Help Center
From visa to departure, no surprises on your medical journey.
Everything you need to know as an international patient to smoothly navigate China's healthcare system, providing you with data‑driven confidence.
Policy & Compliance
Remove legal concerns and define responsibility boundaries.
Q. Can I come to China for medical treatment on a tourist visa?
A. Visa type and stay duration analysis: L tourist visas generally allow short‑term consultations (under 30 days). For complex inpatient treatment, we recommend ensuring your visa covers the entire treatment cycle.
Q. Do you provide S2 (private affairs) visa invitation letter support?
A. Yes. Once the preliminary appointment is confirmed, the hospital will issue an official invitation letter. We help you organize your documents for the embassy interview to obtain an S2 visa.
Q. How do I extend my visa if the medical cycle is prolonged?
A. We provide a full SOP for visa extension at the local Exit‑Entry Administration Bureau, including assistance in obtaining the hospital's official extension request letter.
Q. Are you a medical institution?
A. Our core service is medical escort. The boundary of medical responsibility and clinical decisions stays entirely between you and the hospital.
Q. Do my medical records comply with GDPR/HIPAA privacy standards?
A. All transmitted data is encrypted. We enforce a strict 'burn‑after‑reading' policy during temporary reviews to ensure compliance.
Q. Can I bring prescription drugs into China?
A. You may bring a reasonable quantity of personal medication.
Financials & Payment
Solve cross‑border payment pain points and break down the domestic 'payment wall'.
Q. Do Chinese hospitals accept international credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) directly?
A. Current data: VIP cashier desks of International Medical Services (IMS) at top tier‑3 hospitals generally accept foreign cards directly – a key difference from regular outpatient clinics.
Q. How to handle cross‑border wire transfers for large medical bills?
A. We provide the hospital's corporate advance payment account details and transfer instructions, as well as a regulatory explanation letter for your overseas bank clarifying the purpose of funds.
Q. Can I apply for a temporary local bank card or electronic payment (Alipay/WeChat Pay)?
A. We offer a service to activate electronic payment within 24 hours of arrival, guiding you to seamlessly bind your foreign credit card to Alipay or WeChat Pay.
Q. How are your service fees charged? Are there hidden costs?
A. Absolutely transparent. We operate on a phased service fee model; all clinical examination and treatment fees are paid by you directly to the hospital. We do not earn any medical price differences.
Q. If treatment ends early, how are hospital balances refunded to an overseas account?
A. We assist in managing the discharge settlement and refund cycle, ensuring that any excess hospital deposit is safely returned to your overseas account via the original payment route.
Q. Do you provide 'audit' services for medical bills?
A. Before your final settlement, we rigorously verify the bilingual itemized bill to check for any mistaken or overcharges, ensuring financial safety.
Medical Process & Quality
Use data to hedge against the uncertainty of 'Chinese medical quality'.
Q. What is the typical wait time at a top Chinese hospital (tier‑3)?
A. Thanks to the IMS appointment system, wait times are greatly shortened – typically 3‑7 days to arrange an appointment with a top specialist.
Q. Do doctors speak English? Do I need to bring my own interpreter?
A. Most doctors can communicate in English. But to ensure absolutely clear and complete communication, you do not need to bring an interpreter – we provide a bilingual concierge to accompany you throughout, double‑guaranteeing that any questions are handled by us.
Q. Will my family doctor back home understand my Chinese test reports?
A. We provide professional medical terminology English translations of discharge summaries and pathology reports, ensuring seamless follow‑up care with overseas physicians.
Q. If a medical dispute occurs, can you provide legal assistance?
A. In the extremely rare event of such a situation, we will help you contact a third‑party medical mediation organization for foreign‑related cases and ensure the preservation and notarization of the evidence chain.
Q. How does the surgical infection rate in Chinese hospitals compare to that in my home country?
A. Driven by extremely high annual surgical volumes (high volume) that enforce very strict protocols, surgical site infection (SSI) rates at top Chinese centers are far better than the global average.
Living Concierge & Logistics
Show extreme details and prove we are professional logistics experts.
Q. After airport pickup, is the first stop the hospital or the hotel?
A. It depends on your flight arrival time, vital signs, and whether you have fasting tests the next day. We will customize your precise itinerary after arrival.
