Jiuzhou Tong Launches Mobile Health App 'Health 998', Enters Personalized Health Management Sector
How the mobile healthcare industry can find a breakthrough point has become the focus of attention in 2016. On December 5, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from Jointown Pharmaceutical Group that its first mobile healthcare product dedicated to health management, the “Health 998” APP, has concluded internal testing and entered public beta testing.
It is understood that the “Health 998” app centers on personal health management, aligning with the current healthcare reform direction of tiered diagnosis and treatment, and provides users with convenient, efficient, end-to-end, integrated health management services. Notably, for the hypertensive patient population, the platform has independently developed a self-diagnosis big data model capable of precisely identifying the root causes of hypertension.
According to Tian Chaobo, CEO of Jointown Health Management Co., Ltd., “Health 998” is a platform built by Jointown to integrate online and offline omnichannel medical and health resources, achieving an effective closed-loop system and resource sharing, leveraging Jointown’s vast pharmaceutical resources. With upstream health big data, midstream consultation and medical services, and downstream medication purchases and insurance, “Health 998” provides comprehensive integration, linking doctors, patients, and pharmaceuticals to form a complete and positive industry chain.
After downloading and experiencing the “Health 998” app, reporters found that, in contrast to the “lightweight” approach of other mobile health products, “Health 998” emphasizes a “heavy model” focused on vertical personalization. Users with health needs can find suitable services on the platform, ranging from health information and physical metrics to consultations, medical visits, and medication purchases.
It is reported that “Health 998” segments users into three categories: the healthy, those in a sub-health state, and patients with diagnosed diseases. Based on diverse medical needs, the platform precisely matches users with tiered medical resources and services. Pioneering the concept of “Family Health Managers,” the platform leverages big data analytics to implement health interventions and personalized health plans, thereby creating a “one family, one health advisor” service model. Currently, the platform has assembled a team of over 500 health management consultants, including physicians, licensed pharmacists, and nutritionists. Users can freely select their preferred consultant and enjoy exclusive one-on-one services, both online and offline.
To address basic household health needs, Jointown Pharmaceutical Group is piloting its offline Haoyaoshi Pharmacies. Residents can sign up with family health managers online through the “Health 998” platform to access free basic services, including health record creation, routine testing, medication guidance, and one-hour home delivery of prescriptions. For users with chronic diseases or rehabilitation and healthcare needs, family health managers provide services such as in-home testing, remote video consultations, and routine physical examinations. For high-end household clients, renowned specialists from Grade A tertiary hospitals on the platform offer professional and authoritative consultations and medical technical support, along with services for online patients such as telephone consultations, accompanied medical visits, and referral appointments.
According to reports, family health managers have currently been stationed in 42 offline Haoyaoshi stores in Wuhan. In the future, services will be rolled out to new stores in step with Haoyaoshi’s offline expansion, with a plan to cover 3,000 pharmacies within three years.
In October this year, the State Council released the new “Outline of the ‘Healthy China 2030’ Planning,” proposing the comprehensive establishment of a mature and well-developed tiered diagnosis and treatment system to form a rational medical care order characterized by initial consultations at primary care institutions, two-way referrals, coordination between upper- and lower-level facilities, and separate management of acute and chronic conditions. From this perspective, the full-process O2O health management model created by “Health 998” aligns perfectly with the policy.
“All scenarios related to medical care and health can be addressed on the platform,” Tian Chaobo told reporters. The “Health 998” app is an open health service platform that integrates medical and healthcare resources—including physicians, pharmaceutical manufacturers, hospitals, chain pharmacies, and physical examination services—to provide one-stop, personalized solutions for individuals, families, and enterprises.
Tian Chaobo introduced that "Health 998" has currently formed seven distinctive services: online consultation, appointment registration, medical accompaniment, cloud-based medical record storage, health indicator management, online medication purchase, and personal health managers, covering the entire process of individual medical care.
Health 998 Light Medical Concept
In terms of online consultations, “Health 998” offers multiple consultation methods, including text-and-image, voice, and video. The scope of services covers pre-consultation offerings such as preliminary diagnostic advice and appointment registration, as well as post-consultation services including medical record management, rehabilitation guidance, and medication instructions. After submitting a question on the platform, users can engage in one-on-one real-time communication with available physicians. Notably, video consultations require no prior appointment or waiting; users are directly connected to a physician. “This distinguishes us from similar software currently available on the market.”
As a market-entry initiative, the 998 Medical Escort service launched its operations this August. The platform has established an in-house team of hundreds of professional nurses to provide end-to-end medical accompaniment services for special patient groups, including the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals seeking medical care outside their home regions. In Beijing, 998 Medical Escort has partnered with 12 community sub-district offices, organically integrating home-based elderly care with medical escort services to benefit local residents. Reportedly, 998 Medical Escort currently covers six major cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Jinan—and plans to expand further to additional provincial capitals with abundant medical resources.
Furthermore, it has been reported that “Health 998” has established a medical service resource database covering nearly 40,000 departments across more than 5,400 hospitals. The platform provides services such as appointment registration, patient escort, and online consultations with 160,000 experts, while maintaining deep integration with 68 Grade A tertiary hospitals in Beijing and 37 Grade A tertiary hospitals in Wuhan. Additionally, the platform has partnered with multiple health checkup institutions, including Meinian Onehealth Healthcare and iKang Guobin, and collaborates with medical institutions in Taiwan (China), the United States, Germany, Japan, and South Korea to offer users customized health screenings, genetic testing, and overseas medical treatment services.
Jointown Pharmaceutical Group’s 2016 semi-annual report, released this August, showed that the group achieved operating revenue of RMB 29.786 billion in the first half of the year, a year-on-year increase of 24.66%. Its subsidiary, Beijing Haoyaoshi Pharmacy’s B2C e-commerce business, recorded sales of RMB 470 million and net profit of RMB 4.7904 million during the same period. Amid the current environment characterized by slowing growth in the pharmaceutical e-commerce market, unclear regulatory policies, and a generally “sluggish” market, these figures undoubtedly serve as a significant boost to Jointown.
Previously, Jiang Zhitao, General Manager of the E-commerce Group, revealed that Jointown Pharmaceutical Group aimed to achieve RMB 100 billion in sales by 2019. As such, high expectations were placed on the Health 998 E-commerce Group, which was tasked with striving for RMB 10 billion in sales, accounting for 10% of the overall RMB 100 billion target.
Moreover, by leveraging pharmaceutical sales as an entry point, Jointown’s primary objective in the coming period is to shift the operational focus of its pharmaceutical e-commerce platform from mere medication services to customized user health solutions. This aligns with what is externally discussed as the “Pharmaceutical E-commerce 4.0” stage. In layman’s terms, Pharmaceutical E-commerce 4.0 refers to integrated “drug + medical” solutions or a model where “drugs” serve “medical care.” At this stage, pharmaceutical companies should place greater emphasis on integrating resources across the entire pharmaceutical industry chain, building a more comprehensive service system, and gradually establishing an effective, differentiated strategic framework for market positioning and business models.