Record: Policy Interpretation Press Conference of "Several Measures to Accelerate the Development of the Digital Therapy Industry in Hainan Province"
(October 14, 2022)
Ru
Yingying, a fourth-level researcher of the Press Release Office of
the Publicity Department of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee:
Ladies
and gentlemen, friends from the press, good afternoon! Welcome to the
press conference of the Information Officeof Hainan Province.
On October 10, 2022, the General Office of the Provincial Government
issued the "Several Measures to Promote the Development of the
Digital Therapy Industry in Hainan Province" (Qiong Fu Office
[2022] No. 46, hereinafter referred to as "Measures").
These "Measures" are the first policy document in the
nation and even the world to provide support and guarantees for the
full cycle of digital therapy. We are holding this press conference
on policy interpretation today in order to keep everyone informed
about the policy. Attending today's press conference are: Mr. Zhang
Yuhui, a Member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the
Hainan Provincial Department of Health; Mr. Liu Zuokai, a Member of
the Party Group and Deputy Director of the Department of Science and
Technology of Hainan Province; Mr. Zhu Yongfeng, Member of the Party
Group of the Medical Security Bureau of Hainan Province; Mr. Wang
Gang, member of the party group and deputy director of the Hainan
Provincial Medicine Administration; Ms.
Zhou Li, director of the Personal Insurance Supervision Department of
Hainan Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau; and Ms. Yi Hua,
deputy director of the Innovation and High-tech Development
Department of the Hainan Development and Reform Commission.
Next, I would like to ask Zhang Yuhui, deputy director of the Hainan Provincial Department of Health, to introduce the relevant aspects of the "Measures".
Zhang
Yuhui, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the
Hainan Provincial Department of Health:
Dear
friends from the media, good afternoon! Welcome to the press
conference on "Several Measures to Promote the Development of
the Digital Therapy Industry in Hainan Province" (hereinafter
referred to as "Several Measures"). Thank you, friends from
the media, for your concern and support for the development of the
digital therapy industry in Hainan Province.
The
central government emphasized that "Hainan should deepen
supply-side structural reform, give full play to its advantages,
gather its innovative elements, and actively cultivate a new era in
the information technology industry and digital economy."
Digital therapy organically combines the wave of the fourth
industrial revolution and new progress in the understanding of life
and health. It represents the direction of global technological
innovation and the primary development trend of the healthcare
industry, and is the key intersection of Hainan’s developmental
direction in the digital economy, modern service industry, and
high-tech industry, as well as digital service trade. At the same
time, the development of Hainan’s digital therapy industry can
foster the intelligent growth of medical and health systems in this
free trade port, promote the quality and improvement of Hainan's
online medical industry, and help deepen reforms in the fields of
medicine and healthcare and the cultivation of better health on the
island.
In
order to seize this major opportunity, after in-depth research, the
Provincial Health Commission drafted the "Report on Seizing
Opportunities to Promote the Development of the Digital Therapy
Industry in Hainan" in early January this year. The report was
affirmed by the leaders of the Provincial Party Committee and
Provincial Government. On January 25, Hainan Provincial Department of
Health and Health Commission issued the "14th Five-Year Plan for
Digital Health in Hainan Province", which clearly listed
"exploring digital therapy for trial use" as one of its 24
main tasks. This is the first time digital therapy has been
implemented in the country. Inclusion in the provincial plan has
attracted widespread attention from all parties and formed the
"flagship" effect of Hainan. This time, under the
leadership of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial
Government, and with the support and cooperation of various
departments, relevant units and enterprises, the Provincial Health
and Health Commission conducted extensive research and formulated the
"Several Measures" document, and has repeatedly solicited
relevant opinions during this process. It was issued by the General
Office of the Provincial Government on the 10th. This is the first
full-cycle support policy for digital therapy nationwide and even
globally.