Q. How far are your recommended hotels from the hospital? Are they accessible?
A. We provide a pre‑inspection report for star‑rated hotels within a 500‑meter radius of the hospital, verifying wheelchair ramps, accessible elevators, and bathroom facilities.
Q. How to handle dietary restrictions (e.g., gluten‑free/vegan) during my stay in China?
A. Don't worry. We not only provide a list of nearby suitable restaurants and premium supermarkets, but also prepare bilingual 'dietary restriction reminder cards' to show when dining out.
Q. Do I need to buy a local SIM card in China?
A. Our arrival welcome package includes a data SIM card and airport activation guidance, ensuring you are connected as soon as you land.
Q. If I need long‑term rehabilitation, can you rent a wheelchair or home medical equipment?
A. Our supply chain channels support rapid rental of hospital‑grade medical beds, oxygen concentrators, and various rehabilitation aids, delivered directly to your hotel.
Q. How is the itinerary arranged for accompanying family members?
A. We can provide a detailed '1‑hour living circle guide' covering high‑quality cafes, parks, and daily services to ease family members' concerns.
Specialty‑Specific Medical Pathways
High‑priority process management for complex medical needs.
Q. Dentistry: Why does a full‑mouth implant take only 5 days in China?
A. The extremely high industry volume drives process compression. Top Chinese dental clinics use full digital modeling and in‑house 3D printing/chairside milling to achieve immediate loading protocols.
Q. Health checkups: What is the lead time for an in‑depth cancer screening (PET‑CT)?
A. Through the IMS VIP channel, it is usually possible to complete pre‑scan injection and imaging within 48 hours – an absolute advantage compared to the painful 3‑6 month wait overseas.
Q. Ophthalmology: Post‑operative follow‑up arrangements for myopia surgery (ICL/Fly‑LASIK).
A. We strictly follow the standard '1‑day, 1‑week, and 1‑month post‑op' calendar to plan your stay in China, with translation accompaniment at every vision check.
Q. TCM: Short‑term acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy planning.
A. We can plan and schedule high‑frequency short‑term courses for you, allowing you to complete consecutive acupuncture and physiotherapy sessions in the few days before departure.
Patient Planning Tools
Essential framework to help you prepare.
The Reality Check
Deep dive into core cross‑border medical data
Hedging the 'trust deficit': The extremely high annual surgical volume of Chinese tier‑3 doctors tempers unparalleled clinical experience.
| Core Dimension | Top Chinese Hospital (IMS) | Typical Western Private Hospital |
|---|---|---|
| Express specialist appointment | Seen in 3‑7 days | 2‑6 weeks or even months |
| Total cost of major surgery | $12K – $18K USD | $45K+ USD (with risk of escalation) |
| Lead surgeon's annual surgical volume | Extremely high (delivers mechanical‑level precision) | Moderate or low |
| Global cutting‑edge equipment (e.g., Da Vinci robot) | Immediately available / ample capacity | Severely restricted by insurance approvals |
15‑Minute Medical Circle
Infrastructure heat map
We have built a seamless foreign‑related logistics support network in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, marking all core service nodes.
Top International Hospital Zone
2 km golden radius centered on tier‑3 hospital VIP/IMS departments.
Consulates & Embassies
For emergency document notarization, passport renewal, and other contingencies.
Foreign Card ATM Locations
Precisely marked coordinates of state‑owned bank ATMs that support international cards (Visa/MC) for RMB withdrawals.
Foreign‑Friendly Convalescent Hotels
Strictly pre‑inspected, accessible 4‑/5‑star partner hotels with Western dining options.
24‑Hour International Pharmacies
Guaranteed backup for late‑night post‑op medication needs.
Key Documents Checklist
This is the foundation of your cross‑border medical journey. Please verify each item with our assistance.
Must‑check before departure
- Digitized past medical records (format must comply with our bilingual template standard)
- Passport validity and corresponding medical/tourist visa for China
- List of current prescription drugs (with generic and chemical names)
Post‑arrival matters
- Temporary residence registration for overseas personnel
- Activate a data‑enabled eSIM/physical SIM to receive hospital SMS
- Real‑name bind foreign card to WeChat/Alipay for full authentication
- Assisted filling and data entry of first medical admission record