Infomate Files IPO to Expand Its Comprehensive Kidney Disease Management Platform Targeting China's Hemodialysis Blue Ocean Market
Hemodialysis is one of the renal replacement therapies for patients with acute and chronic renal failure. Japan’s blood purification technology has advanced rapidly, even surpassing that of Europe and the United States, and now stands at the forefront globally.
In contrast, China did not initiate hemodialysis treatment until the 1970s. Due to this late start, the overall level of care has lagged behind, with significant gaps compared to Japan in terms of therapeutic outcomes such as patient survival and quality of life. To address these healthcare deficiencies, Beijing Infomei Information Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Infomei”) took the lead in introducing Japan’s mature statistical models for hemodialysis in 2010. This initiative aimed to accelerate the level of domestic clinical research, achieve technological localization, and establish a national dialysis database.
Japanese Hemodialysis Model
Unlike startups, Infomed, founded in 2005, boasts over a decade of industry experience in the field of healthcare informatics. It has provided specialized information products and IT services to Fortune 500 companies such as Toshiba Medical and GE Healthcare. Leveraging its long-standing collaborative relationships with Japanese enterprises, Ms. Wang Wei, CEO of Infomed, had the privilege of meeting Mr. Takahiro Shinzato, a renowned dialysis expert from Japan. Subsequently, Infomed acquired the exclusive rights to Mr. Shinzato’s patented products—the Optimal Dialysis Treatment Model and Software—thereby securing the rights for sales, usage, naming, and further research and development in markets outside Japan.
Due to differences among countries, achieving internationalization for application software is challenging; therefore, Japanese software models cannot be directly transplanted and applied in China. The Japanese software model incorporates thirty years of patient hemodialysis data from 1968 to 1998. Building on this foundation, Infomedics conducted independent research and development over a period of three to four years, officially launching its patented product, the i-DiaPro Hemodialysis Electronic Medical Record system, in March 2014.
Ms. Wang Wei introduced that in 2010, there was a complete data vacuum in China’s hemodialysis field, with no electronic storage. Even hospitals with medical information systems generated substantial amounts of garbage data due to manual entry. To achieve precise data collection, Infomed decided to develop an electronic medical record system for hemodialysis.
This electronic medical record (EMR) system for hemodialysis, developed by Infomax with the Hemodialysis Center of the Air Force General Hospital as its R&D base, has been rigorously tested and refined through clinical application in the hemodialysis units of multiple renowned tertiary Grade A hospitals. It is a professional-grade product tailored for hemodialysis centers at all levels, covering the entire hemodialysis workflow. From pre-dialysis preparation and dialysis treatment to post-dialysis summary and data processing, it provides a one-stop solution for the quantification of hemodialysis treatment data.
Its key features are primarily as follows: automated treatment data acquisition, such as automatic collection of patient medical records, self-service upload of pre- and post-dialysis weight data, and automatic transmission of biochemical test results. This efficient, automated data capture eliminates manual entry, ensuring 100% data accuracy; comprehensive coverage of workflow functions, including patient registration, scheduling, consultation, monitoring, follow-up, archiving, billing, and query/analysis, enabling integrated end-to-end operations to reduce errors and risks; an innovative bedside workstation, with a dedicated device assigned to each dialysis station, allowing physicians to conveniently place orders, execute instructions, and review records at any time; and full-spectrum data applications, encompassing dialysis cost statistics, quality control compliance metrics, trend analysis, and treatment phase summaries.
i-DiaPro Comprehensive Data Management Platform for Blood Purification
It can be said that Infomei seized a highly opportune moment. In 2014, China’s internet healthcare sector experienced explosive growth, and the digitalization of medical data received significant attention. “Infomei was the first company in China to implement automated data collection in the field of hemodialysis. The automated capture of electronic medical records for hemodialysis through i-DiaPro truly enables precise data acquisition. This constitutes the core value of our first-generation product,” Ms. Wang Wei told VCBeat.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, there are currently only about 290,000 dialysis-registered patients in China, with an annual growth rate of 25%. Based on an annual dialysis cost of RMB 60,000 to 70,000 per patient, the market size for hemodialysis in China is merely RMB 20 billion. However, according to statistical data from the Chinese Society of Nephrology of the Chinese Medical Association in 2014, the potential population with kidney disease in China is as high as 120 million, indicating that the theoretical market capacity is at least RMB 100 billion. This is also a significant reason why Infomed is focusing its efforts on the vast blue ocean of the nephrology vertical sector.