The
"Several Measures" will provide all-round support for the
construction of digital therapy clinical research demonstration
bases, product registration and approval, product promotion and
application, exploration of payment methods, publicity and industrial
cluster construction, standardized development and guarantees, etc.,
which will play a significant role in the development of the digital
therapy industry. The goal is to build Hainan into the world's
digital therapy innovation island, an innovation resource gathering
area and industrial highland, through 2 or 3 years of effort: to
build digital therapy into a new engine for the high-quality
development of Hainan's health industry, and to promote Hainan's
health and health-related undertakings by leaps and bounds. This
includes the development and realization of the goal of increasing
average life expectancy by two years during the "14th Five-Year
Plan" period, and accelerating the construction of a higher
level of health on the island.
Below
I will introduce to you the main contents of the "Several
Measures". The "Several Measures" have a total of 21
articles, which are divided into 6 parts.
The
first is to build a national leading digital therapy clinical
research demonstration base. As a result of building a digital
therapy clinical trial center, supporting technical research and
clinical transformation, and building a public service and management
platform, we will create an excellent environment for digital therapy
research and service support.
The
second is to speed up the registration and approval of digital
therapy products. By formulating the classification supervision and
registration approval guidance documents of digital therapy products,
setting up a special channel for product registration guidance,
establishing a green approval channel, exploring the digital therapy
filing system, and encouraging the application of real-world data,
the rapid registration and approval of digital therapy products can
be achieved.
The
third is to actively promote the application of digital therapy
products. This includes efforts to promote the application of digital
therapy products in a comprehensive way by building a digital therapy
application promotion base, as well as promoting the integrated
development of digital therapy and internet hospitals, building a
demonstration area for digital therapy applications, and encouraging
all sectors of society to increase the application of digital therapy
products.
Fourth,
encourage exploration of multiple payment methods. Relevant aspects
include commercial insurance innovation, pricing charges, medical
insurance payments, etc. This also entails encouraging the
exploration of "digital therapy + commercial insurance"
product innovation, exploring digital therapy price formation
mechanisms and medical insurance payment models, etc., to provide
payment guarantees for the promotion and application of digital
therapy.
The
fifth is to strengthen the promotion of digital therapy and
construction of industrial clusters. This will be done through the
implementation of precise investment strategies and promotion of the
entire industry chain, the active introduction of outstanding digital
therapy innovation enterprises at home and abroad, the planning and
holding of the World Digital Therapy Conference, and the creation of
Hainan's "World Digital Therapy Innovation Island" brand,
etc., to promote the aggregation of the digital therapy industry in
Hainan.
Sixth,
standardize development and other guarantees. This can be achieved by
formulating industry standards, strengthening data security
supervision, strengthening the use of data resources, strengthening
talent protection, and giving play to the role of the free trade port
industrial fund. Multiple measures have been taken to ensure the
high-quality development of the digital therapy industry.
The
above is the main content of the "Several Measures". You
may have noticed that among the 21 specific measures, 18 are to be
completed before December 31 this year. Digital therapy is an
emerging industry that requires extensive institutional innovation
and policy exploration, which is highly challenging. However, we can
still set this demanding goal despite the time limit. This is the
result of various departments resolutely implementing the work
deployment of the provincial party committee and the provincial
government and actively applying pressure to themselves. The results
also fully demonstrate Hainan's determination to promote the
development of its digital therapy industry, and also fully
demonstrate the unique developmental acceleration of the Hainan Free
Trade Port.
As
our the next step, we will take the "Several Measures" as
our foundation, give full play to the integrated innovation
advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port system, and work together
with various departments to accelerate the implementation of various
specific policies. This forms an excellent chance for Hainan's
digital therapy policy to attract innovative elements, accelerate the
development of the digital therapy industry, build a smart healthcare
system with the characteristics of a free trade port, and promote a
productive, coordinated development of the island’s health care and
industries. Finally, I wish everyone good health and productive work.
Thank you!
Ru
Yingying:
Thank
you Deputy Director Zhang Yuhui for your professional and inspiring
introduction. Next, we will allow reporters to ask questions. Please
inform the media organizations you represent before asking questions.
Questioners may now raise your hand.
Q&A
session
Health
News reporter:
What
is the special background of Hainan's introduction of 21 measures to
accelerate the development of the digital therapy industry?
