Shandong Province's First Internet Healthcare Pilot Launches Chronic Disease Management Ecosystem
On November 16, Shandong Provincial Third Hospital (hereinafter referred to as “Shandong Provincial Third Hospital”), WeDoctor, and Shuyu Pingmin Pharmacy Chain Co., Ltd. entered into a tripartite collaboration. Leveraging the internet-based medical services of Shandong Provincial Third Hospital and the pharmaceutical supply capabilities of Shuyu Pingmin Pharmacy, the parties will jointly provide chronic disease management services to Shuyu Pingmin’s 400,000 members with chronic conditions, further fostering a new business model of “Internet + Healthcare.”
In April 2018, Shandong Provincial Third Hospital received approval from the Shandong Provincial Health Commission to become the first pilot unit for internet-based healthcare in the province. Seven months later, on November 15, at the Advanced Training Course on “Internet + Healthcare” held in Shandong Province, Hospital President Lv Yongtao presented to attendees a comprehensive overview and demonstration of the hospital’s latest progress in facilitating patient access to care. He highlighted the seven core functionalities of its internet healthcare platform, developed by leveraging the resource-sharing advantages of its medical consortium.
What tangible benefits does “Internet + Healthcare” bring to the public, and what does it signify for hospitals? How can compliance in internet-based diagnosis and treatment be ensured? How can the well-established information infrastructure attract both physicians and patients to engage with these platforms? A series of questions that once remained speculative have now found their answers in practice.
On August 12, 2018, the Internet Medical Platform of Shandong Provincial Third Hospital launched an online follow-up consultation module, with 277 specialist physicians officially going live. The “Ask a Doctor” entry quietly appeared in the hospital’s official WeChat service account, which offers greater convenience to patients compared to the more sophisticated “Internet Hospital APP.” From the initial organizational structure and mechanism innovation to service content and behavioral standards, every aspect was meticulously planned from the patient’s perspective.
Today, patients visiting the Third Provincial Hospital of Shandong can access QR codes for online follow-up consultations in various locations, including consultation rooms, triage desks, and report collection areas, as well as on medical guides. Inpatients are encouraged to follow their attending physicians during discharge health education, enabling them to easily locate the online follow-up portal after leaving the hospital.
Thanks to the integration between the internet hospital platform and the hospital’s internal information systems, physicians conducting online consultations can clearly identify the patient on the other end, understand their clinical condition, and determine what assistance may be needed. The fully traceable records of online follow-up visits, combined with in-hospital electronic medical records, constitute a complete diagnostic and treatment history for each patient, serving as the basis for subsequent care.
Through an analysis of patient sources, consultation purposes, and follow-up recommendations from hundreds of online follow-up consultation orders, hospitals and WeDoctor have found that online follow-up consultations are not merely a digital extension of in-hospital outpatient services or a channel for prescription outflow. Rather, they serve as a bridge connecting patients with doctors, thereby integrating fragmented medical services into a continuous care experience.
Based on this finding, the Internet Healthcare Platform of the Provincial Third Hospital launched a health management module. The hospital’s outpatient department and several clinical specialties, in collaboration with WeDoctor’s operational team, introduced a membership service centered on follow-up visits, post-discharge monitoring, and health education for patients with specific chronic conditions or those recovering from surgery. This initiative has standardized out-of-hospital care management and significantly improved patient health outcomes.
For example, post-discharge patients often exhibit low adherence to discharge instructions; by the time they return to the hospital, complications have typically already developed, leading to serious consequences. Through membership services, clear guidelines are provided regarding when patients should undergo follow-up visits, engage in online consultations, or return to the hospital. Coupled with effective communication from health assistants, patient adherence has significantly improved, effectively bridging the gap in services and data between in-hospital and post-discharge care.
An internet hospital platform is akin to an expressway; if physicians and patients do not collaborate on the platform, it becomes an unfinished project. How to motivate physicians, who are already under immense pressure, to take on “extra” work has become a challenging issue for hospital administrators. “Let professionals handle professional matters”—Shandong Provincial Third Hospital has provided the answer.
At the launch of the online follow-up consultation feature, the hospital established an operations team comprising the Smart Healthcare Department and WeDoctor. A vice president in charge was assigned to coordinate support and collaboration from other hospital departments. The operations team implemented differentiated operational strategies tailored to the specific workflows of various clinical departments and physicians with different levels of seniority. Furthermore, based on operational needs, the team provided feedback to the platform for product optimization, thereby creating a closed-loop system of continuous improvement across service delivery, operations, and platform development.
For junior physicians, operational staff provide training and individualized communication to help them become familiar with the product, master the principles and techniques of online follow-up consultations, and encourage them to build their own patient base through online services. Senior physicians, on the other hand, serve as architects of post-discharge membership service standards and leaders in delivering such services, thereby leveraging their expertise to create greater value. Adhering to the principle of providing support without causing disruption, the operations team gradually integrates organically with the medical team, becoming an integral component of the internet-based healthcare service model.
The implementation of internet-based healthcare in physical hospitals is also a process of optimizing and innovating healthcare service models. The tripartite collaboration among Shandong Provincial Third Hospital, WeDoctor, and Shuyu Pingmin Pharmacy Chain Co., Ltd. represents a significant step forward following the maturation of this innovative model.