Page 398 - 2019 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
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9 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
an American maker of pig-barn floors, opened its third areas be also made available to the central and western
plant in China this year and plans seven more within four regions. More efforts are being made to ensure that high-
years. DSM, a Dutch supplier of feed, has launched an app speed broadband network will be extended to cover
through which Chinese farmers and suppliers can place medical institutions at all levels in urban and rural areas.
orders, track inventories and monitor feed quantities, as Dedicated Internet access services will be set up to meet
well as check pork prices. The app will eventually offer live- the need for long-distance healthcare services (Xinhua,
streaming and facial-recognition tools, which could detect China to Promote).
the features of a porker’s face and identify its genetic make-
up. In China big data is meeting pig data (Economist). In 2018, the National Health Commission (“NHC”)
and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese
Internet+Healthcare Medicine (“NATCM”) publicly released three new rules
on internet based medical services and telemedicine.
The development of Internet Plus Healthcare is These rules cover the areas of e-diagnosis (“e-Diagnostic
a major initiative to enhance China’s public health Rules”), internet-based hospitals (“e-Hospital Rules”) and
services. It will also help facilitate overall economic and telemedicine services (“Telemedicine Service Standard”)
social development. As China joins the ranks of middle- (collectively “e-Healthcare Rules”). The final e-Healthcare
income countries, the demand for health services has Rules appear to have been prompted by the Opinion on
increased substantially. The Internet Plus Healthcare can Improving the Development of “e-healthcare” Industry
help alleviate the problem of inaccessible and expensive (“Opinion”) issued by China’s chief executive branch, the
public health services that have long been a big concern State Council on April 25, 2018. That Opinion requires
for the general public. enhancement and improvement of e-health services
(including the application of artificial intelligence in the
China is pushing medical institutions to conduct diagnostic process).
Internet medical services as part of a broader push to
promote Internet Plus healthcare. Medical institutions are The e-Healthcare Rules appear to permit commercial
allowed to provide online diagnostic services for some companies to collaborate with licensed medical
common and chronic diseases in patients’follow-up visits institutions (e.g., hospitals and clinics) to provide
to their doctors. The top two levels of hospitals within the e-diagnostic and telemedicine services or become
country’s three-tier hospital system are encouraged to e-hospitals. However, there is still no pathway for
provide online services including consultation reservation commercial companies to provide these services
and test result inquiry. According to the Healthy China independently, unless they obtain a license to become
2030 Blueprint released in October 2016, efforts will be a medical institution. Although the e-Healthcare Rules
made to foster new industries, new forms and models outline the technical specifications for hardware and
of business in the health sector and to develop Internet- software required for e-hospitals and telemedicine
based health services. The intelligent review for health services, they do not provide clear guidance on whether
insurance will be vigorously applied and the one-stop the hardware and software used would be need to be
settlement will be brought forward. The real-time sharing registered as medical devices with the National Medical
of prescription and drug retail sales within medical Products Administration (“NMPA”), which has released
institutions will be explored. The system of Internet Plus guidelines on device software and mobile medical
healthcare standards will be further refined, according to applications in the last three years. The e-Diagnostic Rules
the statement. China will speed up the inter-connectivity govern the provision of diagnostic services to patients
and sharing of medical information, and beef up the through the Internet. A medical institution must apply
quality supervision of medical services and information for approval to offer e-diagnostic services. However, a
security. In recent years, top-level hospitals in major cities medical institution that provides these services does not
have seen steady increases in the number of out-patients. need to be a registered e-hospital, which is a separate
Medical bills became a heavy burden on families, and approval. Only licensed doctors and nurses in China may
high-end medical resources still fall short of meeting provide e-diagnostic services. The e-diagnostic clinical
the growing demand of the public. The government will services can be provided more freely when they are
see to it that long-distance healthcare services cover all provided in conjunction within in-person visits. In other
healthcare consortiums and county-level hospitals, and words, if a patient is visiting a regular medical institution,
the quality medical resources in the country’s eastern other physicians are permitted to diagnose conditions
398
an American maker of pig-barn floors, opened its third areas be also made available to the central and western
plant in China this year and plans seven more within four regions. More efforts are being made to ensure that high-
years. DSM, a Dutch supplier of feed, has launched an app speed broadband network will be extended to cover
through which Chinese farmers and suppliers can place medical institutions at all levels in urban and rural areas.
