11 Outstanding Digital Health Industry Collaboration Cases Announced at the 2018 Medical Technology World Forum

Only through practice can technology truly be implemented, and only through industrialization can the benefits of technology reach more people. Since its establishment, VCBeat has been committed to leveraging communication as a catalyst to drive the industrialization of healthcare.

Based on the information gathered from our interviews with industry professionals, digitalization was one of the most important keywords in 2018. However, this term is not new to the industry.

The concept of digital transformation has been around for at least a decade. By 2020, the value added by industries related to global digital transformation will reach $10 trillion, with 67% of the Global 1000 and 50% of China’s Top 1000 enterprises making digital transformation the core of their corporate strategy.

Meanwhile, this also represents a significant opportunity for what was originally a massive industry. According to a report released by Rock Health, total venture capital investment in the digital health sector approached $6 billion in 2017.

Thus, in early August 2018, at an internal discussion held by VCBeat where the direction was uncontested but the conclusions remained uncertain, we decided to launch an open call for outstanding industry collaboration cases in digital healthcare from health and medical innovation enterprises nationwide, thereby initiating our observation and exploration of technological practices in this field.

The call for submissions was officially launched on August 15, 2018. The two-week voting period commenced on September 16, attracting 750,000 followers and 80,000 votes, demonstrating the enthusiasm and attention of the healthcare industry toward this initiative.

Some of the submitted industry collaboration cases are indeed encouraging.

On August 20, we received the “Ten-Thousand-Person Tumor Immunity Ark Initiative” submitted by Rendong Medicine. The initiative aims to establish an evaluation system and standards for precision immuno-diagnosis and treatment of tumors in the Chinese population. According to available data, this is the first documented initiative of its kind.

On August 30, we received the blood cell morphology product project jointly developed by Yasen Technology and Xiamen No. 2 Hospital. According to the provided information, this product can increase the work efficiency of physicians in relevant departments by more than fivefold.

On September 14, we received the “Collaborative Quality Control System for Disease-Specific Structured Electronic Medical Records” project submitted by Boshi Medical Cloud. Since 2016, the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital has collaborated with Boshi Medical Cloud to develop disease-specific structured electronic medical records for various conditions in the department, accumulating over 6,500 structured patient cases to date. On the same day, Health有益 (Health Youyi) launched China’s first project applying artificial intelligence technology to the traditional eyewear dispensing industry, a move that has the potential to disrupt the current landscape of the eyewear dispensing sector.

On the final day of the call for submissions, we received a multidisciplinary medical imaging AI technology project from Xi’s Heterogeneous. Xi’s Heterogeneous has established an in-depth collaboration with West China Hospital. According to the provided materials, this technology has achieved AI-based diagnosis for various common gastrointestinal diseases in the field of digestive endoscopy, with an accuracy rate as high as 95%.

However, we hope to see more outstanding examples of industrial collaboration. As stated during our call for submissions, we aim to identify viable and technically robust partnership models across sectors such as “big data + AI empowering hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and health management,” as well as robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), 3D printing, and genetic testing.

Compared to the attention from the industry, it is clear that more efforts are needed from the industrial sector.

An analysis of the 11 award-winning exemplary collaboration cases reveals that artificial intelligence (AI) technology has clearly penetrated various sectors of the healthcare industry. Laboratory diagnostic instruments and AI-assisted clinical decision support systems represent highly concentrated sub-sectors. Notably, Health有益 (Health Youyi), a solution dedicated to health management, stands out as a unique case. This trend is closely linked to the Chinese government’s gradual relaxation of policies governing the application of technology in these fields.

Moreover, with the deepening of research, genetic testing—whether for early screening of major diseases or consumer-grade tests in the digital life sector—has moved beyond the market education phase.

VCBeat’s key focus on the Internet of Things has also highlighted established player Ruijie Networks and emerging innovator Weiling Information, with the prospects of Weiling Information’s e-skin biosensor technology being particularly promising.

In the voting for the Most Anticipated Award, the collaborative case studies submitted by Akang Health, Rendong Medicine, and Yunshi Software ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, respectively.

2018 Digital Healthcare Excellent Industry Collaboration Case Awards: Winners List and Expert Commentary

Note: The award was announced and presented at the 2018 World Medical Technology Forum on September 27, 2018.