M&S: A Remote Medical Imaging Platform Centered on Integrated Diagnostic and Treatment Services
Unlike existing remote image interpretation platforms on the market, the app developed by M&S not only provides image interpretation services but also offers post-interpretation diagnosis and treatment services for patients. The latter is precisely a major advantage of M&S and a service not available on other similar platforms.
According to Fang Yandong, founder of M&S, image interpretation services that do not include diagnostic opinions are essentially meaningless to patients. If experts fail to provide treatment plans, the information received by patients is of no practical value. On the other hand, if diagnostic specialists offer remote image interpretation and treatment recommendations, but the treatment plan is implemented by local physicians where the patient resides, liability cannot be clearly determined in the event of a medical adverse incident.
M&S seeks to mitigate the issue of indeterminate liability in the event of medical incidents through several measures. On one hand, following a remote consultation, if the local physician concurs with and can implement the treatment recommendations provided by the specialist, the diagnosis will be made and the treatment administered by the local physician, with the specialist’s advice serving solely as a reference. On the other hand, if the local physician is unable to carry out the specialist’s diagnostic recommendations, the patient will be directly referred to a tertiary hospital for diagnosis and treatment by the specialist in person. In this manner, both diagnosis and treatment are performed by the patient’s attending physician, thereby eliminating ambiguity in assigning liability should a medical adverse event occur.
During his market research, Fang Yandong found that although many county-level hospitals have established telemedicine consultation centers with local tertiary hospitals or with tertiary hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou—with some even operating multiple such centers—the actual utilization rate remains very low. “First, patients lack awareness of these services. Second, the process is cumbersome for physicians. Imaging data cannot be transmitted automatically and must be entered manually; patients’ electronic medical records cannot be imported automatically either, forcing doctors to perform redundant tasks. The biggest issue is that specialists at the backend cannot respond in real time, review images online, or access case histories promptly, leading to further delays.”
Around the Dragon Boat Festival this year, Fang Yandong traveled to Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, where he spent a week collaborating with his partner to develop the business plan for M&S. This was followed by intensive preparation efforts. The name “M&S” is derived from the initials of the English phrase “Medical Services,” which also corresponds to the pinyin initials of its Chinese name, “Meishi” (没事). While “Medical Services” literally refers to healthcare services, it can also be interpreted as medical science. Most importantly, the Chinese term “Meishi,” meaning “no problem” or “all is well,” conveys the reassuring message that patients are already halfway to recovery once they feel at ease. Therefore, it is essential for everyone to maintain confidence in overcoming disease.
M&S aims to provide patients with a comprehensive, one-stop healthcare service platform, primarily designed to address the medical needs of certain patient populations in primary care hospitals. These patients typically fall into two categories: those who, after undergoing initial examinations at local hospitals, require remote consultations to determine diagnoses and treatment plans or need referral to higher-level hospitals due to limited local diagnostic or therapeutic capabilities; and those whose conditions have stabilized following treatment at tertiary hospitals and who require ongoing follow-up care and post-operative daily monitoring in their local communities.
Under the traditional model, patients often seek out specialists across multiple institutions during their medical journey. However, imaging results obtained at one hospital are typically only accessible within that institution, and physicians at other hospitals may not recognize or accept these findings. Furthermore, county-level, township-level, and prefecture-level hospitals face inherent challenges in primary image interpretation, characterized by low diagnostic accuracy and significant variability. The lack of information and resource sharing among hospitals leads to limited treatment options, incomplete disease analysis, and the inability to involve more suitable medical interventions and healthcare professionals. Consequently, patients’ healthcare needs remain unmet, leading to distrust in local and county-level hospitals and a subsequent shift toward large tertiary hospitals, thereby exacerbating the patient burden on Grade A tertiary hospitals.
