Why WeDoctor's Primary Care Clinics Attract Heavyweights Like Tencent and 8 Million Zhejiang Entrepreneurs

On March 20, amidst a light drizzle and accompanied by the resounding “Bang! Bang! Bang!”WeDoctor General PracticeOpened.

“This is a very positive sign, as all things in nature require rain to nourish fertile soil. It also signifies that WeDoctor General Practice can be similarly nurtured, allowing it to thrive and rapidly expand across China, thereby enabling more people to receive better care,” Professor Siriporn, President Emeritus of Asia-Pacific International University in Thailand and a renowned hospital management expert, told VCBeat.

Subsequently, WeDoctor’s Chairman andCEOLiao JieyuanAdded, “WeWeDoctor General Practice (Hangzhou)From site selection to renovation, it took only90 days; the trial operation also took 90 days. Today, WeDoctor General Practice (Hangzhou) officially opens. This is the first WeDoctor General Practice center in China.Throughout the entire process, I sincerely appreciate the support and encouragement from all parties."100 locations will be established across China in the next three years."

Yes,180 days,WeDoctor General PracticeThe launch was impressively swift. Even more remarkable is that, in such a short time, it secured backing from Tencent,Favored by 8 million Zhejiang entrepreneurs, real estate developers across the country, and other industry leaders. 

“What should we do about the missing links that are not present in the existing social business landscape?” Liao Jieyuan suddenly asked.

Naturally, it is about filling this gap. Take the e-commerce industry as an example: neither JD.com nor Alibaba requires merchants to open physical stores, as these platforms connect all buyers and sellers. However, they lack a component that bridges the distance between merchants and consumers, a gap precisely filled by logistics. This is why Alibaba established Cainiao Network, JD.com built its own logistics infrastructure, and SF Express’s founder nearly became China’s richest person after the company went public.

Similarly, a true medical system must be based on general practice.+specialties, whereas the general practice component is absent from China’s overall medical service system. In the United States and the United Kingdom, 99% of common illnesses among the general population are diagnosed by general practitioners and family physicians, resulting in a well-ordered healthcare system. In contrast, due to the shortage of general practitioners in China, efforts targetingWeDoctor General Practicedemand has surged to tertiary hospitals, causing“The phenomenon of ‘three long waits and one short consultation’ wastes the time of Grade A tertiary hospitals, which should be dedicated to teaching, scientific research, and the diagnosis and treatment of complex and refractory diseases.”

In Liao Jieyuan’s view, the government has come to recognize that the internet is an effective measure for implementing and promoting healthcare reform. This is mainly reflected in two aspects: first, aggregating medical resources from large hospitals to support grassroots institutions and enhance their medical capabilities; second, leveraging electronic medical records and data to provide proactive services to patients based on their medical histories.

Therefore, in the construction ofWeDoctor General Practicein the process, he chose the internet+WeDoctor General Practicemodel to meet the public’s demand for health and for quality medical services. Just as Alibaba and JD.com have demonstrated, excelling in e-commerce necessarily requires excellence in logistics.

“To truly improve the healthcare service system, we must strengthen general practice.” Accordingly, Liao Jieyuan undertook two initiatives. The first was the establishment of the WeDoctor Academy of General Practice in June 2016, inviting Professor Zhu Shanzhu, a pioneer of general practice in China, and her team to manage the academy. To date, the program has been commissioned by provincial governments to train general practitioners while also serving asWeDoctor General PracticeCultivate general practitioners.

Subsequently, Liao Jieyuan laid out his strategic planWeDoctor General Practice CenterPreviously, He Chao, former president of Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, was invited to serve asWeDoctor General PracticePresident. He is well-known to the people of Zhejiang Province. According to a survey conducted by a media outlet, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital was the top choice among residents in Zhejiang. He Chao served as the hospital’s president for ten years, single-handedly establishing its renowned standards of medical service and quality. RegardingWeDoctor General PracticeHe Chao has also spared no effort in its construction. He strives to perfect every detail, as the general practice services here form an integrated medical service network. Hangzhou is merely the starting point; in the future3 years to build 100 across ChinaWeDoctor General Practice Center。 

Here, general practice services are provided to patients on an appointment-only basis. Patients can schedule appointments either online or in person at the general practice clinic. The process includes creating a medical record and assigning a primary care physician, who will serve as the patient’s dedicated healthcare provider for all medical needs throughout the year. In other words, patients need only direct all their healthcare-related requests to this assigned physician, who will provide the most professional and comprehensive guidance.

To provide users with the best medical services,WeDoctor General PracticeThe health checkup facilities are all equipped with the most advanced medical devices. In addition to maintaining health records, genetic testing is also offered, as genetics indeed plays a practical role in health management and the prevention of major diseases.

Here, the general practitioners are composed of a team of high-level specialists from various disciplines. Therefore, users' common and frequently occurring diseases can all be treated atWeDoctor General PracticeResolved. Even for specialized conditions and consultations on some complex and difficult cases, it is possible toConnect with experts both in China and abroad within 15–30 seconds. This is because every consultation room here is an internet-based consultation room, linked to the WeDoctor Internet Hospital. With 6,000–8,000 specialists scheduled daily on the Internet Hospital,WeDoctor General PracticeKnowing which specialists excel in treating specific conditions and understanding patient needs enables precise matching.

Why Are Assigned Physicians So Effective? First, each assigned physician is backed by a medical team that provides comprehensive care for your health throughout the entire process. Second, general practitioners are supported by teams of specialists across various disciplines. Third, the services provided are not one-off encounters but rather continuous, end-to-end medical care.

“Of course, our services are designed for families and businesses. Today’s young professionals are constantly busy with work, and their greatest concern is caring for their family members’ health. We aim to have a team of primary care physicians who are thoroughly familiar with the health status of your entire family—whether elderly parents, children, or your spouse—and coordinate all their healthcare needs. In this way, we truly entrust your family’s health to WeDoctor.”WeDoctor General Practice。”

So, how many patients can be seen per day? Thanks to the appointment-based system, a high-quality medical consultation experience is guaranteed for users at all times; furthermore, a significant portion of services can be delivered online.

During the trial operation periodWithin 90 days, it has already gained initial influence. “This level of influence truly caught us by surprise.”

Liao Jieyuan introduced that the broad influence stems from three main aspects. One is enterprises; for instance, companies like Tencent place great emphasis on employee health. They hope to establish a WeDoctor General Practice clinic when constructing new buildings, thereby ensuring the health and well-being of the thousands or even tens of thousands of employees in the new campus.

The second category comprises real estate developers. Currently, several top-tier developers have successively approached us, hoping that we will establish general practice clinics within their new residential projects. Why? When a general practice clinic is located within a residential complex, it enables true family-based health management for the community. It is no longer merely an outpatient department as traditionally perceived; rather, it is backed by a comprehensive support system. All your healthcare needs can be fully addressed here, making the process straightforward.

To this end, Liao Jieyuan hopes to establish more outlets, aiming to create the “Starbucks of the healthcare industry.” Starbucks represents quality, convenience, an elegant environment, humanistic care, and unity.“We are too small as a single entity and hope to collaborate with partners in more regions.”