ZhenLiPai and XingRen Doctor: Leading Physician-Focused Apps File IPO Prospectus

Since the rise of mobile health applications in 2012, medical apps have gradually become indispensable health tools for the public. To date, there are more than 2,000 healthcare and medical apps in China, with those targeting general public health constituting a significant majority. So, how many apps are specifically designed to serve physicians?

Doctors are constantly spinning like tops as they rush between departments every day. If mobile health products can offer time-saving features and rapid diagnostic capabilities, thereby alleviating the strain of scarce medical resources and enabling patients in need to access quick consultations, doctors will undoubtedly embrace these tools wholeheartedly.

According to statistics from VCBeat’s Internet Healthcare Research Institute, there are currently over 100 physician-specific apps in China. Their most prominent feature is helping to improve physicians’ efficiency. The institute’s analysis reveals that their functionalities are primarily concentrated in the following areas:

Since physician-specific apps constitute a highly specialized niche, related keywords have not yet been indexed in the Baidu Index. According to official data from the 2013 Statistical Bulletin on the Development of China’s Health and Family Planning Services, there were approximately 2.795 million licensed (assistant) physicians in China, a figure that does not include other healthcare workers. Whether the limited adoption of these apps stems from their inability to meet physicians’ needs or from insufficient promotion remains unclear. By examining the distribution of key features among domestic and international physician-specific apps, we may find some answers. This article will also analyze one or two representative applications from each of five major categories.

Product Features — Centered on Patient Management

In statistical analyses, physician-specific apps are primarily categorized into five major groups: doctor-patient communication, medical information, patient management, electronic medical records (EMR), and physician communities. Their detailed functions are mainly distributed across 15 areas, with the top three most favored by developers being: patient information notes within patient management, text/image- and voice-based consultations within doctor-patient communication, and medical news within medical information.

Usage of Apps by Doctors Abroad Based onHealthTap’s Previously Released Survey Report, the physician-specific app features favored by doctors mainly focus on eight areas, including clinical guidelines, with clinical guidelines receiving strong support from physicians. HealthTap did not include doctor-patient communication functions in this list; VCBeat speculates that because HealthTap’s core product focuses on online consultations and doctor-patient communication, it omitted such apps from the survey to avoid any appearance of bias.

Core Product Analysis: The product's functionality is characterized by specialization and targeted application.

1. Data Layer Comparison (Selecting representative apps with high download rankings from the market, categorized into five major groups)

2. Comparison of Functional Layers

Due to the differing attributes of the five major categories, we will conduct the analysis solely from a functional perspective:

Doctor-Patient Communication:In this app statistics report, most physician-specific apps offer doctor-patient communication features. However, such interactions must prioritize consultation quality; otherwise, they risk becoming superficial, "fast-food" style exchanges, yielding half the results with twice the effort. Improving consultation quality not only helps drive patient traffic to hospitals but also serves as an effective strategy for building physicians’ personal brands.

Patient Management:The vast majority of apps offer management features such as patient appointment scheduling and data annotations. It is recommended to provide personalized, department-specific management to ensure clarity at a glance.

Medical Information:Expand and broaden the scope by incorporating the latest domestic and international advancements, expert lectures, case discussions, conference reports, and product updates. Continuous exchange fosters in-depth dialogue and development. Examples include comprehensive coverage of “Drug Information” within subcategories and timely updates to “Clinical Guidelines.”

Physician Community:In addition to basic article and feed browsing, users can share their own insights and spark discussions by posing questions, thereby enhancing user engagement with the app.

Electronic Medical Record:The electronic medical record (EMR) modules in current apps are primarily used for rapid documentation, intelligent recognition, convenient follow-up, and cloud-based collaboration, yet they rarely address the “Problem List,” a critical component of patient records. Developing this feature would help prioritize clinical information based on its importance.

Furthermore,, although the current download volumes for the Zhenlipai and Xingren Yisheng apps are not particularly outstanding, they can still be considered major players.

Dr. 2, the founder of Zhenlipai, has provided industry observations that serve as an introductory guide for many seeking to understand entrepreneurship in the internet healthcare sector. Zhenlipai aims toProvide a one-stop integrated solution for medical professionals, covering medical education and research, team collaboration, and leisure and entertainment.The features involved include case collection, patient management, image and text recognition, literature retrieval, medical videos, and medical forums. According to information released by Dr.2, they will undertake several additional initiatives this year, namely open-sourcing their code, providing financial services to medical students and junior physicians, and launching e-commerce services tailored for doctors.

Secondly, Xingren Doctor addresses the needs for “private space protection + case management + real-time tracking.” Last year, it launched a promotional campaign targeting physicians. According to its published data, the campaign yielded favorable results, with the number of registered doctors reaching tens of thousands in a short period. Subsequently, it rolled out additional modules, including “Physician Referral” and “Patient Education Center.”

From the perspective of the current domestic market, products that assist physicians in serving patients in home settings are beneficial to both doctors and patients. Some predict that the next wave of mobile health dividends will emerge in the home care scenario, and we await these developments with great interest.

Distribution of Companies by Financing Amount

Among companies developing physician-specific apps, 17 have disclosed financing rounds, with a total funding amount exceeding USD 301.04 million. Of these, five companies focus on developing mobile health applications for medical professionals. The venture capital firms participating in these financing rounds include Kaiwu Investment, CBC Capital, BlueRun Ventures, and Matrix Partners China, with a total funding amount exceeding USD 11.76 million. Due to the presence of multiple internet healthcare products under the same company, further analysis of venture capitalists' investment preferences is not provided here.

In summary, the defining feature of physician-specific apps is to assist doctors in patient management, such as remotely accessing patient medical records and consultation histories, thereby enabling more convenient and efficient handling of daily professional tasks. These apps allow physicians to complete their work even with only a terminal device at hand. “Leveraging external resources can yield significant advantages, much like borrowing arrows with straw boats.”

Appendix: Doctor-Specific Apps in China