MediTrust Accelerate 2025 Kicks Off, Paving the Way for a New Healthcare Landscape

In the era of diversified payment, health insurance must break free from the constraints of “low frequency and low engagement”. Innovative pharmaceuticals and medical devices seek to reshape payment pathways and reach target patients more precisely. Amid the fierce race for commercial health insurance upgrades, securing a foothold in the evolving payment ecosystem means seizing the competitive edge. This landmark conference showcased, in a multidimensional and comprehensive way, a new vision of integration across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and insurance industries.

Seizing the momentum to explore new opportunities together. On May 20, MediTrust Health, an innovation venture incubated by Shanghai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., successfully hosted the industry ecosystem partnership conference under the theme “AI FOR HEALTH”. The event consisted of two main sections—“Product Upgrades & Industry Solutions Sharing” and “Payment Innovation & Ecosystem Collaboration Forum”. It brought together leaders from top insurance and pharmaceutical companies, industry experts, and strategic partners to explore new paradigms of healthcare-pharma-insurance integration in the era of diversified payment.

The conference commenced with opening remarks by Mr. Li Yongzhong, Executive Director and CEO of Shanghai Pharma. He noted, “At both national and industry levels, the strong support for the development of commercial insurance has created diversified payment pathways beyond basic medical insurance for innovative pharmaceutical companies. Over the past eight years, MediTrust Health has built a robust competitive edge through deep market cultivation. Today, I sincerely invite all colleagues and ecosystem partners to jointly support the growth of MediTrust Health. Together, we can lay a solid foundation for the pharmaceutical industry in China through diversified payment models.”

Mr. Liu Yuanzhang, Assistant President of China Re, also delivered an opening address, emphasizing that commercial health insurance, as an essential component of a multi-tiered healthcare system, holds immense market potential. “The new ‘10-point document’ released in 2024 clearly states the inclusion of new medical technologies, pharmaceuticals, and devices within the scope of health insurance coverage, promoting deeper integration of health insurance and health management,” said Liu. “We must ride the wave of favorable policies and advance the integration of insurance with the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. This is key to addressing the pressing medical needs of the public and empowering consumers with more choices—embodying the political and people-oriented nature of financial services.”

Zhang Xiaodong, Founder and CEO of MediTrust Health, delivered a keynote speech titled “Looking forward to a Healthy 2030”, during which he noted that China is the world’s second-largest market for pharmaceuticals and medical devices. How to resolve long-standing challenges such as misallocation of quality medical resources, complicated treatment and medication processes, and fragmented payment systems—barriers that limit access to innovative drugs and healthcare—has become the new mission for MediTrust Health. Zhang further stressed that, as a connector in the broader healthcare ecosystem, MediTrust Health will focus on three strategic pillars: broader coverage through commercial health insurance, building foundational infrastructure for diversified payment of innovative drugs and devices, and becoming the premier platform for medical and pharmaceutical payment. Together, these efforts align with the bright prospect of ‘Healthy China 2030’.

The conference explored a wide array of topics—including payment transformation, AI empowerment, and ecosystem collaboration. While seemingly diverse, these discussions all point toward a common question of our time: How can we effectively establish a high-quality, sustainable healthcare security system that truly delivers real-world impact?

Xu Jinghui, former Chairman of CPIC and former General Manager of Dajia Insurance Group, offered his reflections. He noted that over the past decade, we’ve seen significant breakthroughs in four key sectors—basic medical insurance, commercial health insurance, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare technology—each progressing independently. Yet, the lack of coordinated integration across these sectors has made it difficult for many innovations to reach patients at the “last mile.” Today, faced with the dual challenges of an aging population and surging healthcare demand, commercial health insurance can no longer remain a mere payment tool, instead, it shall evolve into an ecosystem hub—a connector that integrates medical resources, optimizes service pathways, and catalyzes technological innovation. Xu emphasized that achieving this vision will require building four core infrastructures: a robust reimbursement catalogue system as the foundational framework; a network of professional physicians and specialists as key pillars; consensus-based clinical pathways as the operational rules; and a pharmaceutical supply chain as the circulation lifeline. These shall be supported by the dual engines of diversified payment methods and advanced technological capabilities.

Xu further highlighted that commercial health insurance in China is undergoing a transformation—from “passive payment” to “proactive health management”. When diagnosis and treatment plans for commercial insurance users are supported by consensus, pharmaceutical access is driven by data, and healthcare coverage becomes measurable in value, commercial insurance can truly fulfill its dual role as both a risk protector and a customizable health solution, facilitating the efficient flow of premium medical resources.