China's national medical insurance imaging cloud platform has launched cross-province access, marking the era of "nationwide roaming" for digital medical imaging. Carrying heavy film bags between hospitals was once a shared experience for countless patients. Over the past year, China's healthcare system has been rapidly moving away from physical films.

Since the official launch of the medical insurance imaging cloud sharing pathway on December 1 last year, nearly 200 million indexed records have been aggregated from provinces to the national medical insurance information platform in just one year. The imaging cloud has quietly reshaped a more efficient, cost-effective, and patient-friendly healthcare pathway by letting "data do the running." Recently, cross-province access was activated, signaling the start of nationwide digital medical imaging mobility.

According to the National Healthcare Security Administration's (NHSA) timeline, by the end of 2027, China aims to achieve a fully interconnected "one-network" system for medical imaging data, enabling real-time access across provinces. This will effectively address the pain points of redundant examinations—time-consuming, labor-intensive, and costly for patients.

**Rapid Aggregation of Imaging Cloud Index Data** On December 1, 2024, the NHSA officially launched the medical insurance imaging cloud sharing pathway at Nanjing Gulou Hospital in Jiangsu Province. This allowed provincial imaging management systems to upload directory data to the national cloud-sharing center, marking the beginning of nationwide medical imaging data interoperability.

On April 21 this year, the NHSA initiated a pilot program for uploading indexed imaging data. Leveraging the unified national medical insurance information platform, it developed a sharing module and issued standardized coding rules for imaging data. By June 12, five pilot provinces—Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong, and Guizhou—had uploaded 3.64 million indexed records with cross-province access capabilities.

NHSA Deputy Director Wang Wenjun stated at the cross-province access launch that this initiative represents a digital leap in medical insurance governance. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, cross-province medical settlements exceeded 650 million, averaging 370,000 daily. Redundant examinations in cross-province healthcare scenarios have been a major patient complaint. To alleviate this burden, the NHSA accelerated the imaging cloud's development.

In the second half of 2024, data aggregation sped up significantly: 22 provinces uploaded over 18 million records in August, 24 provinces reached 140 million by November 12, and by the cross-province launch on November 21, the total exceeded 170 million. As of December 3, the figure stands at 193 million.

Deng Yong, Director of the Health Law Research and Innovation Center at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, noted that the imaging cloud has met expectations by breaking data silos, optimizing诊疗流程, and improving resource efficiency. It also aids医保基金监管. Currently, 24 provinces have deployed the system, with nationwide integration underway.

**Enhancing Diagnostic Precision and Patient Experience** With over 100 million records processed in a year, the imaging cloud is transforming traditional healthcare. At the launch event, a doctor from Peking University Third Hospital accessed a patient’s cloud-based CT scan from Ningxia, eliminating the need for重复检查.

Behind this seamless access lies a complex system. NHSA Big Data Center Director Fu Chaoqi explained that the platform standardizes索引编码 and sets a service price of 5 yuan per scan for cloud storage, funded through医保集采.

Dr. Yu Tao, a neurosurgeon at Peking University Third Hospital, highlighted that异地患者 often carry bulky, disorganized films, leading to重复检查. The cloud enables高清影像调阅, reducing costs by over 10 billion yuan annually.

Academician Wang Zhenchang, a medical imaging expert, noted that the cloud ends the era of fragile, limited physical films, enabling连贯健康数据 for personalized care. For doctors, historical影像追溯 improves diagnostic accuracy and reduces误诊漏诊.

**Reshaping the Medical Imaging Industry** Wang Zhenchang called the cross-province access a milestone in ending data silos. He pointed out disparities in imaging quality across hospitals and regions, leading to误诊 and redundant checks. The cloud addresses this by standardizing data and enabling AI-assisted diagnostics.

Dr. Yu Tao added that the platform整合s patient data across timelines and hospitals, aiding慢性病管理 and surgical planning. However, Wang emphasized that互认 does not eliminate necessary重复检查 for evolving conditions.

Deng Yong suggested差异化互认规则 for stable慢性病, alongside AI and跨机构会诊 to enhance diagnostic consistency.

The medical imaging cloud is revolutionizing healthcare efficiency, cost, and accessibility nationwide.