How it works

How It Works: Getting Medical Treatment in China, Step by Step

Horcare helps international patients and their families get treatment at leading public hospitals in China. The process has five steps and starts with a free case review. Horcare is a coordination service, not a medical provider.

Free initial case review
Hospital bills paid directly to the hospital, no markup
Personal reply within 24 hours

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Coordinator organizing translated medical documents at a desk

At a glance

The medical tourism process in China, in five steps

Typical timings refer to Horcare's process only: a personal reply within 24 hours and an initial assessment within 72 hours. Dates after that depend on the hospital's schedule and your travel documents.

01
Free case review
You send the diagnosis and recent reports. A coordinator replies personally within 24 hours; the initial assessment follows within 72 hours of complete reports.
02
Hospital matching and the hospital’s quote
We match the condition to suitable departments. The hospital reviews your records and issues its own written estimate.
03
Travel and visa planning
City, accommodation near the hospital, airport pickup, documents to bring and general visa guidance.
04
Treatment in China with your coordinator
One dedicated bilingual coordinator and medical interpreters through consultations, admission and discharge.
05
Discharge and follow-up at home
Translated records, medication instructions and liaison with the treating team after you return.

Who does what at each step
Step	You and your family	Horcare	The hospital
Free case review	Sends reports and questions	Checks records, arranges translation, identifies specialty	—
Matching & quote	Chooses among options	Suggests 1–3 hospitals and explains why	Reviews records, decides eligibility, issues quote
Travel & visa	Applies for visa, books travel	Plans logistics, coordinates hospital letters	Issues invitation or appointment letter where applicable
Treatment	Takes part in decisions	Coordinates, interprets, supports family	Diagnoses, treats, prescribes, bills
Follow-up	Keeps home doctor informed	Translates records, relays questions	Sets the follow-up plan

Step 1: Free case review

The free case review is where every journey starts, and it carries no obligation. You tell us the diagnosis; the form asks only for basics. Reports follow afterwards through the channels we give you, and we never ask for your passport in the form.

What to send: diagnosis, pathology, imaging (CT, MRI or PET, ideally the original image files as well as the reports), recent lab results, discharge summaries, current medications and treatment history.
What Horcare does: checks the records are complete, arranges medical translation, and identifies the relevant specialty and suitable departments.
Turnaround: personal reply within 24 hours; initial assessment within 72 hours of complete reports.

Eligibility and treatment decisions are made only by the treating hospital's doctors. Browse specialties.

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Step 2: Specialty-first hospital matching and the hospital's quote

Matching starts from the condition, not from how famous a hospital is. A Grade 3A general hospital (the top tier of China's public hospital grading) may be less suitable than a leading specialist department elsewhere. JCI accreditation is an international quality standard held by a small number of Chinese hospitals.

You typically receive one to three options, each with the reason it fits, the city and the language support available. The hospital's own team then reviews the case and gives an indicative treatment plan and cost estimate. You choose with no pressure and no exclusivity, and you can decline.

Browse hospitals we help patients access · Grade 3A hospitals · Treatments

Step 3: Travel, visa and arrival planning

Visa guidance from Horcare is general. China extended visa-free transit to 240 hours (10 days) from 17 December 2024 for eligible nationalities travelling on to a third country, and has widened visa-free entry for many countries. Planned treatment often runs longer than these windows, so the right visa depends on your nationality and length of stay. Where a visa application needs it, the hospital can usually issue an invitation or appointment letter. Rules change: always confirm with the Chinese embassy or visa center.

We help choose the city (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Hefei, Boao Lecheng (Hainan)), book accommodation near the hospital for you and your companions, arrange airport pickup, and set up a local SIM and mobile payments. Compare destination cities · Visa guide

What to bring

Passport and visa
Original reports and imaging discs or files
A list of current medications and allergies
Insurance documents, if you have cover
A payment card and a set-up mobile payment app
Contact details for your home doctor

Step 4: In China, with your coordinator and medical interpreters

One dedicated bilingual coordinator handles your case from first inquiry onward, supported by medical interpreters at consultations, admission, procedures and discharge.

Day to day, that means registration and admission paperwork, scheduling, interpreting conversations with doctors, explaining the hospital's itemized bills, help with meals and practical needs, and support for family members.

Your doctors make every clinical decision. Horcare does not diagnose, prescribe or alter treatment plans. If the doctors recommend additional tests or a different procedure, the hospital issues a revised quote before proceeding.

Step 5: Discharge, records and follow-up at home

Before you leave, you receive a discharge summary or translated records, medication instructions, imaging copies and the hospital's follow-up schedule.

At home, your coordinator remains the point of contact: passing questions to the treating team, arranging remote follow-up where the hospital offers it, and translating new reports from your local doctor. Keep your home doctor informed; continuity of care is your safety net. Read patient stories.

How payment works

You pay the hospital directly. Horcare adds no markup.

You pay the hospital directly for all medical care. Horcare adds no markup to hospital bills, and Horcare's own service fee is quoted in writing before any paid work begins. Medical charges and coordination fees are kept separate, so you always see exactly what the hospital charged.

No packages and no price list. Where a price would appear: Quoted after your free case review.

