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August 6, 2015

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How hospitals are getting smarter

Source: Xinhua | August 6, 2015, Thursday | Print Edition

Queues in China’s overcrowded hospitals are notoriously long, but mobile apps and technology are solving the problem as the country introduces more “smart” hospitals.

The Beijing Municipal Commission of Health and Family Planning said yesterday that the capital’s top-level hospitals will offer patients access to mobile payment services by the end of 2017.

Mobile payment has been introduced in some hospitals in the capital on a trial basis.

Beijing Children’s Hospital has given patients the option of making appointments and paying for services via mobile apps since June 18, said Zhao Chengsong, director of its outpatient department.

The hospital received 3.37 million outpatients last year. “It used to be common to see more than 1,000 patients and family members queuing up in the hospital early in the morning,” said Nie Xiaolu, a doctor at the hospital.

Mobile services for appointments and payment have saved time for both patients and medical workers and prevented long lines, Nie said.

The hospital plans to expand mobile services to more areas, including receiving test results, and it will also explore a mobile platform for direct communication between doctors and patients, Nie said.

Jia Ruofei, a doctor at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, said that mobile payments will lead to a technological revolution in China’s medical system, though his hospital did not yet offer such a service.

The hospital received a total of 2.41 million outpatients in 2014, making it one of the top 10 hospitals for outpatient treatment in the city, Jia said.

He believes mobile payment will let the hospital operate more efficiently while providing patients with a better environment for treatment.

Beijing isn’t alone in adopting the new technology.

South China’s Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center set up the nation’s first smart hospital in May 2014.

Patients at the center can make appointments, pay medical bills and consult doctors via mobile apps.

Xia Huimin, the center’s president, attributed the success of the smart hospital to the management of the center’s medical mobile network and wide public acceptance of mobile services.

As of July 27, about 260,000 people had used the mobile medical services provided by the center, and more than 30 percent of the center’s patients had made appointments via the services, Xia said.

By late May, 82 hospitals in 41 cities had launched mobile medical services for patients, according to data from Alipay, an online payment provider.

Smart hospitals have led to breakthroughs in the reform of China’s medical system, said Chen Dengkun, an expert in smart medical services in Guangzhou.

Smart hospitals are expected to be widely promoted as the number of Chinese Internet users grows.

The country’s online population reached 649 million at the end of 2014, with some 557 million accessing the Internet via mobile phones.

In addition to hospitals, other public venues such as railway stations, public security bureaus and banks could also see lines shrink as mobile public services reach more traditional sectors.

Nation


 

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