Start the handover before your last day
Before leaving a hospital or clinic in China, ask what records are ready, which results are still pending and whom to contact after departure. Give the team your expected travel date and ask for a practical handover plan. A discharge summary, test report, official medical-record copy and payment receipt serve different purposes; request each item you need rather than assuming one document contains everything.
The CDC’s medical tourism guidance recommends obtaining records and arranging follow-up so that clinicians at home have details of care received abroad. What is available, the language and the delivery time depend on the provider and the record.
Identify the records you need
Ask for a consultation or discharge summary identifying the facility, visit dates and care provided. Depending on your visit, ask whether you can obtain laboratory results, imaging reports and images, procedure records, prescriptions or other documents useful to your next clinician. Confirm that your name and passport details are consistent across documents.
Keep the original-language versions even if an English summary or translation is available. Ask whether the provider issues English documents, whether there is a fee and how long they take. If translation is necessary, check the receiving clinician’s or insurer’s requirements and use a qualified translator when appropriate; do not assume an English report is automatically supplied.
Ask the hospital how to request copies
China’s 2013 medical-record management rules describe applications for copies of specified outpatient, emergency and inpatient records. The rules say a patient applying provides valid identification; an appointed agent must provide the patient’s and agent’s valid identification, proof of the agency relationship and an authorization letter. Ask the hospital’s designated records office what it accepts for your circumstances before departure.
The rules include discharge records, test and pathology reports and medical imaging among materials that may be copied. An unfinished record can be copied in its completed portion first, with the newly completed portion copied later. The rules also allow a copying fee. Ask the specific office about timing, identity checks, collection, payment and whether it offers a remote or agent process; do not assume a friend can collect records without its required documents.
Make a plan for results that are not ready
For each pending result, ask when it is expected, who will review it, how you will be notified and what to do if you do not receive it. Confirm a working phone number or secure portal that you can access outside China, including any login or identity verification requirement. Ask whether the provider can send a report securely or whether an authorized person must collect it.
Write down the department name, contact method, local working hours and your patient or visit number. If a report is delayed beyond your departure, establish who will follow up and how it will reach both you and the clinician who needs it. A collection arrangement should not be mistaken for medical review of the result.
Arrange follow-up and discuss travel
Ask the treating clinician what follow-up is recommended, when it should happen, who should review pending results and whom to contact if concerns arise. Arrange a receiving clinician at home where needed, and ask about fees and insurance coverage. Share the records securely and explain the dates and location of care; the CDC’s insurance guidance also recommends providing follow-up clinicians with summary records and facility details.
Discuss your actual travel date and itinerary with the treating clinician. Ask your airline whether documentation or assistance is needed and contact your insurer about changes or medical transport if relevant. The UK government notes that some scheduled flights may require advance confirmation from treating doctors. Do not treat a discharge document or ticket as automatic clearance to fly.
Keep financial and medical documents secure
Request itemized invoices and payment receipts separately from clinical records, then ask your insurer what it needs and how to submit a claim. Keep secure copies of key documents and limit access to people who need them. Check that a portal, email address or upload link is genuine before sending sensitive information.
If you need to arrange another appointment before leaving, see the foreign-passport booking guide. For a broader overview, visit medical care in China for tourists. This administrative checklist does not replace advice from your own clinician.