The General Office of Shandong Provincial People's Government recently issued an action plan for the construction of the internet plus healthcare demonstration province from 2019 to 2020, setting a series of specific targets and goals.

According to the action plan, internet hospitals are encouraged to be developed depending on medical institutions and that medical practitioners are encouraged to offer internet plus healthcare services. 

By 2020, medical institutions above grade II will have provided online medical services in general and those within medical treatment alliances will have led in realizing universal mutual recognition of inspection results. 

The plan proposes that telemedicine cover all of the medical treatment alliances and county-level hospitals in 2019. It will expand to township health centers, community health service institutions, and to village clinics in 2020.

In regards to fees and settlement of online medical care, Shandong plans to set prices for internet plus medical service items, including telemedicine. It will develop health insurance payment policies and gradually bring eligible internet medical service items into the medical insurance payment scope. 

Prices of basic internet plus medical services will be arranged in a standardized manner and those of special medical services for personalized and high-level requirements will be regulated by the market. 

The action plan also mentions to continue to expand the network of designated medical institutions and gradually include more basic medical institutions in the direct settlement of medical treatment at different places so as to solve the universally concerned cross-provincial hospitalization among migrant workers and people involved in mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

To utilize internet plus to promote public health management, the action plan proposes  promoting the connection of the electronic health records database with the electronic medical record database and the public health information system to record and manage residents’ health information comprehensively. By 2020, county-level residents will be able to have easy access to their own electronic health profile information. 

The plan also stipulates the realization of online services such as health inquiries, follow-ups on chronic diseases, health management, and extension prescription services for contracted residents. In 2020, hospitals above grade II will open a 20 percent source to family doctors two days in advance to establish green referral channels for contracted patients by means of information technology.

With regard to making use of internet plus to develop the health industry, the action plan proposes accelerating the construction of the northern center of the national health and medical big data center and complete the basic construction of a storage center with comprehensive functions in 2020. 

High quality databases for 50 diseases will have been set up by then in half of the cities, districts, and counties of Shandong province. In addition, digital, smart, and miniature medical equipment will be developed and research on artificial intelligence technology, medical robots, bio-three-dimensional printing technology, and wearable devices will be supported. Medical health artificial intelligence technology will be promoted and applied in hospitals above grade II in 2020.