Zhang
Yuhui:
Hainan's
development of the digital therapy industry is firstly in line with
the central government's requirements for innovation and high-quality
development in Hainan. In his speech to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of Hainan's establishment as a special economic zone,
General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that Hainan should "deepen
supply-side structural reform, give full play to its advantages,
gather its innovative elements, and actively develop a new generation
of the information technology industry and digital economy."
Digital therapy uses data as its means of production, and uses information technology and big data algorithms as production tools. It is an important content and frontier field for the digital economy. Second, the development of "digital therapy" is an important way for Hainan to innovatively implement its healthcare policy in the new era, accelerate the construction of a health service system centered on people's health, and accelerate the improvement of the health and well-being of the people of Hainan.
The Eighth Provincial Congress has proposed a plan to build a higher level of health on the island. During the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Hainan aims to achieve the goal of increasing average life expectancy by two years. To achieve this extremely challenging goal, the support of digital therapy as a "new increment" and "new power" is needed. Digital therapy combines the latest advances in life science and information technology, and can provide innovative treatment approaches for some diseases, such as mental disorders, autism, etc. It can be combined with medicine and devices to improve medication compliance and treatment and rehabilitation effects, such as significantly improving the effective control rate of chronic diseases such as diabetes. It can empower medical staff to treat and serve more patients at the same time, as well as playing a role in disease screening and preventive intervention.
Third, the development of "digital therapy" is in line with Hainan's unique policies and resource endowments. Digital therapy uses data as its means of production, information technology and big data algorithms as production tools. It is less constrained by the basic conditions of the upstream and downstream industrial chains of Hainan's health industry. It can form an effective connection with the registration access policy of the clinical real-world data application pilot in the Boao Hope City and the Internet medical industry cluster in Hainan Ecological Software Park. Thus, it is conducive to taking advantage of Hainan's innovations in system integration, as well as the advantages of "facilitation" and a "safe and orderly flow of data", and quickly forming policies to promote the rapid development of the industry.
Fourth, the development of "digital therapy" is conducive to creating a new engine for the high-quality coordinated development of health and industry. The characteristics of digital therapy are naturally in line with Internet medical care, and can achieve the dual-core drives of "Internet medical treatment + digital therapy" in the fields of disease treatment and health management, which will lead to the aggregation and reconstruction of the trillion-level digital medical industry. At the same time, it can effectively improve the accessibility and continuity of services, reduce the burden of cost, and promote the high-quality coordinated development and progress of healthcare and industry.
Fifth, the development of "digital therapy" is conducive to attracting overseas digital therapy innovation resources and helping to improve Hainan's level of internationalization. Digital therapy is the intersection of the most active areas of innovation in the life sciences and information technology. Hainan is backed by a large market of 1.4 billion people on the mainland, and has advantages such as its system integration and innovation, a strong attraction to global innovative companies. Hainan has accelerated the development of its digital therapy industry through system integration innovation, which is conducive to attracting and introducing global innovation elements. This includes international talents, technology, capital, and rising standards that help improve the internationalization level of Hainan's health industry and free trade port.
Reporter:
In
what ways will the Provincial Department of Science and Technology
support the development and application of digital therapy?
Liu
Zuokai, member of the party group and deputy director of the
Department of Science and Technology of Hainan Province:
Digital
therapy is a cutting-edge technology that combines information
technology, artificial intelligence, etc. with medical technology.
The Provincial Department of Science and Technology actively supports
the development of digital therapy scientific research and
technological innovation in many ways:
The
first is to encourage all units to apply for provincial science and
technology special projects such as the Provincial Natural Science
Foundation and the Provincial Key R&D Special Projects. Next,
they are to organize teams of high-level talents to carry out basic
research, applied research and product development, with a special
emphasis on key technology research and clinical translation research
of related products combined with the diagnosis and treatment of key
diseases in our province.
The
second is to support the construction of relevant innovation
platforms and encourage qualified enterprises and institutions to
establish key scientific research platforms such as provincial key
laboratories and technology innovation centers. This supports
scientific and technological innovation cooperation with
industry-leading scientists and key enterprises, establishes
scientific and technological cooperation platforms, and supports the
introduction of high-level scientific research institutions.