Currently, the first-generation i-DiaPro electronic medical record (EMR) product for hemodialysis has been launched nationwide in China, deployed in more than 20 Grade A tertiary hospitals across over 10 provinces and municipalities. In the future, Infome plans to expand its presence to additional provinces and municipalities.
2B+2C, Full Product Line Coverage
Yingfumei focuses on the specialized vertical field of comprehensive kidney diseases, aiming to build a 360° all-encompassing data management platform. In addition to the electronic medical record (EMR) system for hemodialysis, it has concurrently developed EMR systems for peritoneal dialysis and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Together, these three components form the i-DiaPro Integrated Data Management Platform for Blood Purification.
The development of three distinct electronic medical record (EMR) systems is driven by the fact that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is treated with three primary modalities: hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). In clinical practice, these three methods can be used in combination based on the patient’s actual condition. If a hospital procures the i-DiaPro Integrated Data Management Platform for Blood Purification, patient data can be consolidated regardless of the treatment modality employed. This integration facilitates efficient referrals among the hospital’s three major dialysis services, enables medical record sharing, supports data queries, and streamlines quality control reporting, while simultaneously meeting clinical needs for patient-centered statistical analysis.
i-DiaPro Integrated Solution for Blood Purification Information Management
In addition to its in-hospital i-DiaPro integrated informatics solution for blood purification, Infomed has established a national collaborative platform for blood purification quality control centers. Currently, only over 4,000 hemodialysis centers in China are affiliated with public hospitals, which is far insufficient to meet the substantial dialysis needs of patients. Consequently, China has gradually relaxed licensing requirements for private hemodialysis services and encouraged the establishment of independent hemodialysis centers by the market. For companies to truly capitalize on this opportunity, the most effective approach is to forge partnerships with hospitals, either by funding the establishment of new centers or contracting existing ones. Furthermore, a critical success factor is maintaining strong communication and relationships with government authorities. Therefore, Infomed offers its blood purification quality control center collaborative platform as a value-added service, provided free of charge to local quality control centers across the country. This strategy also facilitates the nationwide promotion of the complete i-DiaPro blood purification system to healthcare institutions.
The establishment of a national quality control center collaboration platform for blood purification was also driven by policy requirements. As early as 2011, the Ministry of Health included uremia in the coverage of critical illness medical insurance, leading to a surge in the number of patients undergoing hemodialysis. The Ministry of Health projected that by 2020, the proportion of healthcare expenditures allocated to hemodialysis would rise from the current 5.1% to 6.5%–7%, and the overall reimbursement rate for uremia treatment would increase to 90%. To this end, the National Health and Family Planning Commission has been annually compiling hemodialysis case data from medical institutions across various regions.
Previously, dialysis centers manually entered data for reporting, making human errors unavoidable. However, the hemodialysis quality control management platform developed by Infomed enables healthcare institutions and dialysis centers to achieve one-click automatic uploading, provided that each medical facility first installs the i-DiaPro Integrated Blood Purification Data Management Platform. With Infomed’s electronic medical record (EMR) client, hospitals at all levels can easily upload electronically stored data to the quality control center, where it is aggregated and organized before being finally submitted to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.
This one-click upload feature not only enhances the quality of medical record registration data submitted to quality control centers, but also improves the quality control and management standards for regional blood purification. It provides accurate data support for government decision-making and clinical research, while helping hospitals reduce medical risks.
If the i DiaPro software system is primarily targeted at hospitals (B-side), then the Yaoguo Doctor APP is a follow-up system developed for patients (C-side).
