FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Twenty-seven questions in six groups, each answered here in a few lines — and where a page goes deeper, we link to it rather than repeat it. Nothing on this page is medical advice, and no answer can tell you which treatment is right for you.
Independent patient coordination. Zero markup on your hospital bill. Not medical advice.
Still unanswered? Write to hello@chinamedicalguides.com and we will answer it, or add it to this page.
Group 1 of 6
What we do
What we coordinate, who makes the clinical decisions, and what we can arrange without you travelling.
What does China Medical Guides actually do?
We coordinate the non-clinical side of treatment in China: matching your case to hospitals and departments, booking appointments, arranging transfers and accommodation, providing a bilingual coordinator and interpretation, supporting the visa letter, handling your records, and staying in touch after you fly home.
Every diagnosis and treatment decision is made by a licensed physician at the treating hospital, not by us — see the medical disclaimer.
Do you only help with surgery?
No. We coordinate diagnostics and health check-ups, oncology assessment and treatment, fertility and IVF cycles, orthopaedic and cardiac surgery, rehabilitation and traditional Chinese medicine programmes, dental and eye treatment, and remote second opinions.
We cannot help with emergency care. If you need urgent treatment, contact local emergency services — 120 in mainland China — or go to the nearest emergency department, and speak to us afterwards.
Who decides what treatment I need?
The treating physician at the hospital — never a coordinator. We are a patient-coordination company, not a hospital or a medical practice, we do not employ physicians to treat you, and we do not read your scans, labs or treatment options: the diagnosis, the procedure and the written treatment plan are signed by the doctor or the department. Your own physician at home remains in charge of the decisions before and after the trip — see the medical disclaimer.
Can I get a second opinion without travelling?
Yes. A remote review — your records, your imaging and a video consultation with a named specialist — can be arranged before you travel, and for some conditions it settles the question without a trip at all. Your coordinator arranges the call, interprets if you need it and sends you a written summary afterwards. Mark the consultation form as a remote opinion only; rates for a specialist video consultation are on the service fees page.
Will language be a problem?
No. Interpretation is part of the service, not an extra: your coordinator attends every consultation, test, procedure and consent discussion and interprets in real time, and the record set you take home is bilingual. Inside the international department at least one clinician or case manager usually speaks English; outside it, less reliably — which is what the coordinator is for. Send your records in your own language, and put your preferred language on the consultation form.
Group 2 of 6
Getting started
What to send, how quickly you hear back, and how long the whole thing takes.
How do I start, and what does it cost to ask?
Send the consultation form, or write to hello@chinamedicalguides.com and we will send a secure upload link for your records — records review and your first hospital proposal are free, with no obligation, and a coordinator replies within one business day. A clinical answer usually follows in two to four business days. Full process: how we work.
What should I send first?
Start with one message: the diagnosis, what has been tried so far and what you want to solve — nothing needs translating or certifying at this stage. We reply with a secure upload link and the exact list; the core of it is a dated diagnosis or clinical summary, discharge summaries from the last five years, imaging as DICOM files or discs rather than reports alone, pathology, lab trends, and your medication and allergy lists. If you have no records yet, tell us the symptoms and what you have been told, and we will advise on the smallest set of tests worth doing locally. Full lists: how we work · before you travel.
How quickly will I hear back?
A coordinator replies within one business day — usually the same day if your message arrives before 15:00 Hong Kong time. The hospital's clinical answer, with a proposed hospital, a named specialist and a written cost range, follows in two to four business days, and longer for complex multidisciplinary cases. Nothing is shared with a hospital until you approve it — see what happens next.
How long does the whole process take?
A typical elective operation with an uncomplicated recovery runs about three weeks from your first message to flying home: roughly a week of records review, hospital matching and a written estimate while you decide, then arrival, pre-operative assessment, the procedure and recovery in China. Complex oncology, cardiac surgery and fertility treatment run to a different rhythm, and the hospital — not us — sets every clinical date. The day-by-day plan is on how we work.
Group 3 of 6
Hospitals and doctors
How the shortlist is built, whether you can choose, and what accreditation does and does not tell you.
How do you choose which hospital to propose?
Four things: how much of your specific condition the department actually treats each year, whether a suitable specialist is available in your window, whether the international department can support you in your language, and whether the price band works for you. Accreditation is a filter, not the ranking.
The first proposal names every hospital we approached and every one we ruled out.
Are the hospitals accredited?
The directory is made up of Grade 3A public hospitals, China's highest assessed tier, and about a quarter also hold JCI accreditation or an equivalent international standard. We show the accreditation status on every hospital page.
Accreditation is a floor, not a guarantee of surgical skill: it covers safety processes, documentation and infection control. Verify the individual physician's credentials and their case volume for your procedure. Peking Union Medical College Hospital, ranked first in the Fudan China Hospital Rankings for thirteen consecutive years, is a starting point rather than a decision.
Can I choose my own hospital or doctor?
Yes — name the hospital on the consultation form, or send us the specialist's name, and we will approach them and confirm whether that department accepts international patients and whether the physician is free in your window. If we think a different department is a better match we say so and explain why, but the choice stays yours. Senior surgeons in high-demand departments are often booked weeks ahead, so we tell you early if your first choice is unrealistic.
Will I see the same doctor each time?
For the decisions that matter — the assessment, the operation or main treatment, and discharge — you will normally be seen by the same treating physician, with the department's team handling daily ward rounds. Where the hospital must substitute a physician, usually for clinical reasons or leave, we tell you as soon as we are told.
Group 4 of 6
Costs and payment
What things cost, who is paid what, and why an estimate is a range rather than a cap.
How much does treatment in China cost?
