Ping An Insurance's Co-CEO Guo Xiaotao has outlined the company's healthcare strategy focused on creating a three-way win for patients, hospitals, and the insurer through precise medical resource matching.
Earlier this year, nine government departments jointly issued guidelines promoting high-quality development in pharmaceutical retail, explicitly calling for establishing commercial insurance payment systems and coordinating commercial health insurance with basic medical insurance.
How are insurers embedding commercial insurance capabilities into healthcare services? What are the priorities for leading insurers this year? Guo Xiaotao revealed Ping An's key development focus for the year: "We are promoting 'one-click payment' for hospital visits. Unlike the traditional process of scanning a 'medical insurance code,' paying with a payment code, and then submitting receipts to the insurance company for reimbursement, the new system allows direct commercial insurance payment after scanning the medical insurance code." This means customers no longer need to go through reimbursement procedures or pay medical fees upfront, significantly improving service experience.
Recent State Council meetings have studied policies to accelerate the development of a tiered medical treatment system, which improves operational efficiency in healthcare services and better meets public needs for convenient medical care.
As an important participant in implementing tiered medical treatment, how is the insurance industry promoting reasonable medical care patterns? Guo explained Ping An's four-tier healthcare service network: primary community health centers and clinics, regional core hospitals, top-tier national hospitals like Beijing Union Medical College Hospital and Shanghai Huashan Hospital, and overseas medical networks. Combined with 24/7 online family doctor services, this network facilitates tiered treatment with "minor illnesses treated locally and major illnesses precisely referred," helping customers match the most suitable medical resources based on their conditions and payment capabilities.
According to disclosures, Ping An has established 5 general hospitals, 2 rehabilitation hospitals, and 1 cardiovascular specialist hospital domestically. The company collaborates with over 37,000 medical institutions for claim services, achieving 100% coverage of top-tier and third-class hospitals in China.
Within China's predominantly public hospital system, medical insurance funds constitute most hospital revenue. However, growing medical insurance pressures create significant operational challenges for hospitals. "We can effectively match professional medical resources with appropriate hospitals for customers while utilizing our payment capabilities from commercial insurance and corporate health management to create additional revenue streams for hospitals," Guo stated. This tripartite coordination model enables precise matching of hospital resources with patients while expanding hospital revenue sources through commercial insurance, achieving mutual benefits for customers, Ping An, and medical institutions.
The pharmaceutical retail development guidelines specifically support payment coordination mechanisms between drug retailers and commercial insurers for high-value drugs and devices to reduce patient payment pressure. Guo emphasized that integrating medical and commercial insurance codes through one-click payment allows direct settlement during treatment, particularly beneficial for high-cost scenarios like surgeries and hospitalizations.
Ping An is prioritizing an innovative "insurance + service" model rather than merely offering financial insurance products. Guo noted that insurance products face increasing homogenization with limited differentiation, while healthcare and elderly care services require long-term systematic investment and technological integration across online and offline channels. These foundational capabilities effectively enhance financial products. Customers purchasing Ping An insurance not only obtain coverage but also receive service benefits, such as home-based elderly care services upon reaching certain premium thresholds. This product-service combination creates significant competitive differentiation, building Ping An's competitive moat through distinctive service systems rather than financial products alone.
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