The Action Plan is formulated for the implementation of the All-round Pilot Projects for Further Opening-up in Beijing's Service Industry approved by the State Council [Guohan (2019)] No. 16]. It is aimed at promoting the opening-up, reform and development of the healthcare and elderly care industry as part of the service sector reform.
I. Participation of Private Healthcare Providers
1. The existing dual-track review and approval procedures for new primary or second-level medical institutions to file separate applications for opening a medical practice and for business registration will be streamlined into a single-track process. Delegation of approval authority is envisaged to give more power to health departments at the district level. A pilot model is being considered that will allow a preliminary review process by district-level health authorities pending final approval by the municipal government. Online and user-friendly services will be expanded. The development of small international specialized medical institutions will be encouraged. (Time of Completion: before the end of August 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau)
2. The streamlining of the review and approval process for new private medical institutions will involve an inter-departmental approach that ensures coordination and standardization. (Time of Completion: before the end of September 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau, Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, and Municipal Market Regulation Bureau)
3. A pilot healthcare provider registration information system will be launched with the aim of improving administrative practices. (Time of Completion: before the end of September 2020; responsible organization: Municipal Health Commission)
4. A notification and commitment procedure will apply in the case of procurement and use of class B large medical equipment by private medical institutions and the hospital size requirement (number of beds) will no longer apply. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; responsible organization: Municipal Health Commission)
II. Greater Openness in the Healthcare and Elderly Care Industry
5. Pilot joint venture projects will be implemented to establish non-profit medical institutions in Beijing and overseas entities are encouraged to apply to join such collaboration so as to bring in cutting-edge management theories and practices and service models. (Time of Completion: before the end of April 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau)
6. Foreign physicians are allowed to be registered to practice at multiple locations. (Time of Completion: before the end of May 2019; responsible organization: Municipal Health Commission)
7. Foreign donations are welcome in the field of social services. Pilot projects will be launched to fund senior care centers with foreign donations. Necessary measures will be taken to communicate the policy changes. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; responsible organization: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau)
8. New senior care institutions are no longer required to apply for a license. Instead, they are required to submit a notification to be recorded in a senior care provider information system. (Time of Completion: on-going; responsible organization: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau)
III. Internationalization of Medical Services
9. A pilot program for internationalization of hospitals will first involve a number of top hospitals in areas with an abundance of international talent, especially in Zhongguancun Science City, Huairou Science Park, Beijing Future Science Park and Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area. (Time of Completion: the end of June 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, Beijing Economic and Technological Development Area Management Committee, and governments of Changping, Haidian, Huairou, Chaoyang and Shunyi Districts)
10. Measures to support the pilot internationalization program will focus on recruitment of top-notch professionals and managers, international cooperation on commercial insurance, drug import and medical insurance payment reform and will encourage innovation, especially in relation to institutional support. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Talent Development Bureau, Municipal Financial Regulation Bureau, China Banking Insurance Regulatory Commission Beijing Office, Municipal Drug Administration, and Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau)
IV. Promotion of Healthcare Innovation
11. Pilot projects of “Internet + nursing services” will be rolled out across Beijing, with those implemented in Dongcheng and Chaoyang Districts focusing in particular on developing guidelines and mechanisms tailored to the specific needs of Beijing. (Time of Completion: before the end of June 2019; responsible organization: Municipal Health Commission)
12. New information technology will be used to improve regulation on a pilot basis in the medical services industry, including through the rollout of a healthcare regulatory platform that monitors, among others, the functioning of Internet hospitals so as to ensure the quality of medical services provided on the Internet. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; responsible organization: Municipal Health Commission)
13. Medical institutions in Beijing are encouraged to conduct research into the clinical frontier technology of stem cells according to the relevant national regulations, provided they possess necessary technical capabilities. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Science and Technology Commission)
V. Coordinated Opening-up of Pharmaceutical Services and Medical Supplies Industries
14. Measures will be taken to facilitate trade in traditional Chinese medicine services, and promote the development of new business models that incorporate traditional Chinese medicine in a holistic approach to rehabilitation, fitness, wellness and health tourism. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau, Municipal Market Regulation Bureau, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, and Municipal Culture and Tourism Bureau)
15. Medical institutions are encouraged to incorporate on a pilot basis preventive care fees in overall medical bills and set a fee scale. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Traditional Chinese Medicine Bureau, and Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau)
