Are Doctors the Client or the Vendor in the Internet Healthcare Battle?

Hospitals have been unusually bustling lately. In addition to patients, pharmaceutical representatives, and scalpers, a more organized cohort of internet healthcare professionals has also begun to enter the scene. The most visible sign is the proliferation of posters, with platforms such as Chunyu Yisheng, Xingshulin, and Alipay engaging in direct competition within many hospitals. Less perceptible to the general public are the ground promotion staff stationed outside consultation rooms, eagerly approaching physicians to sign them up for their platforms.

I don’t know much; I’ll just share my thoughts.

Why Does Internet Healthcare Chase After Doctors?

The logic is straightforward: the greater the number and higher the quality of physicians registered on one’s platform, the more compelling the marketing hooks and support available to attract patients. Secure the doctors first, then the patients will follow, and revenue will naturally take care of itself.

Why Can Doctors Be Pursued?

In fact, whether large or small hospitals and senior or junior physicians, they all have certain needs that can be met by internet-based healthcare services, a fact that has been strongly substantiated by evidence.

Under the continuous influence of television and online media, physicians have psychologically accepted health-related communication channels such as Yangshengtang and Haodafu, recognizing the value these platforms offer to both the public and themselves. Driven by research, professional advancement, reputation, and material gain—and while adhering to ethical principles—physicians, like any ordinary individuals, have their own legitimate needs.

Moreover, the internet sector is replete with medical professionals who recognize the unique value of physicians within this closed loop. This has led to deeper attention and support for the physician community, thereby granting greater influence to B-side stakeholders.

Reality 1: The same doctor is registered on multiple internet healthcare platforms

If you were a sales representative on an internet healthcare ground promotion team, how would you approach physicians? I might first check a certain platform to see which doctors have registered, as this indicates they generally understand and accept such products, making my pitch easier. I would then tell them, “Everything that platform offers, we can do as well—only better—and we also provide features it cannot.”

This is indeed the case, representing a benefit I have gained from the expansion of the overall industry pie. When physicians join my platform, it does not affect their existing practices; rather, it simply adds another channel to reach patients. They do not even need to handle the registration process themselves, as I complete it on their behalf. Unless my platform has a poor reputation or is perceived as unreliable, there appears to be virtually no risk involved.

Therefore, the same physician is registered on multiple internet healthcare platforms, with virtually no exclusivity.

Reality 2: Research Projects from the Same Team Are Targeted by Multiple Companies

As previously mentioned, the internet healthcare sector is populated by many professionals, as well as non-medical experts who have conducted research, who tend to approach issues from a physician’s perspective. What do physicians need? Beyond the reputation and financial gains derived from clinical consultations, they arguably place greater emphasis on scientific research achievements. Particularly in this era where big data reigns supreme, various stakeholders are striving to control key entry points. Competition among electronic medical record (EMR) applications, medical discussion and social platforms, and patient follow-up products—spanning single-disease and multi-disease categories, as well as single-center and multi-center models—has become no less intense than that in the online consultation market.

For B2B-focused products, the number of registered physicians is also a key metric. Acquiring doctors one by one is naturally slow. Ideally, I would prefer to promote adoption at the level of entire hospitals or departments, but this approach is highly impractical. Therefore, I strive to recruit well-known, influential physicians.

Often, they hold significant research projects or academic alliances in hand, presenting a prime opportunity to aggregate big data. However, as others have also recognized this potential, the competition during the promotion phase has become intensely fierce.

Reality 3: Physicians’ Research Needs Remain Unmet

In recent years, as internet healthcare has gained significant momentum, some physicians have chosen to leave the public healthcare system to start their own ventures. Meanwhile, many doctors who remain within the system, who already had a strong desire to innovate, are now more willing to integrate their practices with internet healthcare platforms.

For instance, private platforms for academic exchange among peers, and medical record documentation for patient follow-ups. Given the abundance of internet healthcare products available today (reportedly exceeding 2,000 as of 2014), is it easy to find a ready-made template for collaboration? Single-disease-focused products, such as those for diabetes and cancer, have received considerable attention; are their models replicable? As for multi-disease solutions, such as digital medical record folders, can they meet my needs?

It is regrettable. Although there are many medical professionals in the internet sector, and non-professionals are continuously conducting research, for some reason, when physicians seek a product to support their scientific research, they find no suitable options available.

Some physicians have given this matter considerable forethought, even proactively coordinating with their teams to implement it.

Are Doctors the Client or the Service Provider?

On the one hand, internet healthcare platform operators aim to attract and cultivate more high-engagement users, including physicians, and thus employ various strategies to encourage physician retention.

On the one hand, the relationship between internet healthcare platforms and physicians has never been exclusive; physicians can only regard these platforms as tools for service delivery.

On the one hand, when physicians face their own pressing research needs, they are eager to find a safe, user-friendly, and authoritative product, yet they struggle to identify a professional platform that is both reputable and trustworthy.

Why is this the case? Internet healthcare platforms are willing to retain high-engagement users, and physicians are open to deep collaboration, yet a catalytic point of integration remains elusive. There is a pervasive sense of ambivalence, where stakeholders feel neither fully committed nor entirely detached—adopting one solution or another seems optional, as does opting out altogether.

It must be acknowledged that Wenzhenbang has helped many patients resolve their issues and assisted numerous physicians in enhancing their reputation and income; Bingli Jia has expanded the channels for medical record-keeping for many doctors; and certain scientific research exchange platforms have also played a significant role at critical junctures.

It appears that within this biological chain, physicians initially occupied the position of Party A; however, as the industry’s market share has continued to expand, their intrinsic needs have been increasingly stimulated, prompting them to assume certain roles typically associated with Party B. Nevertheless, the conditions proposed by these physician-led Party B entities are rather stringent, making it challenging to secure suitable partners.

In fact, from the B-side perspective, physicians have the clearest understanding of their own needs and are fully aware of the significance of various types of data in their practice. Which type holds the highest priority? Which is intended for communication and sharing? Which serves as a portable record to prevent omissions? If such a product were available on the market, they would likely adopt it directly; if not, when the need becomes critical, they might either assemble a team to develop it themselves or simply let it go.

To be honest, as a member of the general public, I hope to find a product on which I can rely heavily—one that would alleviate my concerns whether I am facing a serious or minor illness. In fact, physicians are also eager to discover a product that can assist them in conducting in-depth scientific research and data mining.

A few days ago, I read an article stating that technology is accelerating the pace of disruption. Perhaps there will come a time when patients and doctors choose internet healthcare platforms as effortlessly as they choose mobile phones, with it being unclear which few players will ultimately emerge as the dominant leaders.

(This article was submitted to VCBeat by the author, Wang Hu. The views expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the position of VCBeat. Wang Hu is a former healthcare media professional who now focuses on internet healthcare and healthcare investment.)