Check one: is the hospital real, and what tier is it?
The first hour of due diligence
- Look for the hospital on China’s official health authority register, and on the hospital’s own website — the Chinese-language version usually carries more detail than the English one.
- Confirm the official full name. Marketing names, English translations and abbreviations can differ from the legal name, which matters when you are checking credentials.
- Confirm the tier. Chinese hospitals are graded, and the top tier is the tertiary level. A claim of “top-tier” should match the register.
- Confirm the city and campus. Large hospitals run multiple campuses, and they are not interchangeable.
Check two: does the department do this?
A strong hospital can have an ordinary department. The claim that matters is never “this is a famous hospital”; it is “this department handles this kind of problem”.
What to look for
- A department page that names the sub-specialty relevant to your condition.
- Evidence of the specific services being discussed, rather than a general description of the hospital.
- An international patient office, and whether it actually handles overseas enquiries.
- Whether published contact details reach a real department rather than a sales desk.
Questions to ask in writing
- Which department, and which sub-specialty, would review this case?
- Has the department handled cases with this diagnosis before?
- Who assigns the reviewing physician?
- What happens if the department decides the case is out of scope?
Check three: who are you paying?
Cross-border medical arrangements involve at least two counterparties — the hospital and whoever is coordinating. Confirm both.
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Legal name and registration of the company | So you know who the contract is with, and where you would pursue a dispute. |
| Separate invoices for coordination and for care | So hospital money is not passing through a third party. |
| Payment destination | Hospital fees should go to the hospital, never to a personal or unrelated account. |
| Written refund terms per stage | So the position is clear before you pay, not after you cancel. |
| Who bears third-party costs | Interpreters, translation and travel bookings are where hidden costs appear. |
This is the part people skip, and the part disputes are made of.
Red flags in a cross-border medical offer
Signs of a serious arrangement
- Someone tells you, in writing, when a hospital has declined a case.
- Coordination fees and hospital fees are invoiced separately by separate entities.
- Refund terms are published per stage and do not change under pressure.
- The coordinator says they do not accept hospital commissions.
- They describe the scope of what they do — and what they cannot do.
Reasons to slow down
- A guaranteed appointment with a named professor.
- A “success rate” without a definition, denominator or audit.
- A payment request to a personal account or an unrelated company.
- Pressure to pay today to hold a price or a slot.
- An inability to state the hospital’s official full name in writing.
- No willingness to explain what happens if the answer is no.
Verification questions
Can I contact the hospital directly?
In principle, yes, and it is a reasonable thing to do. In practice, many departments do not answer overseas enquiries in English promptly, which is often why coordination services exist. Sending one enquiry yourself is a useful cross-check on anything you are told.
How do I know an invitation letter is genuine?
It should carry the hospital’s official seal and verifiable contact details, and name the patient, the department and the expected dates. The consulate can often verify it — which is exactly why an unverifiable letter is a warning sign.
Is a famous hospital always the better choice?
No. The right question is whether the relevant department handles your specific problem. A well-known institution’s general department may be a worse destination than a different hospital’s specialised service.
What if reviews online contradict what I am told?
Treat both sceptically. Ask for specifics in writing — department, sub-specialty, what the process is — and weigh the answers, not the volume of praise.
Should I get a second quote from another coordinator?
It is a sensible precaution, provided you are comparing the same scope. Ask both to state exactly which services are included, which are excluded, and what the refund position is at each stage.
