Medical Tourism in China: How to Arrange a Specialist Visit
You've found a specialist in China whose work seems relevant to your situation. You have their name and the hospital's website. But should you book an ordinary outpatient appointment, contact the international department, or send your records before a visit can be arranged?
Finding the doctor can feel like progress. Working out how to reach them is another task entirely—often while you're already managing a diagnosis or helping someone you love.
Start with the consultation you need
In your first enquiry, briefly explain the diagnosis and treatment history documented by your current clinicians, then state the question you want to discuss. You might want another opinion on an existing diagnosis, a discussion of a proposed treatment, or an initial specialist assessment.
The hospital can then identify the appropriate department and explain how to request an appointment. If you have a particular doctor in mind, establish whether you will see that person or another member of the team. Their specialty and credentials should be verifiable through the hospital's official information; their availability needs separate confirmation.
Before sending a large folder of records, get the receiving team's requirements. Which documents does it need, in which language, and through which transfer channel? A short, dated summary can help the team find its way through the files. Keep the originals alongside any translations.
A written scan report and the scan images are separate items. The team can tell you whether it also needs the original scan files and how to send them. These are often supplied in DICOM, a standard format for medical images.
Ask what any review before the visit will provide: an intake assessment, a specialist opinion or a request for more information. That tells you what you can plan around and what is still unresolved.
MedBridgeNZ is a medical tourism concierge service for international patients visiting China. It helps with medical record translation, contacting specialists and hospitals, and arranging travel. That work includes tracking requested documents, bringing appointment and arrival details together, and following up on registration steps still to complete. Medical advice, diagnosis and treatment remain with the clinicians.
Where do you go on the day?
A hospital name and an appointment date can still leave you standing at the wrong entrance.
At Huashan Hospital's Jing'an main campus in Shanghai, the published outpatient directory places the International Medical Center, also labelled Worldwide Medical Service, on the eighth floor of the outpatient building. Ruijin Hospital's international outpatient service at its Huangpu main campus is listed in Building 10, on the ground and basement levels. The reception point for your visit should be specified in your appointment instructions.
Zhongshan Hospital adds a different kind of distinction. MedBridgeNZ's guide to its Xuhui main campus separates ordinary specialist clinics, senior specialist clinics and the international medical department, each with its own arrival arrangements. A booking described only as an “expert appointment” needs a more precise clinic name and location.
The route matters as much as the hospital. A foreign passport alone does not determine whether you should use an international department.
Before booking travel, get a written confirmation covering:
The campus, clinic and named clinician or team.
The appointment time, arrival instructions, building and reception point.
The identity document used for the booking and any registration still required.
A contact for appointment changes or unresolved questions.
MedBridgeNZ's China hospital visit guides bring together campus maps, floor guides and passport registration notes for these hospitals. Use them to prepare, with the instructions for your actual appointment taking priority.
Bring the original passport used for your booking and, if you've attended before, your patient card or number. If an online system cannot process your passport, contact the hospital for its registration procedure.
On the day, you may also need to report to the clinic's reception desk or nurse station to join the waiting queue. Registration, payment and clinic check-in can be separate steps.
If you need interpretation, plan for the conversation with the clinician as well as help at reception. Find out who will interpret and whether support also covers tests, pharmacy instructions and questions afterwards.
An English-speaking consultation may still produce Chinese documents. Confirm which reports can be issued in English and which will need translation.
Settle payment details before departure, too. Find out the consultation fee, how additional tests and interpreting are charged, and which payment methods the clinic accepts. Have a backup if you plan to use a foreign-issued card. Any concierge fees should be identified separately from hospital charges.
If you're using insurance, get written confirmation from your insurer about coverage for this visit and whether you need pre-authorisation—approval before the appointment. The hospital should also explain whether it can bill your insurer directly, known as direct billing, and what you will need to pay yourself. These arrangements must apply to your policy and the services you receive.
Leave room for the next step
Your consultation may lead to an examination, additional tests or another appointment. Before fixing a return date, find out which visits are confirmed and how anything further would be scheduled.
Discuss your suitability for travel with your usual clinician before booking flights, particularly if you are unwell or considering a procedure.
Choose accommodation around the campus and building you will actually attend. Save the address and building name in Chinese for the driver. If walking is difficult, include the route from the drop-off point to reception in your planning.
Think about the journey home while arranging the visit. Your usual clinician can tell you which records would help them continue your care, and the receiving hospital can explain how to obtain them. These may include consultation notes, prescriptions, test results and original imaging.
For reports that will be ready after you leave, arrange how you'll receive them from overseas. That might mean checking that you can access the patient portal from abroad, or authorising someone to collect them. Keep a contact for missing documents or download problems. The CDC's medical tourism guidance also recommends planning language support, access to medical records and follow-up care before travelling.
Keep the essentials for the appointment on one page: the time, Chinese address, building, reception point, registration steps and contact number. Share it with whoever is accompanying you. When you're tired or anxious on the morning of the visit, having those details together can spare you another search through messages.
Medical tourism in China: frequently asked questions
Do international patients have to use a hospital’s international department?
No. A foreign passport alone does not determine the clinic you should use. Ask which service offers the specialist appointment you need and how it handles passport registration, language support and payment. Ordinary specialist clinics, senior specialist clinics and international departments can have different booking and arrival procedures.
Can I book an ordinary outpatient appointment with a foreign passport?
At the hospitals discussed here, foreign passport holders can use ordinary outpatient services, but registration procedures differ. Some online systems may not support first-time passport registration or overseas phone verification. If you cannot complete the booking, contact the hospital for its procedure. Attending a registration window does not guarantee an appointment with your chosen specialist that day.
Should I send my medical records before booking a specialist visit?
Ask the receiving team first. It can explain whether a review is needed before an appointment can be arranged, which documents to send, any translation requirements and the transfer channel to use. Confirm what the review will provide. A written imaging report and the original scan files are separate items; the team may request both.
Will an English-speaking consultation include English reports and imaging files?
Not automatically. Confirm which consultation notes and reports can be issued in English, which need translation and when they will be available. Ask separately how to obtain complete original imaging files, often supplied in DICOM format. A written report or a screenshot does not replace those files.
Can I pay for the visit with a foreign-issued bank card?
Confirm with the clinic before departure. Ordinary outpatient services and international departments may accept different payment methods. Ask how consultation fees, additional tests and interpreting will be charged, and prepare a backup payment option. Insurance coverage, pre-authorisation and direct billing also need confirmation for your policy and the services you receive.
Can I complete the consultation and any tests in one day?
Do not assume so. The consultation may lead to tests or another appointment that have not yet been scheduled. Before fixing your return date, check what is already confirmed, how additional visits would be arranged and when reports will be ready. For documents completed after you leave, organise collection or overseas access in advance.
Sources and further reading
Huashan Hospital: outpatient floor directory — official hospital information, in Chinese and English.
Shanghai Municipal Government: Ruijin Hospital — information supplied by the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Health.
CDC: Medical Tourism—Travel to Another Country for Medical Care — preparation, communication, records and follow-up guidance.
DICOM Standards Committee: DICOM Overview — the standard for medical images and related information.
HealthCare.gov: Preauthorization and Bupa Global: Understanding your coverage — insurance terminology and billing arrangements.
Sources consulted on 3 October 2026. Hospital-specific examples also draw on MedBridgeNZ's visit guides for Huashan, Ruijin and Zhongshan hospitals in Shanghai.