As China’s first follow-up app for kidney disease, Yaoguo Doctor establishes a doctor-patient communication platform that bridges care both inside and outside the hospital. It integrates a nephrology drug dictionary containing medication information related to kidney diseases, covering professional knowledge on all common chronic conditions, various types of nephritis, syndromes, and renal failure. On the platform, physicians can conduct follow-up assessments of patients anytime and anywhere, freely customize questionnaire templates suitable for all forms of chronic kidney disease, input selections, recognize laboratory test data, and easily complete follow-up tasks. Meanwhile, the system itself performs multi-dimensional statistical analysis of the data, providing support for scientific research and policy formulation.
Cashew Doctor APP
In the future, the development goal of the Cashew Doctor APP is to provide electronic medical record systems for nephrology outpatient follow-up to 5,000 general hospitals, offer cloud hospital services for kidney diseases and electronic prescription services for physician consultations to 100 million patients with chronic kidney disease, provide online skills training for healthcare professionals specializing in kidney diseases, and deliver annual data analysis services to relevant institutions.
Through a series of product lines, including the first-generation integrated data management platform for blood purification, the upcoming second-generation intelligent product for auxiliary diagnosis of kidney disease, the China Blood Purification Quality Control Center collaboration platform, and the Yaoguo Doctor APP, Infomei has established a complete product chain, achieving full-process management of kidney disease. Ms. Wang Wei introduced that the entire system is expected to be replicated in other departments such as endocrinology and hematology in the future. Since these related departments can share the same database, the model transfer will be rapid.
Since the launch of Infumei’s software platform last March, the company has secured RMB 10 million in individual angel investment to date. However, with over 4,000 hemodialysis centers across China and a direct sales team of only 15 members, the company plans to expand its reach into more provinces, particularly targeting authoritative hospitals that can serve as demonstration sites. Furthermore, due to the slow capital recovery cycle typical of medical products, the company needs to raise additional financing to accelerate market penetration and scale up product promotion. Ms. Wang Wei stated, “We are confident that once hospitals use Infumei’s products, they will recognize their quality.”
Emphasis on User Experience
Enhancing user experience has always been the relentless pursuit of internet companies. A study by an institution on overseas startups valued at $1 billion identified five common traits, three of which were related to user experience: enabling consumers to embrace superior product experiences; reshaping rather than disrupting customer experiences; and building user moats, among others. This demonstrates that most high-potential companies do not focus on creating products from scratch, but rather on continuous improvement to deliver products that satisfy users.
Ms. Wang Wei recalled that, in order to ensure the product fully aligned with the clinical workflows of doctors and nurses, two core team members initially donned white coats and were stationed daily in the hemodialysis unit of the Air Force General Hospital. They assisted medical staff while carefully observing and studying their practices through hands-on experience. “Perhaps influenced by Japanese corporate culture, our team maintains a meticulous work style and pursues an ultimate user experience.”
Unlike project-based software, Infomed has positioned itself for product-level R&D from the outset. The core team designed the product from scratch, conducting comprehensive surveys to understand diverse market needs, followed by specific implementation and localization adjustments in hospitals. As a universal solution catering to all hospitals and application scenarios, it features comprehensiveness and foresight in its architecture and database design, enabling replication across different hospitals.
After product development was completed, the team conducted a pre- and post-implementation efficiency comparison at partner hospitals. Previously, managing the hemodialysis treatment workflow for one shift—including patient reception, dialysis documentation, consumables management, billing, and medical record registration—required one full day per month. With the adoption of the i-DiaPro solution, this time has been reduced from one day to just 15 minutes, effectively alleviating the burden of tedious manual tasks for healthcare professionals.
As the core team consists of IT developers with no medical background, the critical challenge lies in rapidly mastering professional medical knowledge to transform from laypersons into experts. To address this, Ms. Wang Wei required the R&D staff to “be resilient and diligent, thoroughly understand all medical terminology used by physicians, and grasp the true meaning behind every statement they make. Only in this way can our software products meet medical standards and earn the recognition and trust of doctors.” Achieving this requires not only strong learning abilities but also a shift in mindset. It is essential to think from the physician’s perspective, engage in self-directed learning, and build rapport through actions that encourage doctors to communicate more openly, thereby accurately identifying the pain points of healthcare professionals. If IT personnel lack a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and fail to establish mutual trust with physicians, it will be impossible to develop truly valuable products that effectively address medical challenges.