On May 20, 2026, an academic symposium on the Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Model for integrated Chinese and Western medicine diabetes care was held at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH). The event was attended by officials from the Department of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine and Ethnic Minority Medicine under the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, senior officials from the Fujian Provincial Health Commission and the Xiamen Municipal Health Commission, as well as hospital leadership from PUMCH and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University. More than 40 medical institutions participated, sharing experience in building flagship hospitals of integrated Chinese-Western medicine and advancing the “Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Model” for diabetes prevention and treatment.

The Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Model brings together an endocrinologist, a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) physician, and a health manager to provide coordinated care for patients with pre-diabetes, diabetes, and related complications and comorbidities. The three practitioners work as a team, delivering integrated Chinese and Western medicine treatment alongside continuous online and offline patient management — forming a new multidisciplinary model of care. On the day of the symposium, PUMCH officially launched its Tri-Practitioner Co-Management outpatient clinic, upgrading its existing integrated Chinese-Western medicine joint clinic to the full co-management model. A National Diabetes Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Demonstration Center was simultaneously established, co-founded by PUMCH and the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University. The Center will provide guidance and training for the nationwide rollout of the model and on the management of complex and rare cases. More than 40 medical institutions were designated as the first cohort of demonstration units.

The symposium called on both institutions to use this collaboration as an opportunity to press ahead with improving clinical protocols, quality standards, and training frameworks for the Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Model— creating a blueprint for integrated Chinese-Western medicine care with measurable outcomes, clear evaluation criteria, and the potential for nationwide replication. Grounded in people’s health needs, particularly those in underserved areas, the meeting also called for harnessing big data, artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies to address the shortage of TCM practitioners and the uneven quality of care at the primary level — bringing quality TCM services within reach of patients in urban and rural communities alike. 

Vice President Du Bin noted that exploring the complementary strengths and synergies between Chinese and Western medicine has been a longstanding commitment of PUMCH. Going forward, the hospital will leverage its strengths as a general hospital to further advance the integration of Chinese and Western medicine in building a high-quality, efficient healthcare system, enhancing service capacity, and driving scientific innovation — contributing to the Healthy China initiative.

In the academic session, Dr. Yang Shuyu, Chief Physician at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University who pioneered the Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Model, drew on more than a decade of exploration and practice to illustrate the model's development. Dr. Xiao Xinhua, Chief Physician in PUMCH's Department of Endocrinology, delivered a presentation on the evolving thinking and shifting priorities in diabetes treatment. Dr. Wu Qunli, Director of PUMCH's Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, spoke on the distinctive value of the Tri-Practitioner Co-Management Model within the development framework of flagship hospitals for integrated Chinese-Western medicine.