The health QR code, which indicates the health of a person during the coronavirus epidemic, has become part of a local hospital’s reservation system.

Through cooperation with the Shanghai Big Data Center, the Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital can access a patient’s QR code when they seek to reserve outpatient services.

The bilingual health QR code, which is available on the Suishenban app or through WeChat and Alipay, has three colors — green for the general public, yellow for people returning from countries and regions heavily affected by coronavirus, and red for patients, suspected cases or people still under medical observation. The code is updated when people’s conditions change.

“When a patient makes a reservation for outpatient services online or on the hospital’s DIY machine, our system, which connects with the big data center, can know their QR code and tell them what to do next. Those with a green code can continue the reservation, while those with yellow and red codes are told to wait until their code turns green,” said Mi Yiqun, director of the hospital’s outpatient office. “For elderly people, who don’t have or know how to use smartphones, we check their QR code by entering their identify card when they arrive at the hospital. We found three people with a yellow code yesterday.”

Previously, doctors would ask about people’s travels, though some may not tell the truth, and patients would also fill out a form which takes several minutes. “With the QR code, patients can enter the hospital smoothly by showing the green code and our medical staff can save much time and trouble,” Mi said.

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, local hospitals require reservations for all outpatient services. People can book via hospital websites website, WeChat accounts, by phone and also on site.

“About 80 percent of outpatient services reservations at our hospital are made online. So early screening of the QR code is very useful and efficient,” said Chen Fang, Party secretary of Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital. “After seeing many patients queuing outside for registration or filling in forms, we contacted the big data center. The new system brings convenience to both patients and the hospital,” he said.