China's rapidly changing health care environment is being impacted by the country's move toward privatization. The Chinese government has been encouraging private companies to take over many of its hospitals. These companies are restoring these public hospitals and working on restructuring the country's health care system. Hua Shan Hospital (HSH) is creating a network of facilities to address the emerging needs of the country's people. The network currently includes Hua Shan Hospital in Shanghai, Hua Shan Hospital in Pudong, and Nanchang Zhonghuan Hospital.

This initiative involves a number of challenges common to growing health care providers:

  • Building the expertise of executive management
  • Developing the processes and infrastructure to support hospital and network operations
  • Creating facilities that meet international standards of patient-centered care
  • Ensuring best practices in the development of health care facilities and training programs


Since partnering with HMI, Hua Shan has pursued an aggressive growth strategy aimed at improving the existing HSH, which is a teaching hospital affiliated with Fudan University, developing a new medical surgical hospital with a focus on cardiology and oncology in Pudong, developing a general medical surgical hospital in Nanchang, and enhancing its core hospital leadership team. HMI has contributed to this effort in a number of areas:
  • Ongoing strategic advice for the development of the hospital network
  • Architectural planning and consultation for the new 250-bed facility at Pudong
  • Assistance in the development of clinical program plans, equipment lists, and a Health Information System (HIS)
  • Development of short-term fellowships for members of the HSH team
  • Health care management training for HSH executives, including an extensive program held in Boston in June 2004 for 18 people representing four HSH-affiliated hospitals.


  • HMI worked closely with the Pudong facility planning team to persuade local regulators to raise the standards of hospital design and development.
  • The Hua Shan Hospital Main Campus opened a new ambulatory building in October 2004 and will work with HMI on quality improvement efforts.
  • Pudong Hospital, a 250-bed facility focused on cardiology and oncology, opened in April 2006.
  • Four senior members of the Hua Shan Hospital staff have attended mini fellowships in Boston.
  • HMI delivered a continuing medical education program for the Shanghai medical community in May 2004.
  • Twelve members of Hua Shan's executive management participated in a health care management training program at HMI in June 2005.