China Issues Internet Hospital and Medical Treatment Regulations
Vcbeat, 9/14/18
China's National Health Commission recently announced that it has drafted three new pieces of legislation with provisional rules and requirements for online medical treatment services, Internet hospitals, and remote medical services.
The three documents, entitled "Online Medical Treatment Management Methods (Provisional)", "Internet Hospital Management Methods (Provisional)," and "Remote Medical Service Management Standards (Provisional)," categorize Internet-plus medical services into three types based on the personnel involved and the type of service provided.
First, the term remote medical treatment services covers services involving multiple medical institutions, provided by these institutions' own registered medical staff, using the Internet and other information technologies to support remote consultation or diagnosis.
Second, the term online medical treatment activities refers to services that are provided by a medical institution's own registered medical staff, using Internet technologies to directly offer referral and contract-based family doctor services for patients for some common illnesses and chronic diseases.
Third, the term Internet hospital includes online hospitals operated as an online presence for an offline, physical hospital, as well as online hospitals set up independently with support from an offline hospital.
Internet hospitals may engage in online medical treatment activities using doctors registered to their institution or to other medical treatment institutions. Internet hospitals may provide referral and contract-based family doctor services for some common illnesses and chronic diseases. In addition, when patients visit a physical medical institution for treatment, physicians providing treatment services may confer with other doctors through an Internet hospital, and consulting doctors may give their diagnosis and issue prescriptions.
Internet hospitals that have obtained a medical institution license to practice are legally responsible entities and bear corresponding legal liability under agreements signed with other parties.
The National Health Commission said that next it will work with local authorities to implement the new regulations.
Keywords: online healthcare Internet hospital Internet National Health Commission regulation
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