Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about our services and processes.
What medical records should I prepare before coming to China for treatment?
Do not think of “medical records” as only one diagnosis certificate.
For an international patient, the medical team usually needs enough information to answer three questions:
What is the current diagnosis?
What treatment has already been given?
Why is the patient now seeking reassessment or a change in treatment?
At minimum, try to prepare:
- the current confirmed diagnosis;
- the most recent physician summary or discharge record;
- pathology reports;
- CT, MRI, PET-CT, and other imaging reports;
- original DICOM files for important imaging;
- recent blood tests and other laboratory results;
- operative records;
- records of previous radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or other major treatments;
- current medications and doses;
- drug allergies;
- important genetic or molecular test results.
If your medical history spans many years, you do not necessarily need to send every document without any selection.
It is usually more useful to organize the records into a clear timeline:
diagnosis → key investigations → major treatments → recent changes → current medical question.
Before the case is submitted to a hospital, Antu can help organize scattered medical records into a format that allows the doctor to understand the case more quickly.
My medical records are hundreds of pages long. Do I need to send everything to the Chinese doctor?
Usually, you do not need to send hundreds of pages at the very beginning.
A very large collection of unorganized records can actually make it harder for a doctor to identify the most important information quickly.
A practical approach is to create a core case package containing:
- a one- to two-page medical timeline;
- the current diagnosis;
- the latest discharge summary or physician summary;
- key pathology reports;
- the most recent and clinically important imaging;
- recent laboratory results;
- major previous treatments;
- current medications;
- the specific questions you want the doctor to address.
Keep the full medical file available as supporting material and provide additional records when needed.
For example, a cancer patient who has been treated for five years may not need the doctor to review every routine blood count from five years ago first. The doctor may instead need:
the original pathology + latest pathology review + recent CT/MRI + all major treatment lines and changes in response.
Antu can help separate:
records that should be submitted in the first review from records that can be added later if the doctor requests them.
This reduces unnecessary volume without losing clinically important information.
Do all of my medical records need to be translated into Chinese?
Usually, you do not need to translate hundreds of pages word for word.
A more efficient approach is to prioritize the core information that actually affects medical decision-making, such as:
- diagnosis;
- pathology;
- operative records;
- discharge summaries;
- important imaging reports;
- important genetic testing;
- previous treatment regimens;
- current medications;
- the key clinical timeline.
Many doctors at large Chinese hospitals can read English medical documents, but you should not assume that every doctor, nurse, and administrative staff member can fully work with records in English.
If the original records are in another language, such as Arabic, Russian, Japanese, or Spanish, the key medical information should generally be available in Chinese or English.
Accuracy matters more than polished wording.
Particular care is needed to avoid translation errors involving:
- left versus right;
- positive versus negative;
- mg versus mcg;
- cancer stage;
- gene names;
- medication dosage;
- procedure names.
Antu can help prioritize translation of the records that matter clinically instead of spending time and money translating pages that are unlikely to affect the current treatment decision.
Should I bring older medical records and test results?
Yes, but older and newer records serve different purposes.
Older records help the doctor understand:
- what the disease looked like initially;
- how it has changed over time;
- whether previous treatment was effective;
- when a cancer progressed;
- what changed before and after surgery.
Recent records are more important for showing:
the patient’s current medical status.
For example, a CT scan from two years ago may be useful for comparison, but it usually cannot replace recent imaging needed to make a treatment decision today.
A practical approach is:
keep the important historical records and also prepare the most recent information.
For complex conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological disease, the Chinese doctor may still request updated:
- CT;
- MRI;
- PET-CT;
- blood tests;
- pathology review
after reviewing the case.
So do not assume that a test does not need to be repeated simply because it was performed several years ago.
Can I send my electronic medical records to the hospital for review before traveling to China?
In many cases, yes. For cross-border medical care, a preliminary case review before the patient flies to China is often more practical than traveling first and asking questions later.
