TengAI Doctor Enhances Online Medical Service Tools, Aims to Empower Physician Groups as a Trusted Enabler
On October 22, the “First China Physician Group Alliance Conference” and the “First Anniversary Celebration of the establishment of the Donglei Brain Specialist Physician Group” were held in Shanghai. Tengai Doctor presented its upgraded products to attendees, aiming to serve as a behind-the-scenes service provider for physician groups.
Tengai Doctor serves physician groups and patients. Speaking of physician groups, many people may not be very familiar with them. Here, the reporter provides a brief explanation: Physician groups, also known as "physician practice groups" or "physician practice organizations," are alliances or organizational entities composed of multiple physician teams. A "physician group" may belong to a hospital or exist as an independent "physician organization."It is generally an independent legal entity operating under a joint-stock structure.
The Essence of Physician Groups—Group Practice, as Opposed to Independent Practice. In group practice, two or three physicians can join together to form a group; the characteristics of group practice areThey share each other’s income, jointly bear losses, and share facilities and equipment, forming a practice team that advances and retreats together.
In daily operations, the physician group negotiates reimbursement rates with various insurance companies and healthcare institutions on behalf of physicians, assists them in updating their medical practice qualifications, provides professional liability insurance coverage, and offers administrative and customer service support to help schedule patient appointments, conduct follow-ups, manage electronic health records (EHRs), and handle other routine administrative tasks.
In the United States, 5.6% of physicians are directly employed by hospitals, while 83% practice within “physician groups,” such as the well-known Mayo Clinic. In 1863, Dr. William Worrall Mayo founded the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. His two sons joined the practice in 1883 and 1888, respectively. Subsequently, these three members of the Mayo family invited other physicians and scientific researchers to join the clinic, establishing the first private group practice organization in the United States.
These founders share the revenue from group practice and also employ staff to provide services. In 2014, Dr. Zhang Qiang, a renowned expert in the field of vascular surgery in China, established the country’s first multi-specialty physician group, which was named the Zhang Qiang Doctor Group after its founder.
On February 27, 2016, the China Physician Group Alliance was announced in Beijing at Lemon Lake. The alliance was jointly initiated by seven physician groups: Zhang Qiang Physician Group, Bode Jialian Physician Group, Donglei Neurosurgery Physician Group, Woyi Obstetrics and Gynecology Renowned Physicians Group, Yuke Hernia Surgery Physician Group, Yongchun Men’s Plastic Surgery Physician Group, and Xuguang Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Physician Group. Its aim is to advocate for and promote a practice model centered on physician-led groups.
China’s healthcare landscape has undergone significant changes, with the government accelerating the pace of healthcare reform policies in hopes of alleviating current medical challenges. Leveraging the internet, patients are now directly seeking out specialist physicians for more efficient and higher-quality medical services. Many doctors have begun to cultivate brand awareness, aspiring to break away from the traditional public healthcare system to pursue better professional development. This shift necessitates a trusted communication channel for both doctors and patients. Thus, TengAi Doctor was born, committed to serving as a behind-the-scenes supporter for physician groups and patients alike.
Tengai Doctor is an internet-based tool specifically developed for physicians.. It can be linked to the department’s official WeChat account and enable physicians to create patient medical records via Tengai Doctor, achieving seamless integration between WeChat and the app. (For details, please read the VCBeat article: “Tencent’s New Healthcare Strategy: Building the Self-Developed Tengai Doctor Platform and Partnering with the China Doctors Group Alliance”)
As a physician reputation platform, it leverages Tencent’s user base of nearly one billion to create a trusted information channel for patients. Meanwhile, physicians can build their own brands on the platform, earning patients’ trust through transparency and thereby establishing a strong professional reputation. Furthermore, Tengai Doctor implements particularly stringent verification processes for physicians; reporters attempting to experience the platform’s services were unable to complete registration due to not holding medical credentials.
TengAi Doctor is not only about helping doctorsBrand Management, Reputation Amplification. Tencent to Launch WeChat Studios for Doctors:
Brands: Leverage Official Accounts + Tencent AI Doctor solutions to help physicians rapidly establish their studio brands;
Service Standards: Doctor groups leverage the platform provided by TengAi Doctor to offer patients services such as free consultations, paid text-and-image consultations, telephone appointments, and appointment scheduling.
Efficient Interaction: Leverage an intelligent retrieval system to save physicians time spent on repetitive inquiries, thereby facilitating more efficient interactive communication between doctors and patients.
Patient Management: Retain existing patients within your WeChat Official Account and engage them continuously to generate greater value.
Team Collaboration: Add assistant roles to the physician group’s team to help doctors improve triage efficiency and provide referral services.
Leveraging the platform's advantages, within nearly half a year by June 2016, over 10,000 physicians had established their own brands on TengAi Doctor.
TengAi Doctor has once again upgraded its product, adding new features includingIntelligent Medical Search FunctionandWeChat Historical Article Search Function
Intelligent Medical Search Function: This feature automatically searches the official account’s article repository based on keywords from user messages or queries. Through semantic analysis and intelligent matching, it pushes article content that matches the query keywords to users, thereby helping physicians manage their WeChat Official Accounts more efficiently.
Previously, the custom menus of WeChat Official Accounts could also achieve similar functions. However, due to the substantial workload involved and the inability of physicians to fully anticipate the questions followers might ask, it was impossible to ensure that all content in the material library could be automatically categorized and pushed.
The intelligent search feature developed based on the WeChat Official Account not only facilitates patient consultations but also reduces physicians’ workload. Physicians no longer need to provide repetitive responses to simple disease-related inquiries, while maximizing the utilization of historical articles from the Official Account. This reduces by 70% the workload associated with physicians’ handling of user messages.
When doctors are unavailable to respond and their official WeChat accounts are unattended, patients can independently search for relevant disease information and management strategies within the trusted official WeChat accounts of their physicians to address minor ailments. Notably, the intelligent search results are drawn from the account’s entire article repository, rather than being limited to previously pushed content.
WeChat Historical Article Search Function: When users leave messages to consult doctors via a physician’s WeChat Official Account, the system automatically searches all historical articles and the material library of that account based on keywords. Through semantic analysis and intelligent matching, it pushes article content relevant to the query keywords. Patients can independently access disease-related knowledge and management strategies within trusted physicians’ WeChat Official Accounts, enabling them to address various common medical conditions.
The search results of Tengai Doctor’s intelligent medical search are based on the complete historical articles and full material library of WeChat Official Accounts. It supports not only keyword searches but also phrase-based searches, and even features automatic error correction, ensuring accurate search results even if medical terms are misspelled.