Introduction to Xi'an TCM Hospital of Encephalopathy

Founded in May 1996, Xi'an TCM Hospital of Encephalopathy is the first Grade-A tertiary hospital in China specializing in encephalopathy treatment based on TCM. It is approved and directly overseen by the Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and accredited by the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The hospital focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, research and education of hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, vegetative state, stroke, traumatic brain injury, brain tumor and rare neurological diseases.

Upholding its motto of "Virtue, Diligence, Sincerity and Excellence—Caring for Brain and Serving the People", the hospital advances its strategic framework of "One Specialty, Two Centers, Three Excellences, Four Models and Five-in-One Integration". By enhancing internal capacity and shaping a strong external presence, the hospital comprehensively improves the quality of medical services while actively engaging in internal exchange and scientific collaboration. At present, it has established a comprehensive development model that integrates medical care, education, research, culture and industry, with Xi'an as its core, serving the entire nation and reaching overseas markets.

The hospital is located at No. 368 Kuangshan Road, East Second Ring Road, Xi'an, covering an area of 45 mu with a total building area of nearly 120,000 ㎡. It has 1,200 approved beds and 1,500 beds currently in use. The hospital hosts several prestigious institutions, including the Academician Shi Xuemin Workstation, the Studio of National TCM Master Ma Rong, and the Shaanxi Postdoctoral Innovation Base. Currently, the hospital employs 1,737 staff members, including 1,376 healthcare technicians. Among them, 398 hold intermediate or senior professional titles. The team includes 1 National Outstanding TCM Talent, 1 Provincial TCM Master who receives the State Council Special Government Allowance, 3 National TCM Nursing Backbone Talents, 12 Outstanding TCM Talents in Shaanxi Province, 2 Young Innovative Talents in Xi'an, and 1 recipient of Shaanxi Sanqin Talent Allowance. Additionally, the hospital has 10 postgraduate supervisors and 178 staff members with a master's degree or above. A total of 607 positions are held by hospital staff in various professional associations and academic societies at different levels, forming a well-structured and highly skilled talent team with rich clinical experience and expertise in both traditional Chinese and Western medicine.

In terms of departmental structure, the hospital houses a total of six rehabilitation departments, including four for pediatric rehabilitation, one for adult rehabilitation, and one for traditional rehabilitation. It has established seven pediatric wards focusing on key disease areas such as hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, autism, intellectual disability, epilepsy, Tic disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Additionally, there are 14 adult wards specializing in conditions such as vegetative state, traumatic brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), cerebrovascular diseases, cardiovascular and respiratory disorders, oncology, surgical and pain rehabilitation, geriatrics, and acupuncture. The hospital also features comprehensive clinical departments, including an emergency department, an intensive care unit (ICU), and a radiotherapy department, along with outpatient clinics in internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics. Additionally, there are integrated medical technology departments such as imaging, clinic laboratory, ultrasound medicine, and electrophysiology. A dedicated health management center provides health examination services to the public. Furthermore, the hospital operates 3 medical extension sites, establishing a province-wide medical support network with strengths in both pediatric and adult encephalopathy. In 2023, the hospital was rated a Five-Star Medical Institution for Quality and Service Capability and received a AAA-level social credit rating by the China Non-government Medical Institutions Association.

The hospital is equipped with over 100 sets of large-scale medical devices, representing the forefront of domestic high-end medical technology. These include United Imaging PET-CT, Siemens 3.0T and 1.5T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, 64-slice spiral CT, United Imaging digital radiography (DR) and mobile DR systems, Philips digital subtraction angiography (DSA) machine, color ultrasound machine, γ-ray stereotactic radiotherapy systems for both cranial and extracranial applications, surgical microscope, Drager anesthesia workstation, and Zeiss surgical microscope. The Medical Laboratory Center is fully equipped with equipment, including American Beckman fully automated biochemistry-immunology pipeline, Sysmex fully automated blood analysis pipeline, Abbott Alinity fully automated chemiluminescence detection system, and bioMérieux VITEK 2 fully automated bacterial identification and drug sensitivity analyzer.

