The use of artificial intelligence, etc. to automatically generate prescriptions is strictly prohibited
The gray area meets the standardization of Internet medical care or welcomes reshuffle
When a prescription is prescribed online, is it a licensed doctor or a robot "behind the screen"?
Recently, the National Health and Health Commission and the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine jointly issued the "Detailed Rules for the Supervision of Internet Diagnosis and Treatment (Trial)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Detailed Rules").
The "Detailed Rules" states that for medical institutions to carry out Internet diagnosis and treatment activities, prescriptions should be issued by the physicians themselves, and the use of artificial intelligence to automatically generate prescriptions is strictly prohibited.
It is strictly prohibited to provide a drug to a patient before a prescription has been issued.
It is strictly prohibited to conduct prescriptions for commercial purposes, etc.
It is understood that there are some "grey" areas in the Internet diagnosis and treatment industry. For example, when selling prescription drugs online, some platforms do not have strict prescription requirements.
Industry insiders pointed out that the introduction of the above-mentioned "Detailed Rules" will have an impact on online drug sales in the short term. In the long run, it can further improve Internet medical standards, and the industry may usher in a new round of reshuffle.
Text and photos/Wen Jing Tu Duanyu, an all-media reporter of Guangzhou Daily
New regulations may affect drug e-commerce revenue of some platforms
At present, how to judge the medical practitioner who receives and prescribes the prescription online?
"If it is from a regular Internet hospital, a qualified doctor issues an electronic prescription with the doctor's signature and the electronic seal of the Internet hospital." Someone in the Internet medical industry told reporters that it is not ruled out that some small Internet medical platforms still employ manual labor. Tools such as intelligence and robots can automatically generate prescriptions. "Big platforms will use AI to assist doctors in consultation, such as asking how old the patient is and where he is uncomfortable, but the prescription must be prescribed by a doctor. Now, at least Ali, JD.com, Ping An, etc. No big platform dares to take this risk.”
In October last year, the National Health and Medical Commission announced the "Detailed Rules for the Supervision of Internet Diagnosis and Treatment (Draft for Comment)". The draft for comments mentioned that other personnel and artificial intelligence software should not fraudulently use or substitute doctors for medical consultations. of high attention.
"The regulation is becoming more and more strict, and online prescription drugs are not as easy to buy as in the past," industry insiders said frankly.
In fact, for many Internet pharmaceutical platforms, selling medicines is the main source of revenue.
Now that the "Detailed Rules" have been officially introduced, will it have an impact on revenue?
A platform-related person told reporters that the revenue model of the Internet health platform will not change much in the short term, and drug sales will still account for the "biggest", "but they will not worry about affecting revenue. The development of the platform is affirmed and encouraged, and the "Detailed Rules" is expected to accelerate the transformation of the platform and even the business model of the entire industry, and the market will be reshuffled."
Online live physician service is liked and criticized
Recently, the reporter tried to buy external medicines on a platform due to foot injury, including the prescription drug "hydrogen peroxide solution", which was marked as "clean wound, 3% solution" in terms of usage and dosage; and its adverse reaction was " High concentrations can cause irritating burns to the skin, forming pain and white scabs"; the contraindication is "unclear".
After the reporter placed the order, a real male pharmacist went online and had a brief conversation with the reporter.
After asking the reporter to describe the problem in detail, the pharmacist said that the reporter could buy and use the drug.
However, when the reporter reconfirmed the precautions for the wound while taking the medicine, the other party asked, "Didn't I tell you just now?" Then he issued a prescription and agreed to the reporter's purchase of the medicine.
Coincidentally, when Mr. Liu purchased prescription drugs on a certain platform, he reported: "I deliberately tried to describe some situations that were not related to the disease, just to see how the other party's business ability was, but the other party prescribed it without saying a word, and it felt no different from a robot. As long as you type, the other party will quickly agree within ten seconds. The other party did not give me any professional advice at all, although I probably know my situation and what medicine to buy, but the online pharmacist who is in name still feels very unreliable. " As expected, it didn't take long for the platform to shut down, he said.
In addition, there are also "ask questions".
"Actually, it's almost the same on any platform. It's not meaningful to compare prices alone. On the contrary, it's not easy to meet good doctors and pharmacists, so I usually buy medicines on platforms that respond quickly, explain professionalism, and even give me some reminders and suggestions. "Miss Chen said.
The degree of standardization of the Internet diagnosis and treatment industry will be comprehensively improved
"The detailed rules this time mark the return of Internet diagnosis and treatment to the essential orientation of 'serious medical care', which is of great significance to the new era of healthy development of Internet diagnosis and treatment." The relevant person in charge of the Medical Association told Guangzhou Daily all media reporters that the introduction of the detailed rules It opened a new chapter in the Internet medical industry, and further clarified the goal of healthy development of Internet diagnosis and treatment, relying on physical medical institutions and supported by informatization, and carrying out standardized supervision on medical institutions, personnel, service quality and safety.
"After the draft for comments, many platforms have begun to standardize, such as the online prescription drug platform, where in the past, you could issue prescription drugs by simply uploading a photo, but now you must upload a prescription to prove that it is a follow-up visit. We believe that after the introduction of the detailed rules, the industry as a whole The degree of standardization will be improved in an all-round way.” Wang Hang, founder and CEO of Haodafu Online, believes that from the policy opening in 2018, to playing a greater role in the fight against the epidemic in 2020, public hospitals as the main force in the industry have begun to build Internet hospitals. , Internet diagnosis and treatment has become an important innovation in my country's medical system, but with the promotion of capital and the increase in business volume, the industry has also encountered some problems in the process of development, which requires clear management standards.
Zhao Heng, founder of the medical strategy consulting company LatitudeHealth, said that other personnel, artificial intelligence software, etc. fraudulently use and replace doctors to provide diagnosis and treatment services, there are hidden medical risks and risks to the safety of patients. Normative, for the Internet medical platform that relies too much on technology, the company's model will be affected to a certain extent.