Proposal by Fosun Chairman Guo Guangchang: Advancing Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment through the 'Internet Hospital' Model

According to official announcements from Fosun Group, Guo Guangchang, Chairman of Fosun Group, submitted five proposals during the Two Sessions, covering areas such as internet hospitals, tiered diagnosis and treatment, and specialized pediatric medical services. As a major investor in WeDoctor Group—the operator of Wuzhen Internet Hospital—Fosun Group has demonstrated its strong commitment to the development of internet-based healthcare. VCBeat has compiled and summarized Mr. Guo’s proposals.

Five Professional Proposals

According to Fosun’s official announcement, Guo Guangchang submitted a total of five proposals, namely:

Proposal on Enhancing Total Factor Productivity by Leveraging the Development of a “Smart Economy”

Proposal on Leveraging the Role of Private Enterprises in Industry Introduction for Poverty Alleviation

Proposal on Upgrading the Overseas Investment Insurance System to Version 2.0

Proposal on Promoting Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment in China through the “Internet Hospital” Model

Proposal on Establishing a Multi-tiered Specialized Medical Service System for Children

We will focus on the proposals regarding internet hospitals.

Guo Guangchang: Proposal on Advancing Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment in China through the “Internet Hospital” Model

Proposal Overview

On April 1, 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued instructions at the 11th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensive Deepening Reforms, stating: “Establish a healthcare service system with rational distribution and collaborative division of labor, and create a tiered diagnosis and treatment pattern.” However, relying solely on existing traditional offline reforms to achieve an orderly and stratified healthcare-seeking pattern among the public is clearly “insufficient in strength and influence.” Therefore, against the backdrop of the nation’s comprehensive promotion of the “Internet Plus” strategy, leveraging the internet to facilitate the implementation of the “tiered diagnosis and treatment system” represents an inevitable trend and opportunity that cannot be overlooked.

Meanwhile, China has already seen numerous innovative “Internet Plus Healthcare” initiatives, such as the “Wuzhen Internet Hospital” model highlighted at the World Internet Conference. Research indicates that the Wuzhen Internet Hospital model effectively establishes a virtual network that integrates with existing medical and pharmaceutical resources, as well as future resources including health insurance coverage and diagnostic services, thereby creating a model that closely combines online collaboration with offline practice. Evidence further demonstrates that this platform has facilitated more convenient connections between patients and physicians, provided a more transparent mechanism for recognizing physicians’ professional value, revitalized the long-stalled policy on multi-site practice, and initially resolved many longstanding challenges.

Therefore, it is recommended that relevant authorities intensify research, support, and promotion of the “Internet Hospital” model, building upon existing cases. This entails, on one hand, disseminating the experience gained from successful pilot programs in regions where conditions are mature, while establishing regulatory frameworks and policy guidance to address challenges associated with “Internet Plus” healthcare services, such as online consultations and e-prescriptions. On the other hand, it is advisable for relevant departments to coordinate efforts and pioneer initiatives in areas including online medical insurance services and online pharmaceutical services (such as online reimbursement for medicines covered by medical insurance). Furthermore, leveraging the infrastructure of Internet Hospitals, relevant authorities should integrate superior social resources to establish a “Standardized Precision Medicine Big Data Platform.” This will accelerate the practical application of precision medicine, ensuring its benefits reach the public at an earlier stage, and provide patients with targeted, personalized diagnostic and treatment services as well as guidance on tiered diagnosis and treatment.

Proposal Basis

Since the launch of the new healthcare reform in 2009, we have entered its eighth year. We have made notable progress in expanding health insurance coverage, building the drug supply system, and advancing public health reforms. However, it should also be recognized that during the past seven years of implementation, many policy objectives have advanced very slowly, and in some cases, there have even been regressions. These challenges include uneven distribution of medical resources, high costs and difficulties in accessing care at large urban hospitals, underutilization of some primary healthcare institutions, unprecedented intensification of doctor-patient conflicts, and low operational efficiency.

On April 1, 2015, General Secretary Xi Jinping issued directives at the 11th meeting of the Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms, stating: “Establish a healthcare service system with rational distribution and collaborative division of labor, and create a tiered diagnosis and treatment pattern.” “Without comprehensive health, there can be no comprehensive well-off society.” Relying solely on existing traditional offline reforms to achieve an orderly, tiered healthcare-seeking pattern among the public is clearly “insufficient in strength.” Therefore, against the backdrop of the nation’s comprehensive promotion of the “Internet Plus” strategy, leveraging the internet to facilitate the implementation of the “tiered diagnosis and treatment system” represents an inevitable trend and opportunity that cannot be overlooked.

From July to September 2015, the State Council issued two “Guiding Opinions” within three months that were closely related to leveraging “Internet Plus” to promote healthcare reform: the Guiding Opinions on Actively Promoting the “Internet Plus” Action and the Guiding Opinions on Advancing the Construction of a Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment System. These documents proposed: “Develop internet-based medical and health services, give full play to information technologies such as the internet and big data in the tiered diagnosis and treatment system, and clearly and actively explore applications of online medical and health services, including extended internet-based medical orders and electronic prescriptions.” The above content became the common focus of both documents, providing a policy basis for building a platform to promote tiered diagnosis and treatment through new internet-driven models.

Building on this policy foundation, China has already seen numerous innovative “Internet + Healthcare” initiatives, such as the “Wuzhen Internet Hospital” model highlighted at the World Internet Conference. Research indicates that the Wuzhen Internet Hospital model establishes a virtual network that integrates existing medical and pharmaceutical resources, as well as future resources including health insurance coverage and diagnostic services, thereby creating a model that closely combines online collaboration with offline operations. Evidence further shows that this platform has facilitated more convenient connections between patients and physicians, provided a more transparent and legitimate avenue for realizing physicians’ professional value, revitalized the long-stalled multi-site practice policy, and achieved preliminary solutions to many longstanding challenges.

Proposed Measures

In summary, it is recommended that relevant authorities intensify research, support, and promotion of the “Internet Hospital” model, building upon existing cases.

1. Accelerate the promotion of the “Wuzhen Internet Hospital” model in regions where conditions are ripe. Given that the Wuzhen Internet Hospital has received special policy approvals within the Wuzhen Internet Innovation Development Pilot Zone and has made breakthroughs in addressing key industry issues such as “online consultation” and “online prescribing,” this platform demonstrates high value for utilization and replication. Efforts should be made to collaborate with hospitals in more regions with mature conditions, connecting more hospitals and physicians online to achieve scale in online consultations and effectively implement tiered diagnosis and treatment.

2. Although internet-based healthcare is currently experiencing a surge in popularity, public engagement remains low, largely because medical insurance does not yet cover online medical services. To address this issue and in light of the future internet hospital model, it is recommended that relevant authorities coordinate comprehensive efforts to pioneer initiatives in areas such as online medical insurance services and online pharmaceutical services (including online reimbursement for insured medications).

3. Building on the foundation of internet hospitals, it is recommended that relevant authorities integrate superior social resources to establish a “Unified Standard Big Data Platform for Precision Medicine.” This initiative aims to accelerate the practical application of precision medicine, ensuring its benefits reach the public at an early stage, and provide patients with targeted, personalized diagnostic and therapeutic services along with guidance on tiered diagnosis and treatment. Through these measures, the equity, accessibility, and advancement of healthcare will be enhanced, while the incidence and mortality rates of major diseases, as well as medical costs, will be reduced.

Source: Fosun People's Daily