What	Who you pay	When
Initial case review	Nobody: it is free	—
Medical costs (consultations, tests, surgery, ward, medicines)	The hospital, directly, against itemized invoices	Typically a deposit at admission and settlement at discharge; varies by hospital
Horcare coordination fee	Horcare	Scope and amount quoted in writing after the free review, before any paid service

Payment methods vary by hospital (international cards, bank transfer, mobile payment where accepted). Your coordinator confirms them before you travel.
Insurance: check with your insurer whether treatment abroad is covered. Hospitals provide itemized invoices and medical reports for claims.

Full cost breakdown · Published price reference · Treatments and cost notes · Paying hospital bills in China

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Cost breakdown

What the total cost of treatment in China is made of

The total cost of treatment in China has two parts: medical charges you pay directly to the hospital, and travel and living costs you pay to airlines, hotels and other providers. Horcare's coordination fee is separate, and quoted in writing before any paid work begins.

Cost item	What it usually covers	Who you pay	How it is set
Consultations and tests	Specialist consultations, imaging, laboratory tests, pathology review	The hospital	Hospital's published fee schedule
Procedure or treatment	Surgery, radiotherapy course, chemotherapy, drug or cell-therapy product, implants	The hospital	Hospital's written quote after reviewing your records
Ward and nursing	Bed, nursing care, meals in hospital, monitoring	The hospital	Per day, by ward type; usually a deposit at admission
Medicines and follow-up	Discharge medicines, follow-up visits, remote follow-up where offered	The hospital	Itemized on the hospital invoice
Travel	Flights, visa fees, local transport	Airlines, visa center, transport providers	Set by each provider
Accommodation and living	Hotel or serviced apartment near the hospital for you and companions, meals, SIM card	Hotels and local providers	Set by each provider; depends on length of stay
Horcare coordination	Case coordination, interpreting, escort, translation and logistics, as agreed	Horcare	Quoted in writing before any paid work; no markup on hospital bills

Which items apply, and how much, depends on the diagnosis, the hospital and the treatment plan. Figures for your case: Quoted after your free case review, with medical charges confirmed by the hospital's own written quote.

Price reference

How do published prices in China compare with other countries?

Published list prices for some advanced treatments in China are a fraction of United States list prices. The examples below use only published figures with a named source. They are list prices for the product or treatment course, not the total cost of care.

Most treatments have no comparable published price, because the cost depends on the individual case. For those, we do not estimate: the hospital quotes after reviewing your records.

Treatment	China (published)	United States (published)
CAR-T therapy product list price, per infusion	RMB 0.999–1.29 million about US$140,000–181,000¹	$503,580 (Yescarta) · $593,533 (Kymriah), 2025²
Proton or heavy ion therapy treatment fee per course	RMB 278,000 at the Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center³	No single published price; varies by center and plan

1. Launch list prices of NMPA-approved CAR-T products: Zheng and Zhang, International Journal of Health Policy and Management, 2024 (PMC11365067). Conversion at the source's stated exchange rate.
2. US wholesale acquisition cost, 2025: Pulice and Schulman, Health Management, Policy and Innovation, 2026.
3. Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center patient FAQ. Ward, tests and nursing are charged separately.

Products, approved indications and prices change. Eligibility is decided by the treating hospital, and its written quote is the figure that applies to you.

Entry and visa

Entry and visa steps for treatment in China

Getting to China for treatment usually takes six steps, from checking whether you need a visa to registering your address after arrival. This is general guidance for reference only: visa rules change and depend on your nationality, so confirm current requirements with the Chinese embassy or visa center before you book.

Step 1

Check whether you need a visa

Depending on your nationality and length of stay, you may be eligible for visa-free entry or 240-hour visa-free transit. Planned treatment often lasts longer, so most patients need a visa.
Step 2

Get a hospital document

After the hospital accepts your case, it may issue an appointment confirmation or invitation letter. Your coordinator requests it where the hospital provides one.
Step 3

Prepare your application

Typically a passport with enough validity, the application form, a photo, the hospital document and proof of accommodation. Companions apply separately.
Step 4

Apply and allow processing time

Apply through the Chinese embassy, consulate or visa center for your area, which may also take fingerprints. Processing times vary, so apply early.
Step 5

Book travel and accommodation

Book flights and a stay near the hospital once the appointment date and visa are confirmed. Your coordinator can arrange airport pickup.
Step 6

Register after arrival and keep your visa valid

Foreign visitors must register their address within 24 hours of arrival; hotels do this at check-in. If treatment runs past your permitted stay, apply for an extension at the local public security exit-entry office before it expires.

For reference only. Horcare provides general guidance and coordinates hospital letters where the hospital issues them; it does not issue visas or guarantee a decision. Read the medical visa guide.

What Horcare does, and doesn't do

We do

Case review coordination and record translation
Specialty-first hospital matching
Appointment and admission logistics
Medical interpreting and in-hospital escort
Travel, accommodation and visa-document support
Follow-up liaison after you return home

We don't

Diagnose, prescribe or alter treatment plans
Guarantee outcomes or publish unsourced success rates
Offer organ transplants, surrogacy or IVF
Arrange unapproved cell therapies: CAR-T and stem cell treatment only as approved products or registered clinical trials, with eligibility decided by the hospital
Add a markup to hospital bills

Read our medical disclaimer.

All ten Horcare services

Each service is coordination, not clinical care. You can use one or several; the scope is agreed in writing.

Free Case Review

Reviews submitted medical reports and recommends a suitable city, hospital, department and practical next step at no initial charge.

Free

Remote Second Opinion

Coordinates translation and presentation of medical records to a senior Chinese specialist and delivery of a written bilingual specialist opinion.