Based on the available records, the hospital or doctor may be able to assess:
- whether the specialty is appropriate;
- whether traveling to China for further assessment is reasonable;
- which important records are still missing;
- which tests may be needed after arrival;
- whether there appear to be potential treatment options.
However, a remote case review is not the same as a final diagnosis or confirmed treatment plan.
A doctor may conclude from the records:
“The patient can come for further evaluation.”
But new imaging, laboratory testing, physical examination, or pathology review after arrival may change that assessment.
When sending electronic records, use clear file names such as:
2026-08-15_CT_Chest_Report.pdf2026-07-02_Pathology_Report.pdf
rather than:
IMG001.jpgdocument-final-final2.pdf
Antu can help organize the files, build a medical timeline, and identify which additional records the hospital still needs before submission.
Is the written report enough for CT, MRI, or PET-CT?
For complex cases, it is generally not advisable to provide only the written radiology report.
The report summarizes the radiologist’s interpretation, but doctors at another hospital may need to review the original imaging themselves.
Original imaging can be especially important for:
- cancer;
- neurosurgery;
- orthopedics;
- vascular disease;
- surgical planning;
- radiation-treatment planning.
Ideally, provide both:
the formal radiology report + the original DICOM imaging files.
Do not rely only on:
- phone photographs of CT films;
- screenshots;
- a few selected images embedded in a PDF.
Those images may sometimes help with a preliminary review, but they may not allow the doctor to examine all slices, sequences, and technical information.
If you are considering surgery or other complex treatment in China, obtaining the DICOM files in advance is particularly important.
What is a DICOM file, and why might the doctor ask for it?
DICOM is a standard file format commonly used for medical imaging.
A CT or MRI study is not just one picture. It may contain dozens, hundreds, or even more than a thousand individual images.
DICOM files generally preserve:
- the complete imaging series;
- slice information;
- technical examination parameters;
- basic patient and examination information.
Using professional imaging software, a doctor can:
- zoom in;
- adjust image display settings;
- examine different planes and sequences;
- compare imaging from different dates;
- assess findings for surgical planning.
So:
DICOM is not the same as a CT report.
The CT report is the radiologist’s written interpretation; the DICOM study contains the underlying imaging data used to make that interpretation.
For a second opinion, surgical planning, or complex cancer assessment, it is best to provide both.
Can I send photos of CT films or phone screenshots if I do not have the original imaging files?
Yes, they can be used as a temporary preliminary reference, but they should not be treated as a complete imaging study.
If the immediate purpose is simply to help the doctor decide:
“Is this case worth reviewing further?”
a few clear key images may sometimes help with an initial discussion.
However, photographs of films can suffer from:
- glare;
- low resolution;
- missing slices;
- unclear orientation;
- inability to adjust imaging parameters;
- showing only a few images selected by the patient.
For a formal second opinion, surgical assessment, or treatment plan, the doctor may still require the original DICOM study.
If photographs are all you currently have, you can submit them first while informing Antu or the hospital:
“The original DICOM files are being requested.”
Do not interpret the doctor’s review of a few photographs as a complete formal imaging review.
How can I obtain DICOM files from the hospital where my CT or MRI was performed?
Contact the original hospital’s:
- imaging department;
- radiology department;
- medical-records department;
- patient service department;
and ask how to obtain the original imaging data.
Be specific:
“I need the complete DICOM imaging study for consultation at another hospital, not only the PDF report.”
Depending on the hospital, the files may be provided through:
- CD/DVD;
- USB drive;
- an online imaging platform;
- a download link;
- a cloud-imaging QR code.
After receiving the files, make sure they actually open.
Many patients believe they have obtained their CT study, only to discover that the disc contains:
a PDF report but no original imaging data.
If the hospital provides a cloud link, also confirm:
- how long the link remains active;
- whether access requires a local phone-number verification code;
- whether the platform can be accessed normally from China.
