Phone-based medical payment now available in Shanghai

People can use their cellphones to pay medical bills instead of using insurance smart cards and queuing in the hospital to make payments, said Shanghai Health Commission on Friday.

Those covered by the city’s medical insurance can apply for an e-certificate for a medical insurance account through various tools like Alipay, WeChat, Shuishenban and more than a dozen bank apps.

After issuing an application and fulfilling real-name registration and evaluation, people can use their phones to pay medical bills after seeing the doctor.

So far, a total of 120 medical facilities have started to recognize the e-certificate and the system will cover all state-owned hospitals by August, the commission said.

Such practices can save 45 minutes on average for each patient.

Hospitals will maintain cashier windows to assist with registration and payment through traditional medical insurance cards. Volunteers will also serve in out-patient halls to help patients apply and connect their e-certificates, hospital officials said.