"Prohibiting online medical diagnosis and treatment" does not mean "stopping Internet medical services" - a detailed explanation of the "advancement" and "banning" of Internet medical care
Recently, the future of Internet medical care has aroused heated discussion. The reason is that at a recent press conference of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, spokesperson Song Shuli stated that medical diagnosis and treatment on the Internet are not currently allowed. Does this mean that the emerging Internet medical industry will be stopped?
"Except for telemedicine provided by medical institutions, other work involving medical diagnosis and treatment is not allowed to be carried out on the Internet. Health consultations are allowed. ." Song Shuli said.
In fact, as early as August, the National Health and Family Planning Commission’s regulations on telemedicine caused concerns about the future of Internet medical care.
The National Health and Family Planning Commission issued opinions on promoting telemedicine services in medical institutions at that time, clearly stating that non-medical institutions are not allowed to carry out telemedicine services; third-party institutions can provide platforms for telemedicine services, but cannot directly carry out telemedicine services. Services; when conducting telemedicine services between medical institutions, the inviting party shall fully inform the patient and obtain his or her written consent.
In this regard, Li Dachuan, director of the Medical and Nursing Department of the Medical Administration and Medical Administration Bureau of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, once said that the Practicing Physician Law requires doctors to conduct personal diagnosis and investigation before implementing medical preventive and health care measures. No treatment decision can be made without personal examination by a physician. "This type of diagnostic activities includes various activities such as sight, touch, tapping, listening, etc. For remote consultation services between medical institutions, the National Health and Family Planning Commission requires medical institutions to be the responsible entities. This is because if patients only consult online Diagnosis and treatment based only on some information provided by the patient poses medical safety risks.”
So, does banning online medical diagnosis and treatment leave Internet medical services with nowhere to go?
Liao Jieyuan, president of Guahao.com, which has just launched the "WeDoctor" platform, believes that there is still broad room for development in Internet medical care.
"The reason why online medical diagnosis and treatment is not allowed is out of "responsibility" for both patients and doctors. In fact, we have always done it in accordance with this norm." Liao Jieyuan said that Internet medical care can be dedicated to guiding Pre-diagnosis services such as consultation and registration, and post-diagnosis services such as online follow-up consultation and patient management.
Doctors such as Haodafu and Chunyu also stated that the current main services are "health consultation" rather than "medical diagnosis". Doctors are prohibited from making decisive conclusions, prescribing drugs, and giving treatment plans. This distinguishes "consultation" and "inquiry" to avoid medical risks.
“Internet medical care is essentially a service.” Liao Jieyuan believes that the essence of the “Internet”’s reshaping and adjustment of traditional industries is the improvement of efficiency. Specific to the medical industry, it is the improvement of medical resources. The optimization of configuration and utilization allows patients, doctors, and hospital managers to save more time and worry.
He believes that in addition to guiding patients to seek medical treatment and facilitating communication between doctors and patients, Internet medical care can also take advantage of data collection and information application to track and manage residents’ health status and promote the rapid development of the health information industry.
At the press conference, Song Shuli also said frankly that with the development of Internet technology, new situations are constantly emerging, and the Health and Family Planning Commission must continue to improve policies and regulate corresponding behaviors. The purpose is to Protect the public’s health rights and interests.