Shandong Provincial Third Hospital Receives One of China's First Internet Hospital Licenses

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on the afternoon of December 6, the Health Commission of Shandong Province (hereinafter referred to as the “Provincial Health Commission”) officially approved the addition of “Shandong Provincial Third Hospital Internet Hospital” as a second name for Shandong Provincial Third Hospital (hereinafter referred to as “Shandong Provincial Third Hospital”). At the Shandong Provincial Government Service Center, Lu Yongtao, President of Shandong Provincial Third Hospital, received the new “Medical Institution Practice License” from Ma Lixin, Deputy Director of the Provincial Health Commission.

“Shandong Provincial Third Hospital Internet Hospital,” Co-established by Shandong Provincial Third Hospital and WeDoctor, Has Received Its License Approval

These are the first batch of internet hospitals approved for operation in Shandong Province, following the launch of the “Shandong Provincial Internet Medical Service Supervision Platform” on November 22. Also approved in the same batch were Shandong Provincial Hospital and the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University.

This September, the National Health Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly issued three major documents: the “Administrative Measures for Internet-based Diagnosis and Treatment (Trial),” the “Administrative Measures for Internet Hospitals (Trial),” and the “Standard Specifications for Telemedicine Services (Trial).” These documents explicitly require each province to establish a provincial-level regulatory platform for internet-based medical services, thereby enabling access approval and oversight functions for internet hospitals. As one of the earliest provinces in China to establish such a provincial regulatory platform, Shandong Province has laid the foundation for ensuring the safety, standardization, and end-to-end supervision of internet-based medical services across the province. Its core approach is as follows:

First, “Internet + medical services” are categorized into three types based on the users and service delivery models.

The first category is telemedicine, in which medical institutions conduct remote consultations and remote diagnoses using their own registered medical personnel through information technologies such as the Internet.

The second category is internet-based diagnosis and treatment activities, in which medical institutions utilize their own registered medical personnel to directly provide patients with follow-up consultations for certain common and chronic diseases, as well as family doctor contract services, through internet technologies.

The third category is internet hospitals, including those operating under a secondary name of a physical medical institution and those independently established by relying on a physical medical institution.

Internet hospitals may engage physicians registered with their own institution or other medical institutions to conduct internet-based diagnosis and treatment activities. Internet hospitals can provide patients with follow-up consultations for certain common and chronic diseases, as well as family doctor contracting services. Furthermore, when a patient visits a physical medical institution, the attending physician may invite other physicians via the internet hospital for consultation; the consulting physicians may then issue diagnostic opinions and prescribe medications. Among these, the second and third categories both involve medical institutions directly providing services to patients through the internet.

Second, clarify the access procedures for internet hospitals and online diagnosis and treatment activities. As a type of medical institution, an internet hospital may apply for establishment in accordance with the procedures for setting up medical institutions, or it may be registered as a secondary name of a physical medical institution, applied for by the physical medical institution and registered for practice in accordance with relevant regulations; for medical institutions that have already obtained the "Medical Institution Practice License" and intend to establish an internet hospital, their licensing authority shall handle the practice registration in accordance with the relevant provisions of the "Regulations on the Administration of Medical Institutions" and the "Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Regulations on the Administration of Medical Institutions."

Third, clarify the legal liability relationships of internet hospitals. Internet hospitals that have obtained a "Medical Institution Practice License" are the subjects of legal liability. All parties cooperating in the internet hospital shall bear corresponding legal liabilities in accordance with the cooperation agreement.

The main contents of the three documents issued this time include:

1. Approval is granted for Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong Provincial Third Hospital, and the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University to operate under the additional designation of “Internet Hospital”;

2. Approval is granted to the aforementioned three hospitals to provide internet-based medical services;

3. The three hospitals may leverage internet-based medical service platforms, supported by physical medical institutions and utilizing internet technologies, to provide patients with follow-up consultation services for common and chronic diseases.

Since 2017, Shandong Province has witnessed a surge in the establishment of internet hospitals, with public hospitals serving as the leading force in this initiative. In February 2017, the Internet Hospital of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University was launched and began operations. In April 2018, the Third Provincial Hospital of Shandong became the first pilot unit for internet medical services in the province. Meanwhile, cities such as Binzhou and Zibo have also embarked on exploratory efforts to develop regional internet hospitals.

Seeking Progress While Ensuring Stability: On the one hand, attaching great importance to the safety supervision of internet medical services; on the other, actively exploring service models. Since receiving approval from the Provincial Health Commission in April this year, Shandong Provincial Third HospitalAfter Becoming the First Internet Medical Pilot Unit in the Province, Co-builder of the Hospital and Internet HospitalWeDoctor Group Continues to Advance the Development of Its Internet Hospital Platform, successively launched seven major features, including family doctor contract services, online follow-up consultations, a prescription sharing platform, and the specialized trial operation of artificial intelligence products.

As the lead institution of a tightly integrated medical consortium, Shandong Provincial Third Hospital has leveraged the establishment of its internet hospital platform to deliver robust online-to-offline closed-loop services that align with the characteristics of the healthcare industry.

Family doctor contract services represent one of the earliest initiatives undertaken by Shandong Provincial Third Hospital in the realm of “Internet + Healthcare.” Since October 2017, the hospital has taken the lead in establishing over 40 family doctor teams within its affiliated community health service institutions. Characterized by affordable, personalized service packages, these efforts have expanded beyond basic public health services to incorporate localized medical and health management offerings. The personalized service packages not only address residents’ key pain points but also incentivize family doctor teams to deliver contracted services, thereby creating a virtuous cycle. As a result, the program has gained widespread recognition among local residents, with nearly 20,000 individuals enrolled in the service.

Starting this August, the hospital has gradually launched online follow-up consultations and specialty membership services. Since the launch of these features, 290 physicians from various specialties at Shandong Provincial Third Hospital have provided online consultation services, cumulatively serving 22,000 patient visits.

It is reported that Shandong Provincial Third Hospital’s Internet Hospital has collaborated with Tencent and the Zhejiang University Ruiai Artificial Intelligence Research Center to develop and apply medical artificial intelligence technologies. AI-assisted diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and intelligent bone age analysis have already been implemented within the hospital. To date, AI-based imaging diagnostics have been performed for over 3,000 patients, marking a breakthrough from scratch in the application of artificial intelligence.

Lü Yongtao stated that the Internet Hospital of Shandong Provincial Third Hospital will continue to deepen exploration and advancement in four key areas: support and safeguards, standards and norms, service offerings, and conduct oversight. It will further explore new models integrating “Internet+” with medical care, elderly care, and health services; establish an internet-based medical security system for elderly care institutions; and build an online health management system for enterprises and public institutions. Meanwhile, it will strengthen collaboration among medical, research, and enterprise sectors to establish a research framework for artificial intelligence and health big data.