It depends on the procedure, the hospital, the implant or drug used, and how many nights you stay. Planning ranges at international-department rates from our cost guide: hip replacement $9,000–$14,000, one IVF cycle $5,500–$9,000, chemotherapy from around $800 a session — commonly 50–80% below US list prices. Your own figure comes in writing before you commit.
What is your fee, and what does it include?
One flat fee, quoted before you commit: $999 for the Basic package or $2,999 for the All-inclusive package, with the $199 deposit credited against it. It covers coordination — hospital matching and specialist booking, a named bilingual coordinator, medical interpretation at every appointment, first-visit transfers, the visa invitation letter and a bilingual record set. It never covers medical care: hospital charges are paid by you, directly to the hospital, and flights, visa fees, accommodation, meals, travel insurance and medication to take home are yours. Optional add-ons and their rates are listed on the service fees page, and the two packages are compared on the cost guide.
Do you add a markup to the hospital bill?
No. You pay the hospital's own official international-department rate, directly to the hospital — the same number a self-paying local patient sees. We take no percentage, and money for medical care never passes through us; our income is the flat service fee alone. Details on the service fees page.
When and how do I pay the hospital?
Directly to the hospital, in stages, as its international department requires: usually registration and assessment first, then treatment, then the ward stay. Most departments accept bank transfer and major cards, and some can bill an insurer directly.
We confirm the exact route and currency before you travel, and help you collect the itemised receipts your insurer needs.
Can the final bill be higher than the estimate?
Yes, and we say so plainly: the estimate is a written range, not a cap. Costs move when a stay runs longer, when a complication occurs, or when you and your physician choose an imported implant or a targeted drug outside the base package.
The hospital issues a revised estimate before going beyond the agreed plan, and you can decline the change.
What if I cannot afford it, or want to compare with home?
The comparison costs you nothing, and there is no pressure at any point. We can also look at lower-cost routes: a domestic rather than imported implant, a less expensive ward class, or a different city where the same procedure is priced lower.
Group 5 of 6
Visas and travel
Entry routes, invitation letters, companions and what to arrange before you fly.
Do I need a visa for medical treatment in China?
It depends on your nationality and how long you are staying: visa-free entry covers up to 30 days for more than fifty nationalities, the 240-hour transit exemption covers short trips if you hold an onward ticket to a third country, and an S2 medical visa covers 30–180 days per entry — an S1 beyond 180 days. If you are not sure which route fits your recovery window, run the entry-route checker on the visa page or ask us and we will tell you which documents to prepare.
How do I get a visa invitation letter?
We arrange it. Once the hospital accepts your referral, its international department issues the letter — your name exactly as your passport spells it, the treatment type, department, estimated duration and cost range, with the hospital seal and an authorised signature. It normally takes two to three business days and is included in the service fee, and we request companion letters for family travelling with you. Send your passport biographic page with your records so the name matches; the full document checklist is on the visa page.
How long can I stay, and what if treatment overruns?
It depends on the route you entered on: visa-free entry gives up to 30 days, the 240-hour transit exemption 10 days and cannot be extended, and an S2 medical visa allows 30–180 days per entry. If treatment runs past your permitted stay, you apply to the local Entry-Exit Administration Bureau for an extension before it expires, with a hospital certificate confirming that treatment continues — we prepare that letter and the paperwork. Never overstay while waiting for documents, and book changeable flights: no hospital will guarantee your length of stay before it has examined you. Entry routes and extension steps: visa.
Can a family member travel with me?
Yes — a spouse, parent, child or carer can apply as an accompanying person on the same medical purpose, and we prepare their invitation letter too. Most hospitals allow one companion in the ward and during outpatient consultations; whether they can stay overnight depends on the hospital and the ward type, and we confirm that rule before you book. Either way we can arrange accommodation within walking distance. Companion visa support is listed on the service fees page.
What should I arrange before flying?
Sort out three things first: a passport valid at least six months beyond your return with two blank facing pages, your entry route confirmed, and travel insurance that covers medical evacuation. Set up two payment routes before you leave — Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to an international card, plus a bank transfer for large bills — because many hospital windows do not accept foreign cards. Complete the electronic arrival card within 72 hours of landing and keep a printed copy, bring medication in its original packaging, and tell the airline in advance if you need assistance. Checklists: before you travel · visa.
Group 6 of 6
Insurance and after you fly home
What a policy will and will not tell you, and who to contact once you are home.
Will my health insurance cover treatment in China?
Sometimes — it depends on your covered area, whether the treatment is covered, and whether the hospital is in network. Very few international products publish a complete list of the hospitals they will pay in China, and about one in ten excludes mainland China outright. That is research, not insurance advice: check the public evidence for your plan on the insurance page, and get your insurer's answer in writing.
Do I need travel insurance as well as health insurance?
In most cases the visa does not require it, but we strongly recommend it — and it is separate from your health insurance, which decides whether the treatment itself is covered. Look for a policy that covers medical evacuation, complications arising from planned treatment, and an extended stay; most ordinary travel policies exclude all three. Bring the policy schedule and the insurer's 24-hour assistance number with you. More: visa · insurance.
What happens if something goes wrong after I fly home?
Contact your own physician first — a complication after you land is a clinical matter, and we cannot practise medicine at a distance. Then tell your coordinator: the same person stays reachable by email and WhatsApp, we translate anything your doctor needs, and we can put your local physician in direct contact with the treating department in China. You also fly home with a bilingual discharge summary, a written medication list and a follow-up plan to hand over. See how we work.
Ask us your own question
Send your records and the question you want answered: a coordinator replies within one business day with a proposed hospital and a written cost range — free, with no obligation.