If the link expires, download and save the original files before traveling.
If I already had a biopsy, is the pathology report alone enough?
The pathology report may be enough for an initial case review, but for major treatment decisions the doctor may want the pathology reviewed again.
This is particularly common with:
- cancer diagnoses;
- rare tumors;
- diseases with complex pathological classification;
- disagreement between institutions;
- treatment plans that depend heavily on the exact pathology.
A Chinese hospital may therefore request:
the pathology report + pathology slides, and where necessary, paraffin blocks or relevant molecular-testing information.
If the underlying pathology diagnosis changes, later decisions involving:
- surgery;
- chemotherapy;
- targeted therapy;
- immunotherapy
may change completely.
Before traveling, patients with complex cancers should ask the Chinese team:
“Is the pathology report sufficient, or do you need the original slides or paraffin blocks for pathology review?”
Do not wait until you have arrived in China to discover that essential pathology materials are still overseas.
Can a Chinese hospital review pathology performed in another country?
Yes. Many major Chinese hospitals can perform outside pathology consultations or pathology review.
The review may require:
- the original pathology report;
- H&E slides;
- immunohistochemistry slides;
- paraffin blocks;
- molecular-pathology results;
- relevant surgical or biopsy information.
The exact requirements depend on the disease and hospital.
Chinese national pathology-management guidance requires medical institutions to establish borrowing and consultation procedures for pathology slides and related materials, while pathology slides and paraffin blocks are maintained as long-term pathology archives by the institution.
A pathology review may result in:
complete agreement with the original diagnosis;
general agreement but more precise classification;
a different interpretation of the original diagnosis.
If the review could change a major treatment decision, the medical team may also request additional immunohistochemistry, molecular testing, or further tissue sampling.
Before the patient travels, Antu can help confirm exactly which pathology materials the target hospital requires, reducing unnecessary international shipment of specimens.
What if my original hospital will not let me permanently take the pathology slides or paraffin blocks?
This is not necessarily unreasonable because pathology slides and paraffin blocks are usually part of the pathology archive that the hospital is required to preserve and manage.
Chinese pathology-management guidance also requires medical institutions to retain pathology slides and blocks and maintain procedures for borrowing and consultation.
Many hospitals therefore use a system of:
temporary borrowing rather than permanent release to the patient.
Ask the original hospital:
- whether slides can be borrowed for an outside consultation;
- how long they may be kept;
- whether a deposit is required;
- whether they must be returned after consultation;
- whether new unstained slides can be prepared;
- if the paraffin block cannot leave the hospital, whether new sections can be cut for review.
Procedures differ between hospitals, so it is usually not helpful to insist:
“This is my pathology, so I must take the entire paraffin block permanently.”
A more practical approach is to ask the Chinese receiving hospital first:
“What is the minimum pathology material you need?”
Then obtain those materials using the original hospital’s permitted borrowing process.
Can I obtain copies of the test reports and imaging performed in China?
Yes.
China’s current Regulation on the Prevention and Handling of Medical Disputes expressly provides that patients may access and copy medical materials including:
- outpatient records;
- admission records;
- medical orders;
- laboratory reports;
- medical imaging materials;
- operative and anesthesia records;
- pathology materials;
- nursing records;
- medical-expense information.
Medical institutions are required to provide record-copying services in accordance with the rules.
In practice, the records may be provided as:
- printed reports;
- electronic reports in the hospital app;
- DICOM imaging;
- CD or USB files;
- cloud-imaging links;
- formal copies of the medical chart.
For an international patient, do not rely only on:
“The doctor can see everything in the hospital system.”
After leaving China, you may no longer be able to access that system easily.
For CT, MRI, and PET-CT in particular, confirm before departure that you have:
the formal report + original imaging that you can take with you or download independently.
Can I take the hospital’s original inpatient medical chart with me?
Normally, you cannot physically take away the hospital’s original inpatient medical chart, but you can request access to and copies of the appropriate records.
