E Chinese city to introduce e-medical records

HANGZHOU -- Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, plans to complete the conversion of paper medical records into electronic charts by April 1, 2020, said the city's medical insurance bureau Wednesday.

Electronic medical records will be first introduced in 11 public hospitals in the city starting from August, and the conversion will be expanded to over 6,000 medical institutions across the city, to cover patients included in the national health insurance program.

Different from the paper version, electronic records will offer complete medical treatment and hospitalization history, said Shi Lianzhong, director of the municipal insurance bureau.

The new measures will improve the efficiency of healthcare services and enhance health insurance regulations, said Shi, adding that facial recognition technology will also be introduced in the near future.