The hospital undertakes national-level development projects for regional TCM pediatric and rehabilitation diagnosis and treatment centers. It has been designated as the National Clinical Key Specialty (TCM Pediatrics), the Key Specialty of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Encephalopathy, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation), and TCM Advantageous Specialty of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Encephalopathy, Pediatrics, Rehabilitation). It is also the Key TCM Specialty of the Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (Encephalopathy, Acupuncture, Preventive Medicine, TCM Nursing), the Key TCM Discipline in the "12th Five-Year Plan" of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM Pediatrics), the High-Level Key TCM Discipline of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM Encephalopathy), the fourth batch of Key TCM Disciplines of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM Pediatrics-Pediatric Encephalopathy), and the fifth batch of Key Disciplines of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM Encephalopathy). It is also one of the first in the country to host an Academic School Inheritance Studio for TCM (Xiqi TCM Pediatrics Academic School Inheritance Studio), and serves as the Shaanxi Provincial TCM Pediatric Regional Diagnosis and Treatment Center (Encephalopathy-focused) and the Shaanxi Provincial Demonstration Base for TCM-Characteristic Rehabilitation Services. It houses several key research institutions, including the Key Research Office for TCM Diagnosis and Treatment of Cerebral Palsy under National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as the Key Research Office of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine for TCM Encephalopathy, Key Research Office of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine for TCM Diagnosis and Treatment of Vegetative State, and Key Research Office of Shaanxi Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine for TCM Syndrome Patterns and Formulae for Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The hospital is an affiliated and teaching hospital for 13 medical colleges and universities, including Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xi'an Medical University, Rehabilitation Medical College of Jiamusi University, and Xi'an Jiaotong University, and serves as the postgraduate training base for Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine. In 2017, the hospital was approved as a collaborative unit of the Shaanxi Provincial Standardized Training Base for TCM Resident Physicians. In the same year, as an affiliated hospital of Xi'an Medical University, it launched a "2+2" undergraduate rehabilitation training model in partnership with the University. It also initiated "1.5+0.5+1" vocational training programs in acupuncture and tuina with Weinan Vocational Technical College and in rehabilitation therapy technology with Shaanxi Energy Institute, and jointly undertook the "National Vocational Colleges Reform Pilot Project for Disabled Rehabilitation Talent Cultivation" led by the Ministry of Education and China Disabled Persons' Federation and the "National Training for Vocational Education" Demonstration Program for training key teachers in elderly care and rehabilitation for secondary and higher vocational institutions with Shaanxi Energy Institute. The hospital is the doctoral internship base for the School of Life Science and Technology of Xi'an Jiaotong University. Since 2024, it has collaborated with several secondary colleges of Xi'an Jiaotong University and Xijing University to implement the Ministry of Education's Supply-Demand Alignment Employment-Education Integration Program to cultivate more outstanding talents for society.

The hospital has taken the lead in formulating four national TCM diagnosis and treatment plans, clinical pathways, and clinical practice guidelines for pediatric hydrocephalus, normal-pressure hydrocephalus, intellectual disability, and autism under the guidance of National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It also led the development of the international TCM clinical practice guidelines for cerebral palsy. It has presided over or participated in more than 100 national, provincial, and municipal research projects, including a key project under the Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Benefiting Citizens Program. The hospital has obtained 31 patents, completed 13 registrations of scientific and technological achievements, and received 17 awards for scientific innovation and research. It has published 7 monographs and served as chief editor or co-editor in the compilation of 8 textbooks and teaching plans. It has developed 36 in-house medicinal preparations and built a 10,000-square-meter preparation center, which functions as the Shaanxi Provincial Centralized Preparation Center for Medical Institutions and the Xi'an Engineering Technology Research Center for Traditional Chinese Medicine Preparations.

The hospital is a designated institution for direct medical insurance settlement under both national cross-provincial and intra-provincial schemes. It is also a designated hospital for provincial work-related injury insurance. Within Xi'an, the hospital serves as a contracted provider for urban employee and resident medical insurance, work-related injury insurance, medical insurance for retired cadres, critical illness insurance, and medical assistance programs under the civil affairs system. Additionally, it is an approved facility for qualification certification, annual review, and reimbursement related to chronic disease outpatient services under Xi’an’s basic medical insurance scheme. The hospital also collaborates with a variety of commercial insurance providers, including Taikang Insurance (through the Jianbaotong cooperation program), National Health Insurance, Ping An Insurance, and other commercial insurers for claim settlement services.

The hospital is an implementing institution of the China Disabled Persons' Federation's autism children rehabilitation education pilot project, the cerebral palsy treatment center and rehabilitation research center of Shaanxi Provincial Disabled Persons' Rehabilitation Center, the designated rehabilitation hospital for disabled children of Shaanxi Disabled Persons’ Federation and Xi'an Disabled Persons' Federation, and the Baqiao District Disabled Persons' Rehabilitation Center. It is recognized as the "Sunshine Action Service Base for Youth Volunteer Disability Assistance" by the Shaanxi Provincial Committee of the Communist Youth League and the Shaanxi Disabled Persons’ Federation, and the "Sunshine Disability Assistance Volunteer Service Base" by the China Disabled Volunteers Association. Since 2008, the hospital has undertaken rehabilitation assistance for disabled children and completed over 22,000 rehabilitation training tasks for disabled children assigned by disabled persons' federations at various levels.

As one of the first "National TCM Service Export Bases" jointly designated by the Ministry of Commerce and the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the hospital actively responds to the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting the international dissemination of TCM culture, diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, and academic research. It has established domestic connections with cities including Urumqi, Xi'an, Weinan, Shangluo, Ankang, and Fuzhou, and international networks extending north to the Czech Republic, Russia, and Kazakhstan, and south to Bangladesh and Indonesia. Through establishment and co-development of overseas medical centers, the hospital is exploring the creation of closely integrated international medical consortia and chain operation models. Chinese doctors, Chinese medical techniques, TCM efficacy, TCM services, "Made in China" products and Chinese medical standards have gained wide recognition and popularity among the populations of Belt and Road partner countries and regions.