Chinese Medicine: Starting with Daily Intelligence-Chapter 211: Commendation Meeting

"Payment received via WeChat: 2,000 yuan..."

Two patches of Musk Bone Strengthening Ointment, one thousand yuan per patch.

The price was so high because Li Xu used high-quality ingredients.

The musk, in particular, was top-grade. He had spent two hundred thousand yuan on two pieces from a collector named Ye Shihui.

Its effects were far more potent than ordinary musk.

Just then,

Lin Xiaoyu emerged from the break room in the back, her cheeks flushed and her hair slightly tousled. "Doctor Li, Sisi's technique is getting really good. She's almost on your level."

Song Sisi followed behind her, a triumphant smile on her face.

Li Xu gave her a thumbs-up. "Not bad. I'll treat you to a nice lunch today as a reward."

Song Sisi clapped. "Awesome! It's getting cold out. How about hot pot?"

Li Xu nodded. "Okay."

Hu Qiming sidled over. "Haha, I get to freeload another great meal."

Then, he enthusiastically invited Lin Xiaoyu, "Editor Lin, you and your friend should join us! Li Xu just made a killing. He's loaded now, so we should really make him splurge."

Lin Xiaoyu politely declined. "No thanks. Xiaojuan's back is hurting, so she needs to go home and rest."

"Oh, alright."

Hu Qiming looked disappointed.

After seeing Lin Xiaoyu and her friend off, Hu Qiming turned to Song Sisi. "Wow, Sisi, you're amazing! You've learned how to give massages now. How about you give me one?"

Song Sisi wasn't about to indulge him. She held out her hand. "Sure. That'll be one thousand yuan."

Hu Qiming's eyes widened. "A thousand yuan? You must be dreaming!"

After some playful bickering,

the group went out for hot pot that afternoon.

After they finished eating,

Hu Qiming said he had to head back to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

"What's the rush?" Li Xu asked.

In the past, Hu Qiming would usually slack off and hang around for the entire day.

Hu Qiming complained, "All the hospital leadership in the city is having a meeting today. Our department director is middle management, so he had to go too. The department's empty, so I have to go back and hold down the fort."

"Look at you, moving up in the world," Li Xu laughed.

Hu Qiming shook his head. "I'm not even close. I've still got a long way to go."

...

「City First Hospital Auditorium.」

Leaders from the middle-management level and up from all of Feng City's major hospitals were gathered together.

A red banner hung above the main stage, bearing the words: "Feng City Medical and Health System Third Quarter Review Conference."

The audience below was a sea of white coats, their name badges glinting under the lights.

Zhu Dawei, Director of the Health Commission, stood at the podium. Behind him, a large screen displayed various charts and data.

He glanced at the audience, his voice resounding, "According to the data, the unit showing the most outstanding improvement this quarter is the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine."

A murmur immediately went through the auditorium.

Sitting in the third row, Vice Director Zhang of the City First Hospital turned to the department head beside him and raised an eyebrow. 'Guanghe District? Aren't they always dead last?'

Zhu Dawei tapped the microphone and continued, "Their cure rate is up 27% year-on-year, mortality rate is down 43%, the unplanned readmission rate has dropped to 0.8%, and the current ratio has been optimized to 1.2."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room. "But the most pleasant surprise of all is that their patient satisfaction rate has jumped from tenth place in the city to second."

The large screen switched to a bar graph, where the blue bar representing the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was noticeably higher than the others.

The chatter in the auditorium grew louder.

Sitting in the back row, Dean Sun of the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine straightened his posture, the corners of his lips twitching into a small smile. He was incredibly thrilled.

In the past, they were always ranked last.

Every time he came to a meeting,

he'd always been a nobody—no, that wasn't quite right. He wasn't just a nobody; his hospital was frequently held up as a negative example.

"Dean Sun," Zhu Dawei said, turning to him, "would you care to share your experiences with us?"

Dean Sun adjusted his clothing and walked steadily up to the podium.

The Health Commission staff had already briefed him on the procedure.

He was prepared.

Standing at the podium, he looked out at his peers from the City First Hospital, the Second Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital, the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Infectious Disease Hospital, the Orthopedic Hospital, the Maternity and Childcare Hospital... Every one of those hospitals was superior to his, both in facilities and in the caliber of their doctors.

Their standing within the city's medical system was also far higher.

But today, he was the one standing here to give a speech, not them.

Dean Sun spoke with particular vigor. "Thank you, Director Zhu. To be honest, these achievements are primarily thanks to our procurement of a batch of high-quality medicinal ingredients and highly effective proprietary Chinese medicines."

Down in the audience, the various hospital leaders all perked up their ears to listen closely.

The fact that the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine was receiving praise was completely unexpected.

In past years, the commendations were almost exclusively monopolized by the City First Hospital and the City's Affiliated Hospital.

For a mere District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to suddenly surge ahead like this, there had to be some 'secret' involved.

"Take processed Aconite, for example," Dean Sun continued. "We procure authentic-source herbs that haven't been soaked in Daban Liquid, preserving their full medicinal potency."

He clicked open a PowerPoint he had prepared. "Processed Aconite restores yang, reverses collapse, tonifies yang fire, and dispels cold to alleviate pain. It's the foremost yang-supporting herb in history. Many traditional Chinese formulas use Aconite, which is why our hospital's cure rate has improved so dramatically. This, combined with several medicines developed by our Advisor Li—like the True Martial Pill for treating yang-deficiency edema, the Strongly Fragrant Dry Rice Pills for regulating the spleen and stomach to treat anorexia, and Watermelon Frost for canker sores and sore throats..."

"Advisor Li?" Dean Song from the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine cut in. "Is that the young doctor you hired as a special consultant?"

A look of immense pride spread across Dean Sun's face. "That would be Dr. Li Xu. He's not just an outstanding clinician, but also a brilliant expert in Chinese pharmaceutical R&D."

He turned to Zhu Dawei. "Director Zhu, you may not be aware, but Dr. Li has cured a patient with severe ascites from liver disease, a patient with a tick-borne illness, and even a patient whom multiple hospitals had diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder..."

The auditorium began to stir once more.

Chen Ming, the director of the Hepatobiliary Department at the City People's First Hospital, leaned toward his own dean's ear. "I know about that case. Several of our hospitals held a joint consultation for that ascites patient at the time, and none of us had an effective treatment. As for the patient with the tick-borne illness, multiple hospitals refused to even admit them..."

The dean of the City First Hospital mused, "It seems we have a real talent on our hands."

Up on the main stage, Zhu Dawei nodded as well. "I've heard about these medicines from Ding's Pharmaceutical Factory. They're best-sellers. I had no idea they were developed by such a young TCM doctor."

He surveyed the room. "Of course, hospital pharmaceutical procurement must still adhere to the centralized purchasing system. However..." He paused. "For medicines with proven, exceptional therapeutic effects, we can consider making special arrangements."

Dean Sun quickly added, "All of the medicines developed by Dr. Li have been approved by the drug regulatory agency and are fully compliant with regulations."

The meeting continued.

Zhu Dawei went on to criticize several other hospitals—some for their poor service attitude, others for strained doctor-patient relationships, and still others for substandard quality of care...

As the meeting drew to a close, the awards portion began, and the Guanghe District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine received its due honors.

Dean Sun was grinning from ear to ear.

The honor was secondary.

The most critical point was that his hospital had several project funding applications that had been stalled with the Health Commission.

Now, he had the leverage to press the issue.