoctor has currently connected more than 2,700 key hospitals across 30 provinces and municipalities in China, with 290,000 doctors registered on the platform and 190 million real-name registered users. Since its inception as Guahao.com in 2010, it has accumulated a vast amount of authentic patient-doctor reviews. On this basis, the creation of the "Medical Care Map" may achieve twice the result with half the effort.