The
third is to support the development of related technology
enterprises, increase the cultivation of high-tech enterprises and
technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of
digital therapy, and encourage the park to establish public technical
service platforms, incubators, maker spaces and other platforms to
support the accelerated development of relevant small, medium and
micro enterprises. This includes encouraging enterprises to increase
investment in scientific and technological innovation through
scientific and technological financial means.
China
News Service reporter:
How
will digital therapy be billed? Will it be included in medical
insurance reimbursement, and how will it be integrated with the
ongoing reform of medical payment methods?
Zhu
Yongfeng, a member of the party group of the Medical Security Bureau
of Hainan Province.
First,
our province is deepening its reform of medical service prices and
accelerating the establishment of a scientifically determined and
dynamically adjusted medical service price formation mechanism. As a
new form of business, digital therapy will also be included in the
scope of medical service price reform. Based on the requirements of
the "Several Measures for Improving the Development of the
Digital Therapy Industry in Hainan Province", our bureau will
actively explore price formation mechanisms for the clinical use of
digital therapy according to the actual diagnosis and treatment needs
of patients and specific diseases, and reasonably formulate digital
therapy billing methods and standards. For digital therapy that is a
medical service item, medical institutions can apply to the
Provincial Medical Insurance Bureau, and after organizing
demonstrations and performing relevant procedures, the price and
billing policies will be clarified and released for implementation.
Second, according to the characteristics and clinical application of
digital therapy, we will study the inclusion of digital therapeutic
products or digital medical services that have high clinical value.
We will do this according to the medical insurance strategic purchase
principle, based on the premise of adapting appropriately to the
level of economic development, in addition to being guided by the
social fairness of medical insurance while remaining centered on
enhancing value. The result will be an excellent economic evaluation,
one which is affordable by medical insurance funds and insured in the
scope of medical insurance payments.
The
third is to select medical institutions that have carried out digital
therapy and accumulated relevant data based on the progress of the
reform of medical insurance payment methods in the province. The
includes conducting data analysis, research and demonstration, and
supporting the application of digital therapy in medical cost
control. Other important aspects include service quality improvement
and health management; exploring an effective form of digital therapy
combined with the promotion of payments by disease; and promoting the
formation of a payment mechanism based on value and data-efficient
use.
Hainan
Daily reporter:
What
specific measures does the Hainan
Provincial Medical Products Administration
take to support the development of the digital therapy industry in
our province?
Wang
Gang, member of the party group and deputy director of the Hainan
Provincial Medical Products Administration:
Thank
you for your question! The Hainan Provincial Medical
Products Administration attaches great importance to promoting
its digital therapy industry, and we have four specific measures to
speed up the registration and approval of digital therapy products.
The
first is to publish policy and regulatory documents on digital
therapy products. A column for digital therapy products will be set
up on the website of the provincial bureau, and important content
such as policies and regulations, guidance documents, classification
definitions, and precautions related to digital therapy products will
be published in the column and updated promptly.
The
second is to strengthen digital therapy product registration coaching
training; publicize the digital therapy policy consultation hotline
and mailbox on the provincial bureau website; establish a special
counseling mechanism for second-class medical device digital therapy
products; arrange a special person to be responsible for product
technical consultation; carry out digital therapy product
registration application and policy training; and improve enterprise
application standards and quality.
The third is to unblock the priority approval channel for digital
therapy products and include the registration approval of the second
category of digital therapy products into the provincial bureau's
priority approval process for medical devices. This will unblock the
priority approval channel, support the application of digital therapy
products on a basis of solid evidence, a high level of technology
maturity, and key development in our province. This services to
reinforce the vitality of the development of the digital therapy
industry.
The
fourth is to encourage real-world data to be used for post-market
clinical validation, encourage real-world research, give play to the
leading role of real-world research institutions, and promote the use
of real-world data for post-market clinical validation of digital
therapy products.
At
the same time, the Hainan ProvincialMedical Products Administration will also
actively cooperate with the Provincial Health Commission and other
departments to carry out the construction of a digital therapy
clinical trial center and a digital therapy public service and
management platform. Thanks!
Youth
Channel reporter:
What
hurdles need to be overcome for commercial insurance to play a role
in digital therapeutics?
