Jinhua Tuo Integrates SaaS Platform with Physical TCM Clinics to Create a Fully Closed O2O Ecosystem

VCBeat article "“TCM + Internet” Comprehensive Review: The Paths Taken by 19 Successfully Funded Projects》mentions that among internet-based traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) projects that have secured financing, the majority adopt an O2O (Online-to-Offline) model. Jinhua Tuo, based in Guangzhou, is one such O2O TCM project encompassing three stages: pre-consultation (light consultations and physician appointment scheduling), during-consultation (in-person physician consultations), and post-consultation (health management). Currently, Jinhua Tuo leverages a SaaS platform to integrate with offline physical TCM clinics, thereby establishing a truly seamless O2O closed loop that merges online and offline services.

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From appointment scheduling, patient guidance and triage, initial in-person consultations, online follow-ups, doctor-patient interactions, continuous monitoring, information communities, to traditional Chinese medicine health records—all these features are available on Jin Huatuo.

Schematic Diagram of the Jin Huatuo Closed-Loop System

Jin Huatuo’s products are primarily divided into three parts: a WeChat Official Account for patients, a mobile app for doctors, and a SaaS platform that integrates with offline traditional Chinese medicine clinics.

On the patient side, users can access the service by following the “Jin Huatuo Medical Assistant” WeChat Official Account. On one hand, users can communicate and interact with doctors through the account; on the other hand, they can also purchase prescribed medications and buy services from the online health supplement store via the WeChat account.

Jin Huatuo Medical Assistant Interface

On the physician side, doctors can download the app to interact with patients, conduct post-consultation follow-ups, and establish Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) health records. Currently, Jin Huatuo has integrated a TCM knowledge base query function, pre-consultation appointment scheduling, and post-consultation follow-up management. It also features a case repository specifically tailored to the TCM apprenticeship system, enabling real-time image-and-text commentary and discussion of medical cases. Furthermore, based on individual TCM knowledge needs, it has established a collaborative community platform for TCM knowledge sharing.

Furthermore, a doctor-patient community is established between patients and physicians. Within this community, patients can access free consultations and telephone consultations with doctors, as well as opt for family doctor services. Specifically, users can first complete a constitution assessment via the “Imperial Physician Hall.” Based on the test results, they may then proceed with free consultations or purchase family doctor services to receive text-and-image-based and telephone consultations. After consulting with a physician, patients can rate the doctor, and each evaluation will impact the physician’s ranking in the interface.

After consultation, users can schedule in-person appointments with physicians, and these patients will undergo their initial diagnosis at offline TCM clinics. Jin Huatuo maintains that the initial consultation must be conducted in person, as only through face-to-face application of the traditional Chinese diagnostic methods of inspection, auscultation/olfaction, inquiry, and pulse-taking can therapeutic efficacy be ensured.

After the consultation, users can submit prescriptions and order medications through the “Yu Pharmacy” platform, with home delivery provided by the company. Services such as “customized herbal paste formulations” and “decoction services” are also offered to save users’ time.

Currently, in addition to the closed-loop information flow between users and doctors being fully integrated, financial transactions and logistics platforms have also been interconnected.

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For traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) services, the distinctive diagnostic approach of “inspection, auscultation and olfaction, inquiry, and palpation” makes in-person consultations an indispensable step. Consequently, Jin Huatuo plans to implement its TCM services in physical settings.

Addressing the pain points of inconsistent service standards and varying quality of experts in the current traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic market, Jin Huatuo believes that scaled operation and development are essential. “We aim to position Jin Huatuo as the Ctrip of the hotel industry and the Meituan of the food and beverage sector,” said Li Jiong. Given that the self-built model is asset-heavy and slow-growing, the company will use the Jin Huatuo TCM Experience Center as a prototype and flagship store, while integrating other TCM clinics through alternative approaches.

Jin Huatuo Traditional Chinese Medicine Experience Center

Li Jiong told VCBeat that traditional TCM clinics suffer from high operating costs, low repurchase rates, and high patient attrition. By joining the Jin Huatuo platform, these clinics have diversified their customer acquisition channels and established a comprehensive service system covering pre-consultation, consultation, and post-consultation stages. This helps retain patients and enhances bargaining power. Through collaborative development, the two parties have created a new model with folk TCM clinics as the foundation and the Jin Huatuo SaaS system as the backbone. Affiliate clinics are transformed through improvements in training programs, service models, management practices, and information systems. Meanwhile, the Jin Huatuo platform accumulates user data, medical case records, and physician evaluations, while also integrating payment processes to foster user stickiness. Revenue is generated through online TCM services, in-clinic TCM consultations, sales of TCM health products, and supply chain procurement commissions.

It is reported that the Jinhua Tuo Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Experience Hall is located in a bustling area of Jiangnan Avenue, Haizhu District, Guangzhou. Covering an area of 300 square meters, its pharmacy stocks more than 350 types of Chinese herbal medicines. In terms of medical staff allocation, the facility employs over 30 physicians at the attending level or above, including 8 chief physicians and 4 associate chief physicians. Two physicians are full-time employees, while the rest practice at the clinic on a part-time basis through multi-site practice arrangements.

Standardization of Traditional Chinese Medicine Terminology Adapted to the Internet Is the Starting Point for the Standardization of TCM

Standardizing TCM terminology is another goal of the Jin Huatuo team, who believe that such standardization will make it easier for traditional Chinese medicine to align with internet-enabled service workflows.

To address this issue, the Jin Huatuo team re-established the correspondence and associations between Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and international standards through an international medical terminology database, thereby achieving the standardization and digitalization of TCM. For instance, terms such as “insomnia” (“bu mei”), “light sleep” (“shao mei”), and “poor sleep quality” (“mian cha”) are automatically mapped to “insomnia.”

To this end, Jin Huatuo manually transcribed the full texts of four classic TCM works—Treatise on Cold Damage Disorders, Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor, Synopsis of Prescriptions of the Golden Chamber, and Systematic Differentiation of Warm Diseases—into a computer system. It integrated content from approximately 800 TCM books, 7,000 Chinese herbal medicines, 60,000 formulas, and 460 acupuncture points. This copyrighted TCM database was then deployed on the Jin Huatuo TCM Assistant platform, enabling free access to various TCM resources and establishing standards for both the company and its users. Currently, this functionality has been granted patent registration.

“Jin” signifies a gold-medal champion, while Hua Tuo is the most renowned figure in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The name “Jin Huatuo” embodies the team’s aspiration to establish their product as a benchmark in the field of TCM. Li Jiong explained that it was quite fortunate for the name “Jin Huatuo” to be retained, as, by a stroke of luck, the company name had already been successfully registered several years ago. Under current regulations, new companies are no longer permitted to register using the names of ancient historical figures.

Since its launch on September 1, the Jin Huatuo WeChat platform has amassed over 130,000 users, with a daily growth rate of 2,500. It is reported that the patient-side mobile app is currently under development.

In addition, the company is currently developing a wearable device, namely the 24-hour dynamic meridian monitor.

The Jin Huatuo team comprises 50 members, including 14 clinic staff. It has secured RMB 6 million in angel investment and is currently seeking pre-A round financing to expand its business into regions such as Beijing and Shanghai.

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