Alipay Partners with Guangdong Cloud Hospital to Launch "Credit-Based Medical Care" Across 12 Hospitals in Largest 2017 Rollout

On December 29, the press conference for Alipay’s “Credit-Based Medical Payment” service was held in Guangzhou, hosted by the Guangdong Hospital Association and co-organized by Alipay (under Ant Financial) and Guangdong Yunhui Technology Co., Ltd. At the event, the three parties jointly launched the “Alipay Credit-Based Medical Payment” solution, with representatives from more than 50 hospitals in attendance to show their support.

The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou First People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Zhuhai People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Twelfth People’s Hospital, He Xian Memorial Hospital in Panyu District of Guangzhou, and Lianzhou People’s Hospital—a total of 12 hospitals—have officially launched “Credit-Based Medical Care,” including many well-known Grade A tertiary hospitals.

According to VCBeat, this is the largest and most comprehensive launch of a credit-based medical payment initiative nationwide, which will undoubtedly facilitate healthcare access for more patients in Guangdong Province.

It is reported that Huabei users with a Zhima Credit score of 650 or above can obtain an additional RMB 1,000 medical treatment credit line provided by Huabei after successfully activating the “Credit-based Medical Payment” service by searching for “Guangdong Cloud Hospital” within Alipay’s Lifestyle Channel or via the Guangdong Cloud Hospital APP. This credit line can be used when patients forget to bring cash or have insufficient funds in their accounts during medical visits.

Furthermore, a standout feature of “Credit-Based Healthcare,” compared to existing mobile health solutions, is the elimination of point-of-care payments. Patients can complete registration, consultations, examinations, and medication pickup without the hassle of repeatedly queuing to pay. They may leave the hospital immediately after their visit, as all consultation-related fees are automatically settled online.

Wang Bo, General Manager of the Innovation and Intelligent Services Division at Ant Financial, believes that “Credit-Based Medical Treatment” represents an innovative upgrade built upon pilot program experience. “The ‘treatment first, payment later’ model imposes relatively high requirements on hospital information systems and financial management. By integrating Huabei (Ant Credit Pay), credit-based medical treatment virtually eliminates the financial risk of patient default for hospitals, significantly reduces integration costs, and enhances industry applicability,” said Wang.

Wang Bo, General Manager of the Innovation and Intelligent Services Division at Ant Financial

Guangdong Cloud Hospital is the first provincial-level cloud hospital platform in China, launched by Yunhui Technology under the guidance of the Guangdong Hospital Association. According to Yuan Yu from Yunhui Technology, Guangdong Cloud Hospital initially focused on improving traditional hospital visit processes and building a one-stop online-offline diagnostic and treatment loop for hospitals, accumulating extensive experience in hospital collaborations. Through this deep collaboration with Alipay, Guangdong Cloud Hospital aims to integrate more ecosystem resources, fulfill its social responsibilities, and achieve humanized and efficient medical services. This will allow healthcare to focus more on "diagnosis and treatment" itself, provide patients with smarter and more convenient medical services, and foster more harmonious doctor-patient relationships.

Yunhui Technology Yuan Yu

Currently, “credit-based medical care” has basically covered outpatient services in hospitals. Moving forward, Guangdong Cloud Hospital will continue to collaborate with Alipay to enhance end-to-end inpatient services, gradually integrating features and services such as facial recognition, installment payment plans for high-cost medical expenses, and personal financial loans. These measures aim to address thorny issues such as incomplete patient identity information and insufficient funds for medical treatment, truly ushering in an era of universal “credit-based medical care.”

By leveraging Alipay’s “Credit-Based Medical Care” product, patients benefit from reduced waiting times and an improved healthcare experience, while hospital management becomes more efficient. This approach restores the human touch to medical services and helps rebuild mutual trust between doctors and patients. Looking ahead, as a comprehensive medical credit system incorporating commercial insurance and bank credit is established, we anticipate the launch of more user-friendly features that will make quality healthcare more accessible and beneficial to patients.