Stop treating tertiary hospitals as mere prescription hubs — stable chronic disease patients should turn to primary care
Moving forward, tertiary hospitals will primarily handle emergency cases, critically ill patients, and complex medical conditions. Routine follow-ups for common illnesses and regular outpatient visits for patients with stable chronic diseases will gradually be phased out. The same expert physicians who previously saw patients in tertiary hospitals will now provide care at community clinics. Continuing to use large hospitals solely for medication refills will become increasingly difficult as appointment slots dwindle.
No monetary cost involved. The real challenge is breaking…
Tertiary hospitals can better focus on emergency care, critically ill patients, and complex medical issues by…
No monetary cost involved. The real challenge is breaking the habit of relying exclusively on large hospitals.
Tertiary hospitals can better focus on emergency care, critically ill patients, and complex medical issues by gradually reducing routine outpatient services for common illnesses and stable chronic disease cases. This means fewer appointment slots will be available for such visits. Meanwhile, expert medical teams from top-tier hospitals will extend their outpatient services to community-level facilities, making their expertise accessible locally.
国务院办公厅 (2026). 关于加快建设分级诊疗体系的若干措施. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202604/content_7065031.htm：「三级医院要聚焦急危重症和疑难复杂疾病，加强转诊会诊和住院服务，逐步酌减常见病复诊和诊断明确、病情稳定的慢性病等普通门诊。」「紧密型医联体内上级医院要在基层医疗卫生机构开设高血压、糖尿病、慢性阻塞性肺疾病等常见病、慢性病门诊，提供诊疗和健康管理服务，并将专家团队普通门诊向基层医疗卫生机构延伸。」
Open source linkThis reflects official policy direction rather than a recommendation. Access to routine outpatient services at large hospitals will become increasingly limited in the future. For patients with stable chronic diseases, primary care clinics can issue medication prescriptions valid for up to 12 weeks — see Section 16 for details.