16. A medical device registration system will be developed that will allow medical device registrants in Beijing to commission the production of specific medical devices by manufacturers in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. Such a move will boost regional coordination between device registrants and manufacturers. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Drug Administration, and Municipal Development and Reform Commission/Office for Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development)
VI. Land Allocation for Senior Medical Care
17. A special plan for senior services will be formulated as part of the effort to implement the Beijing Urban Master Plan (2016-2035). The plan will envisage medium- and long-term development of senior services facilities, including their spatial distribution, functional structure, quantitative adequacy and necessary capacity in all districts, sub-districts, towns and townships, to ensure rational distribution and ease of access across the region. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, and Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission)
18. Guidelines, including positive and negative lists, on land use for senior medical care services will be formulated to take advantage of the properties – including factory buildings, boiler rooms, premises of state-owned enterprises and other spaces – vacated as a result of relocation of non-central-government-related entities and the ensuing zoning changes, land reallocation, and ownership transfer. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Development and Reform Commission)
19. Policy options will be envisaged to support the establishment and operation of senior care institutions by state-owned enterprises on their premises and encourage these enterprises to participate in the development of such institutions elsewhere. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, and Municipal State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission)
20. Detailed policies will be formulated on the transfer of the right to use collectively owned land, occupation of such land, and change of land use status. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, and Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau)
21. Measures and policy options will be explored to ensure land allocation for the development of easily accessible senior services. In view of the fact that senior services are community-level public services, the land allocated by the government for building accessible senior services facilities cannot be used for any other purposes and will remain government-owned. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2021; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, and district governments)
VII. Ongoing Improvement of Elderly Services
22. Training of senior care personnel will continue to be a priority; more support will be given to rural senior care providers; and efforts will be ongoing to bring senior care workers up to the professional standards. (Deadline for completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, and Municipal Finance Bureau)
23. A region-wide comprehensive senior care framework will be in place, with basic services provided at the neighborhood-(township-)level by neighborhood-(township-)run senior care centers, public-funded institutions and privately funded providers, ensuring coordination and mutual complementarity among various providers. Integrated regional urban-rural planning is essential to ensuring the widest possible coverage and accessibility of senior care services. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2021; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, and district governments)
24. Implementation of the Beijing Elderly Services Regulations (provisional) will proceed on the basis of clearly defined responsibilities of the restructured departments concerned, and effective consultation through joint meetings. A comprehensive regulatory framework for senior services will be established. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Public Security Bureau, Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, Municipal Agricultural and Rural Affairs Bureau, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Market Regulation Bureau, and Municipal Financial Regulation Bureau)
VIII. Integrated Healthcare and Elderly Services
25. All avenues will be explored to integrate elderly care and medical services, promote greater synergy, and improve the overall quality of integrated services. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2019; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau)
26. A pilot long-term care insurance scheme will continue to be implemented in an attempt to gradually establish a full-fledged long-term care insurance system that responds to the needs of Beijing. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Medical Insurance Bureau, Municipal Finance Bureau, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, CBIRC Beijing Office, Municipal Health Commission, and Municipal Financial Regulation Bureau)
IX. Pilot Projects for Opening the Medical Services Sector to Private Investment
27. Public-private partnerships will be encouraged to allow public hospitals to make use of private capital to expand services. (Time of Completion: on an annual basis; Responsible Organizations: Chaoyang District government, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, and Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission)
28. Efforts will continue to facilitate the establishment of a Sino-foreign joint venture tertiary maternity hospital in Chaoyang District. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission, and Chaoyang District government)
29. The planning and design phase for two new international hospitals will start in Chaoyang and Haidian Districts. (Time of Completion: before the end of December 2020; Responsible Organizations: Chaoyang District government, Haidian District government, Municipal Health Commission, Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Commission, and Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Commission)
30. To ensure universal access to elderly services for Beijing residents, it is important to have in place an adequate number of well-functioning elderly care providers and projects. (Time of Completion: on an annual basis; Responsible Organizations: Municipal Development and Reform Commission, Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau, and Municipal Health Commission)
翻译：北京第二外国语学院 张颖 蔡力坚
