Natali Expands in China with Comprehensive Elderly Care and Telemedicine Solutions Following Acquisition by Sanpower Group

In January 2016, VCBeat’s Eggshell Research Institute released its first in-depth review titled “A Comprehensive Analysis of Asset-Light Entrepreneurial Models in Elderly Care.” In March, it published “A New Entrepreneurial Track Has Emerged: The Asset-Light Elderly Care Boom Is Here.” Starting this week, we will gradually roll out reports on startups operating in niche segments of the asset-light elderly care sector. This article is the first in the series.

On March 29, 2016 (Israel time), the Changzhou Municipal Government of Jiangsu Province signed a pilot cooperation agreement with Natali for remote ECG medical services, with the project to be specifically operated by Natali China.

In 2014, Sanpower Group acquired Natali, a professional healthcare and elderly care service provider in Israel, and jointly established “Natali (China) Elderly Care Services Co., Ltd.” with its controlled subsidiary, Nanjing Xinjiekou Department Store. In early 2016, the company announced its plan to acquire 100% equity of Natali Israel, implementing a comprehensive horizontal and vertical layout in the elderly care industry.

Natali, founded in 1991, is Israel’s largest private provider of home healthcare and elderly care services. It aims to deliver emergency rescue and first-aid medical services, telemedicine, smart home-care monitoring systems, and customized comprehensive home-based elderly care solutions. Currently, Natali’s home care services are utilized by over 10,000 institutions, 200,000 households, and 3 million users across Israel.

As Israel’s most recognized company for “healthcare solutions and emergency medical services,” Natali leverages innovative healthcare services powered by mobile internet, smart terminals, and big data analytics to provide comprehensive health and elderly care solutions—including video doctor consultations, remote health management, and intelligent home caregiving—to both household and corporate clients. Additionally, it offers premium elderly care users services such as medical security assurance, personalized care management, concierge services, and elite senior social networking.

Core businesses are health management and home-based elderly care.

After implementing its services in China, NataLi China’s core business focuses on health management and home-based elderly care, with its user base primarily concentrated among individuals aged 50 and above.

Health management services include telemedicine consultations, health check-ups, in-home medical care, expedited hospital admission channels, outpatient appointment services for critical illnesses, private physician services, and emergency rescue guidance. These offerings provide users with comprehensive medical care, helping to alleviate the mismatch between medical supply and patient demand. In its health management segment, Natalli China employs two business models: B2B2C and B2C. The B2B2C model involves partnering with enterprises to support employee health management, while the B2C model focuses on serving high-end clients as a private physician, providing premium companion care services. Currently, Natalli China’s platform has accumulated over 1.2 million users.

In the realm of home-based elderly care services, Natality China has drawn upon the home care solutions of its Israeli counterpart, Natality, to establish a home-based elderly care system tailored specifically for Chinese seniors. This system provides comprehensive services, including intelligent monitoring, telephonic wellness checks, ambulance fee reimbursement, housekeeping and maintenance services, telephone reminders for daily life information, and taxi booking assistance. Currently, Natality China’s elderly care services have been deployed in cities such as Shanghai, Wuxi, and Nanjing.

Furthermore, Natali China has partnered with civil affairs bureaus in select provinces to deliver in-home elderly care services within communities, with service arrangements already implemented across eight provinces nationwide.

Furthermore, Natalli China is collaborating with Vanke, Fosun, and other real estate developers to create senior living properties equipped with elderly care functionalities.

In the realm of comprehensive healthcare services, the company provides users with full-cycle medical services, including professional pre-hospital triage and guidance, in-hospital green channels and professional accompaniment, and post-hospital health care, thereby effectively addressing the pain points in healthcare service demands.

Natali China stated that its primary advantage lies in providing a one-stop solution that integrates all aspects of the elderly care sector. By thoroughly understanding the core needs of seniors, it addresses not only their physical health but also their psychological well-being and daily living requirements.

Israel’s Natalie Provides Technical Support to China, Preventing Waste of Public Medical Resources

In the remote ECG medical service collaboration between the Changzhou Municipal Government of Jiangsu Province and Natali, Israel’s Natali stated that it would provide technology and solutions to Natali (China), formulate operational protocols, and train staff, while the specific implementation and operations would be handled by Natali (China).

Integrated with China’s existing healthcare system, this project provides patients with a tripartite telemedicine service for remote ECG monitoring, encompassing at-home instant ECG monitoring, online real-time diagnosis, and offline expedited treatment. As a B2C telemedicine initiative, it has chosen remote ECG services as its pilot program, primarily because cardiovascular chronic diseases have become the leading cause of death among the Chinese population. These conditions are often highly insidious and sudden in onset, frequently leading to delays in medical diagnosis and treatment.

When cardiovascular patients perceive cardiac abnormalities, they do not need to visit a hospital. By wearing a “large glove”-shaped wearable device equipped with 12-lead diagnostic capabilities, they can obtain a professional medical electrocardiogram (ECG) within one minute. The data and monitoring results are transmitted directly to a cloud database. The Nattali (China) Call Center is responsible for 24/7 data monitoring and patient disease management, promptly forwarding patients’ ECG data to cardiologists. Based on clinical experience, the physicians determine whether the patient is experiencing a heart attack and whether immediate medical attention is required. If medical care is needed, backend staff will assist in providing emergency services, including calling the 120 emergency hotline and notifying emergency contacts. This service operates 24/7. Even during doctors’ off-hours, patients’ ECGs can be sent via the cloud platform to doctors’ mobile devices, ensuring that physicians are informed of the patient’s condition immediately and can make timely judgments, effectively providing each patient with a 24-hour personal physician.

Even on days when a patient’s heart condition appears stable, they are advised to undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG) once a month and upload the results to the local medical database for longitudinal storage, allowing physicians to access the data at any time. The remote ECG monitoring system not only enables timely cardiac monitoring for cardiovascular patients—preventing delays in treatment and ensuring prompt intervention during the critical window for rescue—but also serves as a screening tool. If physicians determine that the symptoms do not indicate an acute episode, patients can continue observation at home rather than visiting a hospital, thereby avoiding unnecessary inpatient costs and conserving public medical resources.

Jacob, Chief Medical Officer of Natalli, introduced that cumulative data over the years shows that through effective telemedicine services, 84% of users can confidently receive medical guidance at home, with hospitalization for further in-depth treatment required in only 16% of cases. Natalli is confident in replicating its years of experience in China. Natalli (China) stated that its services are primarily distributed across first-tier cities, with gradual expansion into second-tier cities underway. Currently, the organization has launched services in Shanghai, Wuxi, and Nanjing, and has established collaborations with multiple Grade A tertiary hospitals.

Text | Zheng Qi, Deng Xueyuan