Jinan Hospital's Partnership Improves Patient Care

Huang Jing, a nephrologist at a district-level hospital in Jinan, Shandong province, efficiently completed the transfer paperwork for a uremic patient needing advanced care. She explained that once the application is approved by the Shandong Provincial Hospital, both the patient and the attending physician receive a notification. This streamlined process, a significant improvement over the previous cumbersome methods, is a result of a collaborative effort.

This efficient transfer system is a product of a close partnership between Jinan Shizhong People's Hospital, where Huang works, and the provincial hospital. This collaboration is part of a larger initiative to improve access to high-quality healthcare. These partnerships between larger and smaller hospitals are inspired by the "Sanming model," a pilot program in Fujian province.

Su Chongyi, president of Jinan Shizhong People's Hospital, noted that the collaboration with the provincial hospital began about a decade ago. While improving patient transfers has always been a priority, the introduction of a smart triage system last year has greatly increased efficiency. The two hospitals now share an integrated electronic medical records platform, allowing physicians to review patient histories beforehand, saving valuable time and enabling quicker treatment.

Patients needing multidisciplinary consultations, kidney transplants, or treatment for severe pneumonia typically submit transfer requests to the provincial hospital. Over the past decade, Huang's hospital has referred over 1,230 critically ill patients to the provincial facility, while receiving 18,500 patients for continued care. The hospital is also exploring the use of drones for transporting medical specimens between the two hospitals.

Between 2014 and 2024, the number of surgeries at the district-level hospital increased dramatically. During the same period, the hospital also began performing minimally invasive interventional surgeries, a capability it previously lacked.

Wu Xiangdong, Party chief of Shandong Provincial Hospital, stated that the institution has established close partnerships with numerous hospitals across the province. The independently developed triaged healthcare information system facilitates seamless two-way patient referrals. This system creates efficient pathways for urgent transfers of critical cases from smaller hospitals and enables timely transfers of stable patients back to smaller hospitals for ongoing care.

To further address disparities in medical resources, authorities have established regional medical centers, strengthened interhospital partnerships, expanded telemedicine services, and upgraded rural clinics. Ma Lixin, director of the Health Commission of Shandong Province, reported that the province has established a comprehensive critical care network. The in-county hospitalization rate has increased, and a significant portion of medical visits are now handled by grassroots healthcare facilities.