Current medical-record management rules state that:
after discharge, inpatient medical records are retained and managed by the hospital’s medical-records department.
Patients can request copies of materials including:
- admission records;
- medical orders;
- laboratory reports;
- imaging materials;
- operative and anesthesia records;
- pathology reports;
- nursing records;
- discharge records.
So it is important to distinguish between:
“the hospital’s original medical chart”
and
“official copies that the patient can obtain.”
For a patient who will continue treatment overseas, official copies are usually what is practically needed.
If your doctor abroad has specific documentation requirements, prepare a list before discharge and ask the hospital’s medical-records department which documents can be provided.
Can I receive my complete medical record on the day I am discharged?
Not necessarily.
On the day of discharge, you may already be able to receive:
- a discharge summary;
- discharge diagnosis;
- completed test reports;
- medication and follow-up instructions.
However, the complete inpatient medical file may still require:
- doctors to finish documentation;
- operative records to be finalized;
- final pathology reports to be issued;
- medical-records staff to complete archiving;
- official copies to be prepared and stamped.
Current rules expressly allow the hospital to provide copies of completed portions first and provide additional completed portions later when the entire record is not yet finished at the time of the request.
International patients should therefore avoid this schedule:
discharge in the afternoon → fly out of China the next morning → ask for the complete medical record for the first time at discharge.
Several days before discharge, ask:
Which documents will be available on discharge day?
Which will need to follow later?
Who can collect them later?
Can any of them be provided electronically?
Antu can help prepare the record checklist before discharge and continue following up on documents that are not yet complete when the patient leaves.
Can a family member or another person collect my medical records after I have left China?
In many cases, an authorized representative can request or collect the records, but the hospital’s documentation requirements must be followed.
Current medical-record management rules expressly require medical institutions to accept record-access or copying requests from:
the patient or the patient’s authorized representative.
The hospital may require:
- a copy of the patient’s passport or other identification;
- identification of the representative;
- a written authorization or power of attorney;
- documents showing the relationship or authority of the representative;
- the hospital’s own application form.
Requirements differ between hospitals, including the format of the authorization and whether electronic authorization is accepted.
If you know you will leave China before the complete medical record is ready, ask before discharge:
“Who can collect the records for me after I return home, and what should I sign now?”
Do not wait until you have left China to discover that the hospital requires an authorization document that must have been completed in person.
What should I do if I discover after returning home that an important report is missing?
First identify exactly which record is missing, because different documents are obtained through different hospital departments.
For example:
Routine laboratory report
It may be available through the hospital app, patient service department, or International Medical Department.
CT/MRI report or DICOM imaging
You may need to contact the imaging department.
Complete inpatient medical record
This will usually require an application through the medical-records office.
Final pathology report
You may need to contact the pathology department because the report may not have been complete when you left.
Do not simply say:
“I am missing a document.”
Provide:
- patient name;
- passport number or hospital patient number;
- date of treatment;
- department;
- exact document required;
- date of the examination.
Where appropriate authorization is in place, Antu can help contact the hospital to confirm whether the record has been completed and whether it can be obtained through:
- electronic delivery;
- collection by an authorized representative;
- another method permitted by the hospital.
The best approach is still to check the full record package before leaving China, which reduces the need to recover documents internationally later.
Do Chinese medical records need an official hospital stamp for use overseas?
It depends on how the document will be used.
If the record is simply being provided to an overseas doctor for continued medical care, documents such as:
- a formal electronic report;
- a report downloaded from the hospital system;
- an official printed hospital report
may often be sufficient for clinical review.
However, if the document will be used for:
- an insurance claim;
- legal purposes;
- employer reimbursement;
- visa or administrative procedures,
the receiving organization may require:
- an official hospital stamp;
- a certified hospital copy;
- a physician’s signature;
- an English translation;
- a specific form of diagnostic certificate.