orders, track inventories and monitor feed quantities, as Dedicated Internet access services will be set up to meet
well as check pork prices. The app will eventually offer live- the need for long-distance healthcare services (Xinhua,
streaming and facial-recognition tools, which could detect China to Promote).
the features of a porker’s face and identify its genetic make-
up. In China big data is meeting pig data (Economist). In 2018, the National Health Commission (“NHC”)
and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese
Internet+Healthcare Medicine (“NATCM”) publicly released three new rules
on internet based medical services and telemedicine.
The development of Internet Plus Healthcare is These rules cover the areas of e-diagnosis (“e-Diagnostic
a major initiative to enhance China’s public health Rules”), internet-based hospitals (“e-Hospital Rules”) and
services. It will also help facilitate overall economic and telemedicine services (“Telemedicine Service Standard”)
social development. As China joins the ranks of middle- (collectively “e-Healthcare Rules”). The final e-Healthcare
income countries, the demand for health services has Rules appear to have been prompted by the Opinion on
increased substantially. The Internet Plus Healthcare can Improving the Development of “e-healthcare” Industry
help alleviate the problem of inaccessible and expensive (“Opinion”) issued by China’s chief executive branch, the
public health services that have long been a big concern State Council on April 25, 2018. That Opinion requires
for the general public. enhancement and improvement of e-health services
(including the application of artificial intelligence in the
China is pushing medical institutions to conduct diagnostic process).
Internet medical services as part of a broader push to
promote Internet Plus healthcare. Medical institutions are The e-Healthcare Rules appear to permit commercial
allowed to provide online diagnostic services for some companies to collaborate with licensed medical
common and chronic diseases in patients’follow-up visits institutions (e.g., hospitals and clinics) to provide
to their doctors. The top two levels of hospitals within the e-diagnostic and telemedicine services or become
country’s three-tier hospital system are encouraged to e-hospitals. However, there is still no pathway for
provide online services including consultation reservation commercial companies to provide these services
and test result inquiry. According to the Healthy China independently, unless they obtain a license to become
2030 Blueprint released in October 2016, efforts will be a medical institution. Although the e-Healthcare Rules
made to foster new industries, new forms and models outline the technical specifications for hardware and
of business in the health sector and to develop Internet- software required for e-hospitals and telemedicine
based health services. The intelligent review for health services, they do not provide clear guidance on whether
insurance will be vigorously applied and the one-stop the hardware and software used would be need to be
settlement will be brought forward. The real-time sharing registered as medical devices with the National Medical
of prescription and drug retail sales within medical Products Administration (“NMPA”), which has released
institutions will be explored. The system of Internet Plus guidelines on device software and mobile medical
healthcare standards will be further refined, according to applications in the last three years. The e-Diagnostic Rules
the statement. China will speed up the inter-connectivity govern the provision of diagnostic services to patients
and sharing of medical information, and beef up the through the Internet. A medical institution must apply
quality supervision of medical services and information for approval to offer e-diagnostic services. However, a
security. In recent years, top-level hospitals in major cities medical institution that provides these services does not
have seen steady increases in the number of out-patients. need to be a registered e-hospital, which is a separate
Medical bills became a heavy burden on families, and approval. Only licensed doctors and nurses in China may
high-end medical resources still fall short of meeting provide e-diagnostic services. The e-diagnostic clinical
the growing demand of the public. The government will services can be provided more freely when they are
see to it that long-distance healthcare services cover all provided in conjunction within in-person visits. In other
healthcare consortiums and county-level hospitals, and words, if a patient is visiting a regular medical institution,
the quality medical resources in the country’s eastern other physicians are permitted to diagnose conditions
398
