A doctor checks a patient's condition at the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine in Yiwu, Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to Tide News]

Zhejiang University School of Medicine's Fourth Affiliated Hospital has become the first in the province to admit patients immediately after consultation without extra paperwork or multiple trips.

Under the new system, the hospital's 22 outpatient departments can handle admission procedures on-site. After a doctor issues an admission slip, a nurse books a bed, completes registration and payment, and provides guidance, allowing patients to move directly — or by appointment — into wards.

All tests before surgery are conducted after admission, accompanied by medical staff, saving families from long waits and repeated visits. The reform strengthens doctor-patient communication and allows treatment plans to be adjusted in real time.

The new model is expected to save patients over 2.16 million hours of waiting annually and cut more than 90,000 hospital trips.

In 2025, the hospital entered a new phase of expansion, with its international health building increasing total beds from 920 to 1,500 and 15 clinical departments moving into upgraded facilities. A new international medical department also opened, offering expanded single and double rooms to meet diverse needs.