'Sanming model' eases patient transfers

With just a few clicks on her laptop, Huang Jing, a nephrologist at a district-level hospital in Jinan, Shandong province, completed the transfer paperwork for a uremic patient in need of advanced care due to severe pneumonia.

"Once the Shandong Provincial Hospital approves the application, both the patient and the attending physician here will receive a notification text," she said. "The process used to be tedious — involving phone calls, paper submissions and long waiting periods — but now it's fast, convenient and efficient."

The streamlined transfer system is the result of a close partnership between Jinan Shizhong People's Hospital, where Huang works, and the provincial hospital. The collaboration is part of broader efforts to expand access to high-quality healthcare.

Forging partnerships between larger and smaller hospitals is among a series of nationwide reforms inspired by the "Sanming model", named after a pilot initiative launched in Sanming, Fujian province. Hospitals across China have been encouraged to draw on key lessons from that experience as they implement their own reforms.

Su Chongyi, president of Jinan Shizhong People's Hospital, said its collaboration with the provincial hospital began about a decade ago. While speeding up patient transfers has long been a priority, the launch of a smart triage system last year has significantly enhanced efficiency.

"Moreover, the two hospitals now share an integrated electronic medical records platform, allowing physicians to review transferred patients' histories in advance, saving critical time and enabling swifter treatment for acute cases," Su said.

Huang said patients requiring multidisciplinary consultations, kidney transplantation or treatment for severe pneumonia typically submit transfer requests to the provincial hospital.

Over the past decade, her hospital has referred more than 1,230 critically ill patients to the provincial facility, while receiving 18,500 patients in transfer for continued care.

"Recently, we have begun exploring the use of drones to transport medical specimens between the two hospitals swiftly, and are considering the prospect of airborne medical express," Su said.

Between 2014 and 2024, the number of surgeries each year at the district-level hospital rose from 494 to 4,432 procedures. During the same period, it also carried out 1,404 minimally invasive interventional surgeries — a capability it previously lacked.

"Additionally, we've completed 525 telemedicine consultations with the provincial hospital," Su added.

Wu Xiangdong, Party chief of Shandong Provincial Hospital, said during a news conference held by the National Health Commission on May 27 that the institution has established close partnerships with eight hospitals and regular partnerships with 79 hospitals across the province.

"The independently developed triaged healthcare information system has enabled seamless two-way patient referrals," Wu said. "It helps establish green channels for urgent transfers of critical cases from smaller hospitals, while facilitating timely transfers of stable patients to smaller hospitals for continued treatment and rehabilitation."

To further bridge gaps in the availability of medical resources, Ma Lixin, director of the Health Commission of Shandong Province, said authorities have set up regional medical centers, strengthened interhospital partnerships, expanded telemedicine services and upgraded rural clinics.

"The province has now established a comprehensive critical care network covering all regions. The in-county hospitalization rate has reached 84.4 percent, and the ratio of medical visits handled by grassroots healthcare facilities has reached 63.3 percent," Ma said.