Welltang Launches First Offline Diabetes Service Center in Shanghai to Integrate Online and Offline Care

On September 6, 2016, WeTang, a diabetes health management platform, announced the establishment of its first physical offline diabetes service center. This move into offline services aims to provide patients with convenient, comprehensive, and innovative diabetes management solutions.

Currently, patients with diabetes face challenges such as limited consultation time and insufficient communication with physicians. Over 90% of diabetes management occurs through self-care; however, inadequate health literacy, poor medication adherence, and unhealthy lifestyle habits often prevent patients from managing their blood glucose levels correctly and in a timely manner. Diabetes prevention and control are thus confronted with the daunting realities of a large patient population, low rates of glycemic target attainment, and high incidence of complications.

Photos from the Grand Opening of WeiTang Diabetes Service Center

WeiTang, formerly known as Boyibang, was founded by its initial team in 2013. The project was renamed WeiTang in 2014. WeiTang is a diabetes health management platform that provides in-hospital and out-of-hospital diabetes health management services to patients and their families, while also offering support to physicians.

In July 2013, Weitang secured RMB 4.5 million in angel funding from Amoeba Capital. In December 2014, Weitang completed its Series A financing round of USD 5 million, with Tongdu Venture Capital as the investor. In December 2015, Weitang raised tens of millions of US dollars in its Series B financing round, led by Yidu Cloud.

Online, WeTang comprises the “WeTang” platform for patients and their families, and the “WeTang Doctor” platform for healthcare professionals. Reportedly, WeTang has accumulated 2 million registered users. Currently, WeTang has partnered with 11,000 diabetes specialists across China.

The “Wei Tang” app features include online consultations with professional physicians, AI-powered low-sugar meal planning, blood glucose logging, condition analysis, exercise tracking, access to disease-related information, and social networking for individuals with diabetes. In addition to patients already diagnosed with diabetes, the app is also suitable for individuals at risk of developing diabetes and their family members. The platform allows users to link two accounts; for example, when a patient with diabetes measures their blood glucose levels, the data is transmitted in real time to the linked family member’s mobile device. If significant fluctuations in the patient’s blood glucose occur, an alert is sent to the family member’s phone, enabling children to monitor their elderly parents’ condition in real time.

“WeiTang Doctor” is a diabetes comprehensive management support software designed and developed for healthcare professionals, aiming to help them manage patients efficiently. After passing the online review of the WeiTang platform, healthcare professionals can utilize their fragmented time to provide consultation services to diabetic patients in need and earn additional income. Meanwhile, healthcare professionals can use data from their direct patients for medical research, thereby enhancing their clinical skills and increasing their professional reputation.

Ms. Feng Yanfei, CEO of WeiTang, stated that from online to offline, WeiTang has remained true to its original mission in product development: to help patients achieve stable blood glucose control and manage diabetes with ease.

Ms. Feng Yanfei, CEO of WeTang, Delivers a Keynote Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Diabetes Service Center

According to VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat), Weitang’s offline diabetes service centers provide services such as screening for diabetic complications, issuance and interpretation of complication risk assessment reports, and trials of medical wearable devices for patients with type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA), as well as individuals at high risk for diabetes. These services cannot be delivered through online channels alone. By integrating online and offline offerings, Weitang has established a closed-loop system for diabetes management.

The distinguishing feature of Weitang’s offline diabetes service centers is their ability to provide users with risk assessment reports for diabetic complications.WeiTang’s analytics system can calculate a user’s risk of developing high-risk complications, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure, within five years.

Mr. Huang Dacheng, President of WeTang Medical Services, stated, “The American Diabetes Association and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes jointly recommend that individuals with diabetes undergo a comprehensive diabetes risk assessment every 12 to 18 months. This protocol has undergone years of clinical trials in Hong Kong. Now, WeTang is the first to introduce this diabetes risk assessment program to China.”

It is understood that Weitang’s risk assessment engine has met the diabetes care standards established by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). Upon receiving a risk assessment report, users are provided with a precise, personalized treatment plan. A multidisciplinary medical team then adjusts the treatment regimen and assists patients in modifying their lifestyle, thereby helping individuals at high risk for diabetes and those already diagnosed to reduce the likelihood of future disease onset or complications.

WeiTang boasts a highly professional healthcare team, comprising specialist physicians who provide expert treatment plans, education nurses who conduct routine follow-ups and address common disease-related queries, and dietitians who design personalized dietary regimens and exercise programs. The platform assists users in managing diabetes through three key approaches: pharmacological therapy, health education, and lifestyle interventions.

Dr. Zhou Zhenzhong, Chief Medical Officer at WeTang, Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes and Head of the Department of Medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong, and Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, stated: “Education is the cornerstone of diabetes treatment. On this foundation, reliance on pharmacotherapy alone is insufficient; patients require comprehensive guidance and support in various aspects of daily life, including dietary planning, exercise regimens, and emotional management. Data indicate that, compared with conventional treatment approaches, the WeTang systematic management program significantly reduces the risk of kidney disease and severe complications in patients with type 2 diabetes.”

Regarding future plans, Ms. Feng Yanfei stated that the establishment of WeTang’s offline diabetes service center in Shanghai is just the beginning. A service center in Beijing is also in the planning stages and is expected to commence operations within the year. In the future, WeTang service centers will expand to cover large and medium-sized cities across China, providing targeted services for a broader range of diabetes patients. Meanwhile, WeTang’s offline centers are preparing to obtain clinic qualifications to offer medication and prescription services, thereby delivering more comprehensive, end-to-end health management solutions for users.