On one hand, M&S provides patients in primary care hospitals with access to remote expert diagnoses; on the other hand, it enables specialists at major hospitals to earn legitimate income through medical services. Meanwhile, physicians at local hospitals can rapidly enhance their clinical proficiency via this platform. Furthermore, local hospitals can retain a significant portion of their patient base—specifically those not requiring referral and those undergoing post-diagnosis rehabilitation—thereby safeguarding hospital revenue.
Partnering with Multiple Stakeholders
Fang Yandong is the founder and chairman of M&S. The strategic partners and co-founders of M&S include: Dr. Li Hao’s team from the Beijing Cardiovascular Physicians Group, Dr. Sun Hongtao’s team from Fuwai Hospital, Song Yanliang, President of Shandong Global Pharmaceutical; Lv Jiang, President of Jinma Yangming Information Technology Co., Ltd.; Mao Chengbin, Chairman of China Zhizhi Capital Group Co., Ltd.; Gu Qinggang from Microsoft Big Data; Bai Xiaobao, a top expert in image processing and internet technologies; and Ms. Kong Lingxuan, a senior executive in the financial sector.
The healthcare scenario envisioned by Fang Yandong, founder of M&S, is as follows:
M&S Platform Operation Flowchart
Patients download the app provided by M&S, tap “Appointment Registration” on their mobile device, and then fill in details such as symptoms, name, age, gender, home address, contact person, medical history, allergy history, and current medications. Based on the information entered, the app recommends physicians from relevant departments in the patient’s local area. After selecting a physician, the patient can proceed to pay and schedule the appointment.
After the appointment registration is confirmed, the app will provide the patient with appointment details, including the scheduled time, the attending physician’s profile, areas of expertise, contact number, and outpatient schedule. The patient then visits the hospital where the appointment was made and locates the designated physician.
Physicians at regional hospitals prescribe diagnostic protocols, under which patients undergo corresponding imaging, biochemical, and pathological examinations. The relevant test results are promptly synchronized to the cloud platform, allowing patients to view them on their mobile devices. Additionally, these results are simultaneously displayed on the handheld terminals of outpatient physicians, enabling timely follow-up on patient information. In cases where local physicians cannot establish a definitive diagnosis or determine subsequent treatment plans, clinicians may communicate with the patient to initiate remote consultation. This process requires an application by the local physician and authorization from the patient via their mobile device.
Upon receiving the request, remote experts can access patient imaging and review medical records in real time on the platform. Leveraging their clinical expertise, they generate diagnostic reports and provide treatment recommendations to local physicians.
Subsequently, based on the patient’s specific condition, local physicians presented appropriate treatment options: either receiving care locally or undergoing treatment at the hospital where the remote consultation experts are based. If the patient opts for surgery performed by the specialists, a green channel for referral between the local hospital and the tertiary hospital will be activated and monitored. This facilitates streamlined administrative procedures for the patient’s transfer to the tertiary hospital, ensuring timely treatment.
After transfer, the patient’s treatment progress, medication regimen, surgical plan, and postoperative outcomes at the tertiary hospital are synchronized to the cloud. Local physicians can access this information via the backend system, facilitating seamless review of patient data and continuity of care when the patient is transferred back to the local hospital for follow-up treatment.
Meanwhile, the app must also connect with community healthcare institutions where patients reside, enabling cloud-based storage and transmission of postoperative daily medication guidance, physiological data monitoring, rehabilitation training progress, remote monitoring data from wearable devices, and health education records.
It is reported that M&S’s software platform is currently under development and is expected to be officially launched by the end of this year. Fang Yandong stated that, in accordance with the project’s development plan, M&S is currently seeking RMB 30 million in financing. The funds will be used for platform system development; sales and marketing operations; building a 24/7 around-the-clock service operations team; developing a mobile app to enhance user experience; collaborating with and contracting top-tier domestic experts; providing high-end internet-based diagnostic services; enabling high-speed sorting and push delivery of backend data; and strengthening system security safeguards, among other purposes.
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