In a move to enhance patient experience and optimize medical resources, China is accelerating the nationwide mutual recognition of medical examination and laboratory test results, a reform that is reshaping the healthcare ecosystem.

The National Health Commission (NHC), China's health authority, will implement ten practical initiatives for the people this year. One of them is to increase the number of mutually recognized test and inspection items within cities.

For years, patients have had to endure redundant tests and examinations when seeking care at different medical institutions. This practice has not only added to their financial strain and time costs but has also led to a waste of healthcare resources. The promotion of mutual recognition is now addressing this long-standing challenge.

Nationwide progress and infrastructure

NHC senior official Li Dachuan confirmed at a press conference in December 2025 that all provinces across the country have now achieved mutual recognition of over 200 test and inspection items within their respective cities.

"This milestone marks that the national mutual recognition effort has entered a phase of large-scale advancement," Li said.

Official data reveals progress in the underlying digital infrastructure. For example, 25 provinces have established provincial-level "imaging cloud" platforms, which have been accessed for record reviews more than 350 million times.

A total of 9,073 secondary and higher public hospitals, along with 503,000 primary public hospitals and community health centers, have been integrated into a regional information-sharing network. This creates an interconnected system that facilitates seamless data exchange.

The initiative builds on exploration that began as early as 2006. Looking ahead, China has set clear targets. By the end of 2027, each province aims to mutually recognize over 300 items, with inter-provincial city clusters like the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Chengdu-Chongqing area targeting over 200 items.

The construction of regional information platforms is the core pillar supporting the implementation of mutual recognition. The national three-year action plan for healthcare information interoperability, launched in October 2023, aims to unify digital standards across the country. By establishing test result databases and digital imaging systems, the initiative enables secure cross-institutional sharing and access to medical data within regions.

For instance, Jingzhou City in central China's Hubei Province has launched its mutual recognition platform. This system enables a single report for 137 laboratory tests and 297 medical imaging examinations to be accepted across different hospitals. By August 2025, healthcare institutions throughout the city had helped nearly 200,000 patients save over 30 million yuan (about $4.3 million) in examination and testing costs.

Ensuring quality

However, the mutual recognition process is not simply about data sharing. It is built upon a foundation of robust quality control, standardized procedures, and clinical assessment mechanisms.

According to NHC guidelines, items eligible for mutual recognition must comply with relevant technical specifications and remain within their validity period. Physicians retain the authority to determine whether to accept previous results based on the patient's current condition.

"The prerequisite for implementing mutual recognition is that the results are accurate and reliable," said Wang Zhenchang, an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. "We must continuously improve the quality of testing and inspection services in all regions and at all levels of medical institutions."

To this end, efforts are underway nationwide to strengthen quality control centers in clinical laboratories, radiology, nuclear medicine, and related fields. These centers are being established at the national, provincial, and city levels, and are being extended to counties to enhance the standardization of testing and inspection practices.

From an industry perspective, experts also pointed out that mutual recognition is more than just a patient-friendly policy. It is a crucial tool for optimizing the allocation of medical resources and improving the efficiency of healthcare services.