Shanghai Releases Internet Hospital Management Measures; City's First Internet Hospital Launches with Comprehensive Digital Health Services
On August 13, the official website of the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission formally issued the Notice on Printing and Distributing the “Administrative Measures for Internet Hospitals in Shanghai” (Hu Wei Gui [2019] No. 004) (hereinafter referred to as the “Administrative Measures”). The Administrative Measures set forth provisions respectively on the purpose and basis, definition, scope of application, access management, scope of medical services, and responsible departments for internet hospitals in Shanghai.
Meanwhile, Shangying Internet Hospital, the first internet hospital approved in Shanghai, will officially enter its trial operation phase on August 15 and will gradually open its services to the public, medical consortium partner institutions, and health ecosystem partners.
As the licensed operator of Shanghai’s first internet hospital, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) conducted an exclusive interview with the relevant person in charge of Shangying Internet Hospital to discuss and exchange views on its development strategy and related issues.
The development of internet healthcare has, to date, undergone approximately three stages.
The first phase is the construction period for foundational IT modules, with the core objective being the deployment and implementation of basic in-hospital information systems.
The second phase involved various innovative attempts at collaboration in medical practices among healthcare institutions, between physicians and healthcare institutions, and among physicians. This phase witnessed many milestone explorations in the development of China’s internet healthcare sector. Naturally, it also saw the normal metabolic processes—expected and inevitable occurrences—amidst individual iterations.
The third phase began on September 14 of last year with the issuance of Document No. 25 [2018] by the National Health Commission’s Medical Administration Bureau, which for the first time established national-level regulations governing internet healthcare service providers—including platforms, institutions, physicians, and standards of professional conduct.
The head of Shangying Internet Hospital stated that the composition of Shangying’s core team was carefully considered and grounded in a profound understanding of the industry. The team includes experts from leading information technology enterprises that drove the iterative integration of IT during the first phase, innovators from various internet healthcare institutions that emerged in the second phase, senior consultants with prior experience in medical administration and regulatory bodies, chief executives of healthcare institutions at all levels, as well as professionals in finance, legal affairs, and industry research.
As a key strategic initiative for Shangying’s entry into the “Internet + Healthcare” sector, Shangying Internet Hospital will deepen its penetration into hospital settings in the future. By organically restructuring service workflows through a whole-process care philosophy, it will transform passive services into proactive ones, reconfiguring pre-consultation, during-consultation, and post-consultation scenarios to cover both online and offline touchpoints, thereby creating a closed-loop healthcare service experience. Meanwhile, by collaborating with ecosystem partners such as medical consortia, remote education platforms, family doctor services, and pharmaceutical distribution channels, Shangying is committed to achieving high-efficiency medical services, multi-dimensional treatment management, and comprehensive health solutions. This will establish an integrated healthcare network characterized by “one online platform and multiple offline nodes.”
According to the head of Shangying Internet Hospital, continuous research has revealed a persistent mismatch between high-caliber medical teams and patients with complex and refractory conditions. Regardless of communication barriers, service scenarios, or spatial constraints, top-tier healthcare professionals urgently need effective internet-based medical models to enhance efficiency and service quality, thereby serving more appropriately matched patients.
Shangying Research has benchmarked against case management in the United States, the long-term care model in Taiwan, China, the “three-specialist co-management” model in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China, and various innovative practices publicly shared by enterprises. In alignment with current internet-based healthcare models and the national healthcare reform objectives for Diagnosis-Related Groups (DRGs), it has launched a series of “Total Efficacy Management” products and services. Furthermore, it is progressively establishing disease-specific management pathways under the DGCP framework, thereby providing a foundational model and enabling support for partner hospitals to facilitate the implementation of DRGs and advance the development of managed care.
During the preparatory phase for its internet healthcare initiatives, Shangying entered into strategic cooperation agreements with ecosystem partners such as Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Group and Shanghai Xingkanglian Health Technology Co., Ltd. (“Xingkanglian”) in areas including pharmaceutical supply, smart healthcare, physician education, and patient management. Leveraging the collective strength of its alliance, Shangying will engage in deep collaboration on supply chain restructuring and service flow reengineering, integrating the industrial upgrading of healthcare with the development trends of the internet.
Starting with key aspects such as basic follow-up consultations, e-prescribing, secondary pharmacist prescription review, drug delivery, prescription monitoring, and pharmaceutical care services, a relevant person in charge revealed that Shangying Internet Hospital plans to complete three product iterations during its trial operation phase.
Regarding the future, a representative from Shangying stated that the industry is still in its infancy. It will continue to evolve through the efforts of various participants, with its forms and integrated services constantly innovating and iterating in response to the actual changes in public healthcare demands. Shangying does not seek to be the fastest or most flamboyant player; rather, it aims to demonstrate the greatest endurance, proceeding with stability and solidity. The team aspires to become a determined, pragmatic, and professional innovative force in medical services, contributing its modest share to this era.