The Jiangsu Provincial Regional Health Platform issued its first electronic medical bill at the Chengxi community health service center in Tongzhou district, Nantong on Oct 9.

Previously, patients had to wait for paper medical bills to be printed out which cost time and wasted paper. Now, after they pay the fee, the system will produce a receipt containing medical information and a QR code. An electronic invoice will appear on their phones as soon as the QR code is scanned, making it easy for downloading, printing, and checking. Patients don't have to fear losing the invoices any more as they can be reprinted.

Before the reform, some 3A-grade hospitals in Jiangsu province had actively promoted the use of electronic medical bills, which provided valuable implementation experience for Tongzhou.

The Tongzhou district health system complied with the relevant requirements of the reform of financial electronic medical bills and put special funds into the development of the service. A standard management platform, connected to a standardized fee collection system, was thus established.

There are a total of 223 medical institutions (including village clinics) in the regional health platform of Tongzhou. They will launch the service in groups very soon, according to a person in charge.

It is estimated that the reform will save about 1.6 million yuan ($237,600) in printing costs each year.