Kan Zhongyi Leverages TCM Big Data to Build a '360 Health Guardian' for the Human Body
He may be the first founder to deliver a project pitch from the stage while wearing a hospital gown.
Since securing RMB 50 million in Series A financing in December 2015, Luo Feng, as Founder and CEO, has led the Kan Zhongyi team in diligently refining its product. The team has launched features such as physical examination reports, online consultations, and prescription photography with medication dispensing services; optimized the user interface; formulated future product development roadmaps; and enhanced electronic health record functionalities. Each new feature release and every app version update stands as a testament to the team’s relentless hard work.
On June 1, “See a TCM Doctor” visited Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and hosted a keynote speech event titled “The Explosive Growth of Internet Healthcare: How Traditional Chinese Medicine Can Stand Out.”
Just prior to this, Luo Feng was hospitalized due to an acute attack of appendicitis caused by work-related stress.
At the conference, Luo Feng, despite being injured, shared with the students of Beijing University of Chinese Medicine the path to the revival of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in the era of mobile internet. In essence, this was also a review of the developmental journey of “Kan Zhongyi.”
Kan Zhongyi Founder and CEO Luo Feng
From Luo Feng’s perspective, the purpose of entrepreneurship boils down to two objectives: addressing “immediate practical concerns” and pursuing “poetry and distant horizons.” The former refers to solving existing problems and providing convenience for users, while the latter entails tackling long-standing pain points within the industry.
Clearly, Luo Feng wants both to resolve the “immediate hardships” and to possess “poetry and distant horizons.”
“Although the TCM market in Beijing is substantial, the income of TCM practitioners is only 40% that of their Western medicine counterparts. Our primary objective is to address the industry’s survival challenges; we must first ensure the financial stability and improve the quality of life for these TCM practitioners, and then enhance the quality of their services.”
Currently, the goal of “Consulting TCM Practitioners” has been largely achieved. According to data provided by Luo Feng to VCBeat, the “Consulting TCM Practitioners” platform boasts over 1,600 service-providing physicians, more than 200,000 app downloads, over 500 daily orders, and upwards of 30,000 active users. Each order ensures that physicians receive compensation commensurate with the value of their services.
“We are pleased to see a decline in the product’s repurchase rate,” Luo Feng told VCBeat. As of 2016, the repurchase rate for the “TCM Consultation” product line has decreased and currently stands at around 40%, which precisely demonstrates an improvement in service quality. “In healthcare services, repurchase rate is not a key metric; every patient hopes that the doctor they visit this time will resolve their health issue so that they never need to see that doctor again.” Compared with repurchase rate, Luo Feng places greater emphasis on the cure rate of medical services.
However, while the repurchase rate declined, user engagement with the “See a TCM Doctor” app actually increased, primarily driven by the launch of its personal health management features.
In the future, while enhancing its own services, "Seeing a TCM Doctor" will also create a virtual environment to foster trust between patients and physicians, aiming to provide users with a safe medical experience and enable doctors to earn income with greater dignity.
“The best physician treats the disease before it arises.”
“This is the most frequently heard phrase within the TCM community. In today’s society, superior physicians who can prevent diseases before they manifest are more indispensable than ever.”
As work-related stress intensifies, the number of individuals in China experiencing suboptimal health has been consistently rising rapidly. Symptoms such as chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, and short-term memory decline are increasingly prevalent. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is well-positioned to provide health management services for this population, thereby helping to prevent the onset of disease.
On the “Kan Zhongyi” app, the human health management feature resembles the interface of “360 Security Guard,” allowing users to view various physiological parameters and a health assessment score. When any value exceeds the warning threshold, the corresponding body part is highlighted in red to alert the user.
Viewing the Interface of a Traditional Chinese Medicine App
Currently, user health data primarily originates from the following sources:
1. Collected through users’ online responses to relevant questions;
2. Collected via smart wearable devices;
3. Collected through in-person physician consultations.
Currently, the “TCM Consultation” question bank comprises over 500 questions, enabling the collection of 1,200 health-related data points from patients and the assessment of 96 common sub-health symptoms. It also provides predictive analysis for 10 types of sub-health conditions and early warning alerts for four common diseases. As the product continues to be refined, the associated data is being continuously expanded and updated.
On the hardware front, data from commonly available devices on the market, such as fitness bands, can be shared via the “Kan Zhongyi” app.
For “consulting a TCM practitioner,” the primary method of data collection remains physician-led consultations. “During the consultation, physicians select options within their dedicated app to complete data entry,” Luo Feng told VCBeat. He noted that, on one hand, data collected under physician supervision tends to be more accurate; on the other hand, this approach is currently the most widely adopted method for data collection.
It is reported that in February 2016, “Kan Zhongyi” began piloting mobile clinic services. Companies can book doctors for on-site consultations in team units. While providing services to employees, the doctors also create individual health records for each employee. These records are shared with the company’s human resources department and simultaneously accumulated as personal user data within the product platform. Currently, mobile clinics account for 70% of Kan Zhongyi’s business volume.
In addition, “Kan Zhongyi” has also partnered with the government to provide in-home TCM consultation services for elderly residents in the community.
Beijing Shengren Jifang Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Outpatient Clinic serves as the offline “base” for “Kan Zhongyi.” As an offline TCM medical institution, Shengren Jifang holds operational qualifications for TCM practices and operates under the regulatory framework applicable to TCM medical institutions. Moreover, most of its physicians come from formal medical institutions affiliated with the National Health and Family Planning Commission. Currently, nearly 300 TCM practitioners licensed to practice in Beijing are affiliated with this medical institution through “Kan Zhongyi.”
Visit a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Clinic in Person
As the legal representative of Beijing Shengren Jifang Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Outpatient Department, an offline TCM medical institution, and “Kan Zhongyi,” a mobile healthcare platform, Luo Feng maintains stringent requirements for physicians’ service orientation and technical competence. Physicians are permitted to practice only after completing professional training in service standards and passing assessments of their clinical skills. This rigorous approach also serves to endorse the safety of the platform’s services.
Furthermore, “Kan Zhongyi” has currently integrated its outpatient services with its mobile app, enabling users to complete a closed-loop experience that includes booking doctors for home visits or in-person consultations, filling prescriptions online, and having medications delivered to their doorsteps.
It is understood that the offline TCM clinics under “Kan Zhongyi” also stock more than 1,000 types of Chinese herbal medicines, over 300 of which are sourced directly from their regions of origin. The company collaborates with the best local Chinese herbal medicine processing facilities to ensure product quality. “When combined with patient traffic at the offline TCM clinics, monthly revenue from the clinics alone can reach RMB 1 million to 2 million.”
Currently, Kan Zhongyi is undergoing its next round of financing.
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IV. Dajia TCM: Building an Essential Tool for TCM Practitioners with Big Data
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