Stop treating tertiary hospitals as mere prescription hubs — stable chronic disease patients should turn to primary care

Cost: No monetary cost involved. The real challenge is breaking the habit of relying exclusively on large hospitals.
In plain terms: Moving forward, tertiary hospitals will primarily handle emergency cases, critically ill patients, and complex medical conditions. Routine follow-ups for common illnesses and regular outpatient visits for patients with stable chronic diseases will gradually be phased out. The same expert physicians who previously saw patients in tertiary hospitals will now provide care at community clinics. Continuing to use large hospitals solely for medication refills will become increasingly difficult as appointment slots dwindle.
Benefit: Tertiary hospitals can better focus on emergency care, critically ill patients, and complex medical issues by gradually reducing routine outpatient services for common illnesses and stable chronic disease cases. This means fewer appointment slots will be available for such visits. Meanwhile, expert medical teams from top-tier hospitals will extend their outpatient services to community-level facilities, making their expertise accessible locally.
Evidence grade: A
Sources:国务院 (2018). 医疗纠纷预防和处理条例（国务院令第 701 号）第十六条：「患者有权查阅、复制其门诊病历、住院志、体温单、医嘱单、化验单（检验报告）、医学影像检查资料、特殊检查同意书、手术同意书、手术及麻醉记录、病理资料、护理记录、医疗费用以及国务院卫生主管部门规定的其他属于病历的全部资料。」「患者要求复制病历资料的，医疗机构应当提供复制服务，并在复制的病历资料上加盖证明印记……可以收取工本费，收费标准应当公开。」「患者死亡的，其近亲属可以依照本条例的规定，查阅、复制病历资料。」第十五条「任何单位和个人不得篡改、伪造、隐匿、毁灭或者抢夺病历资料。」https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2018-08/31/content_5318057.htm；国家卫生计生委、国家中医药管理局 (2013). 医疗机构病历管理规定（2013 年版）：医疗机构「应当指定部门或者专（兼）职人员负责受理复制病历资料的申请」，复制在申请人在场的情况下进行并加盖证明印记. http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2014/content_2600084.htm
Notes: This reflects official policy direction rather than a recommendation. Access to routine outpatient services at large hospitals will become increasingly limited in the future. For patients with stable chronic diseases, primary care clinics can issue medication prescriptions valid for up to 12 weeks — see Section 16 for details.