Zhou
Li, Director of the Personal Insurance Supervision Division of the
Hainan Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau:
"Digital
therapy" is a relatively new concept in this country and even in
the world. Hainan's promotion and development of "digital
medicine" will be a milestone across the ages. In order to help
promote the popularization and high-quality development of digital
therapy, the Hainan Banking and Insurance Regulatory Bureau will
support insurance institutions within its jurisdiction to actively
research and learn about digital therapy, and actively participate in
digital therapy training organized by medical authorities to enhance
awareness of digital therapy. This will guide insurance institutions
within the jurisdiction to explore the incorporation of digital
therapy into the insurance product design system, or also to utilize
it as a health management service tool to help people maintain a
higher level of health and ease people's worries about using new
technologies.
At
the same time, "digital therapy" is still in the
exploratory stage, and a complete commercial system has not yet been
formed. Further development is required in the realms of technology,
supervision, and existing upstream and downstream industrial chains.
For commercial insurance to play a role in digital therapy, we
require strong support from the medical and health authorities and a
sound digital therapy ecosystem as support. It is necessary to
clarify the positioning of commercial insurance in digital therapy
and what kind of risk protection it provides. The algorithm of
insurance products under "digital therapy" will also change
as technology advances. The new technology will have an impact on the
actuarial and pricing foundation of insurance products because it
lacks historical data support. All of these new concerns require
further research, including how to preserve sustainable development
and how to regulate insurance products beyond iteration. As the next
step, the Hainan Bureau of Banking and Insurance Regulatory
Commission will cooperate with relevant departments to jointly
promote "digital therapy" as a "new engine" for
the high-quality development of Hainan's health industry, and help in
the construction of a free trade port!
Haikou
Daily reporter:
What
are the considerations for building a high-quality digital therapy
industry cluster and introducing overseas digital therapy companies?
Yi
Hua, Deputy Director of the Innovation and High-Tech Development
Division of the Hainan Development and Reform Commission:
Thanks
for asking. We will mainly work on the following aspects.
The first is to focus on policy advantages and innovate the mode of industrial linkage. Together with relevant departments in the province, we will make full use of the Hainan Free Trade Port policy and the special policy advantages of the Boao Lecheng. We will also promote joint investment promotion between the Lecheng and the Haikou National High-tech Zone, and jointly build an economic cooperation demonstration park to promote resource integration, complementary functions and overlapping advantages. This will attract prospective companies to use the Lecheng policy to quickly introduce more high-quality overseas digital therapy products to Lecheng, promote real-world research pilot approved products to be produced in Haikou High-tech Zone, and form a "front area and rear factory" industry.
At the same time, combined with the existing industrial foundation of key parks such as Haikou National High-tech Zone, Hainan Ecological Software Park, and Haikou Fuxing City Internet Information Industrial Park, overseas scientific and technological talents and digital therapy companies are encouraged to carry out achievement incubation and commissioned production in relevant parks. We will attract overseas R&D institutions and technology transfer centers to set up regional centers in Hainan, drive the improvement of the overall R&D level of digital therapy, and create a highland for the province's digital therapy industry.
The second is to strengthen policy support such as capital elements. In order to promote the construction of Smart Hainan, starting in 2022, our province will allocate 1 billion yuan of financial funds every year to set up subsidy funds for the construction of Smart Hainan, and issue the "Interim Measures for the Management of Subsidy Funds for the Construction of Smart Hainan". This will guide social capital to plan and package projects around digital industry application scenarios such as digital therapy, support project construction through loan discounts, substitute awards for subsidies, etc., while boosting the implementation of projects and aiding in the development of the digital therapy industry.
Ru
Yingying:
Do
any other reporters want to ask questions? If not, this is the end of
today's reporter questioning session. Thanks again to all the
publishers for a very detailed and professional introduction and
interpretation of the relevant content of "Several Measures to
Accelerate the Development of the Digital Therapy Industry in Hainan
Province". If you still need interviews after the meeting, you
can contact the staff of the Provincial Information Office.
This
press conference ends here. Thank you all!
Source:
Hainan Provincial Information Office
Photography:
Liu Yang
Editor:
Zhang Liuyang, Li Wencui
Proofreading:
Fan Xueling
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