Beijing Sugar Association's 'SugarGuard' Diabetes Remote Collaboration Project Launches in Beijing, Achieving Breakthrough in Inter-Hospital Information Sharing

VCBeat has learned that the “Beijing Diabetes Prevention and Control Association’s Remote Management Base for Diabetes Prevention and Control: Telemedicine Collaboration Project,” hosted by the Beijing Diabetes Prevention and Control Association and co-organized by units including the Fengtai District Health and Family Planning Commission, was officially launched in Beijing on June 16. This marks another major initiative by the Beijing Diabetes Prevention and Control Association to support tiered diagnosis and treatment of diabetes under the backdrop of China’s hierarchical medical system.

Deputy Director Ma Jixiang of the National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Director Du Hong of the Disease Control Division, Beijing Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission; Chairman Chen Wei of the Beijing Diabetes Prevention and Treatment Association; Director Liu Wanying of the Fengtai District Health and Family Planning Commission, Beijing; Director Wei Renli of the China Association for Science and Technology; Executive Vice Chairman Li Wenhui of the Beijing Diabetes Association; Director Zhu Bin of the Education Department, Beijing Shijitan Hospital; Director Liu Yanjun of PLA General Hospital 306; Director Chen Yanyan of the Department of Endocrinology, Fuwai Hospital; as well as representatives from hospitals and community health service centers across 16 districts and counties jointly attended the conference.

Deputy Director Ma Jixiang of the National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, attended the launch ceremony and delivered a speech. Director Ma presented a keynote address on chronic disease management strategies under the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, provided an in-depth analysis of the current challenges and opportunities in diabetes prevention and management, and expressed full endorsement of the project’s launch and implementation.

Director Ma pointed out that the remote collaboration system for diabetes management, established by the Beijing Sugar Association’s “Sugar Control Guardians,” has achieved interoperability in information, technology, and resources between tertiary hospitals and primary care institutions. This model provides a valuable reference for comprehensive collaboration in the prevention, assessment, education, and medical treatment of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Director Ma stated that he would continue to closely monitor the project, expressing hope that it would offer more beneficial insights and relevant data in the areas of diabetes prevention, management, and clinical care, thereby providing support for the prevention and control of chronic diseases like diabetes.

Director Du Hong of the Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Beijing Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission highly commended the Association for its efforts and achievements in diabetes prevention and control in Beijing. Director Du stated that, under the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, the establishment of this project has provided technical support and a model for reference for diabetes prevention, control, and management in Beijing. She expressed confidence that the launch and development of the project will play a significant role in enhancing Beijing’s capacity for diabetes prevention and control.

Director Liu Wanying of the Fengtai District Health and Family Planning Commission expressed gratitude to the Beijing Diabetes Prevention and Control Association for selecting Fengtai District as the first pilot district. She fully affirmed the pioneering collaboration between the project and the Nanyuan Community Health Service Center in Fengtai District, which was the first of its kind in Beijing. She emphasized that the establishment of this model has provided an important platform and management framework for the prevention, control, and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes in Fengtai District. As the first pilot district for this project, the Fengtai District Health and Family Planning Commission will provide strong support for the pilot implementation in the district and organize efforts to promote and implement it across the entire district.

He Daoxin, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the Beijing Sugar Association and Founder of Blood Sugar Guardian, introduced the development and planning of the project at the conference. The project is based on remote assistance services under the tiered diagnosis and treatment model for diabetes, leveraging the advantages of the Blood Sugar Guardian platform to establish an integrated online-offline system combining digital platforms with hospitals, thereby creating a specialized remote collaboration platform for diabetes care.

The project connects downward with primary care hospitals, addressing their clinical technical challenges through remote consultations, thereby enabling patients to access high-quality medical services without leaving their communities. Upward, it links with secondary and tertiary hospitals; for patients requiring transfer to higher-level facilities, the collaborating upper-tier hospitals provide expedited referral pathways. This allows patients to schedule referrals via the collaborative platform at their local primary care hospitals. After treatment, patients are transferred back to the primary care hospitals for continued disease management and care. By facilitating remote consultations and two-way referrals, this model reduces patients’ time and costs associated with seeking medical attention, effectively alleviating difficulties in accessing care and securing hospital transfers.

Provide a remote management platform for family doctor contracting to increase the signing rate, optimize management processes, enhance management efficiency, and improve the outcomes of comprehensive diabetes management. The project has achieved significant breakthroughs in medical information sharing, enabling comprehensive information exchange among collaborating hospitals and resolving technical challenges related to information asymmetry during remote collaboration.

Secretary-General He Daoxin and Director Du Hong jointly awarded plaques to 16 district-level hospitals, including Fuwai Hospital, Anzhen Hospital, the PLA 306 Hospital, Dongzhimen Hospital, Shijitan Hospital, Fuxing Hospital, Shougang Hospital, China Coal General Hospital, Huairou District Hospital, Luhe Hospital, and Mentougou District Hospital. At the conference venue, the Diabetes Center of the Chinese People's Liberation Army at the PLA 306 Hospital and the Nanyuan Community Health Service Center conducted a remote video collaboration via the "Blood Sugar Control Guardian" telehealth platform, with all attending guests observing the entire collaborative process.