Under current Chinese rules, when a patient requests copies of medical records, the medical institution should provide the copying service and apply an official certification mark to the copies.
Do not wait until you return home to ask your insurer:
“What format did you need?”
Before leaving China, take the overseas hospital’s or insurer’s requirements to the Chinese hospital and ask:
“I need these records for continued treatment/insurance overseas. Which official version should I request?”
Antu can help distinguish whether the patient needs different formats for:
clinical use versus insurance or administrative use.
Why might a doctor be unable to see all of my records even though the tests were done at the same hospital?
One common reason is that the patient has accidentally been given multiple patient profiles or patient identification numbers.
International patients are particularly vulnerable to this problem.
For example, one visit may be registered as:
MOHAMMED ABDULLAH
the next as:
ABDULLAH MOHAMMED
and another may include the full middle name exactly as shown on the passport.
Or the patient may use a passport for the first registration and later create another profile using a different phone number.
The result can be:
- CT imaging under Patient ID A;
- laboratory results under Patient ID B;
- outpatient notes under Patient ID C.
After your first registration, keep a record of:
- hospital patient number;
- hospital card number;
- passport information used for registration;
- registered phone number;
- exact spelling of the name.
Whenever you return to the same hospital, try to use the same patient profile.
If multiple patient IDs have already been created, ask the patient service or medical-records department whether the profiles can be checked, linked, or otherwise managed according to the hospital’s procedures.
If Antu is coordinating care over time, it should also keep track of the patient number used at each hospital to reduce fragmentation of medical records.
What medical records should I make sure I have before leaving China?
Before an international patient leaves the hospital for the final time, it is better not to rely on the assumption:
“I think I have everything.”
Use a checklist.
Diagnosis and inpatient records:
- final diagnosis;
- discharge summary/discharge record;
- important physician treatment summary;
- operative record;
- anesthesia record, if needed for future care.
Diagnostic records:
- important blood and other laboratory reports;
- formal CT/MRI/PET-CT reports;
- original DICOM files for CT/MRI/PET-CT;
- important ECG, ultrasound, and other diagnostic records.
Pathology materials:
- final pathology report;
- immunohistochemistry results;
- molecular/genetic test results;
- if overseas pathology review may be needed, confirm how pathology slides or other materials can be borrowed.
Treatment records:
- medications actually used;
- medication doses;
- chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, or other treatment records;
- implant or specialized medical-device information, where applicable.
Follow-up information:
- discharge medications;
- follow-up testing schedule;
- next-stage treatment plan;
- contact information for future communication with the doctor or hospital.
Finally confirm:
Which documents do I already have?
Which are still incomplete?
When will they be completed?
Who will obtain them after I leave?
Current Chinese rules allow patients to access and copy a broad range of medical records, so international patients should actively confirm that the necessary documents are arranged before discharge and departure rather than trying to recover them one by one after returning home.
Antu can prepare different departure record checklists depending on whether the patient will continue treatment at home, file an insurance claim, seek a second opinion, or return to China for another stage of treatment.
Can anyone inside the hospital freely access my medical records?
No. Medical records should not be freely accessible to every employee working inside a hospital.
China’s current medical-record management rules require medical institutions and healthcare professionals to strictly protect patient privacy. Apart from:
- healthcare professionals providing diagnosis and treatment to the patient;
- personnel authorized to perform medical-record management, medical administration, or other relevant duties;
other organizations and individuals are not permitted to access a patient’s medical records without authorization.
For electronic medical records, the National Health Commission further required hospitals in 2025 to implement classified access controls and permission management. Access should be based on job responsibilities and actual need, including determining who can access particular information and for how long. Unauthorized viewing, copying, or distribution of electronic medical records is prohibited.
So the normal rule is not:
“Anyone who works at the hospital can open my complete medical record.”
It should be:
“Relevant personnel access the information within their authorized scope because it is genuinely required for treatment, medical-record management, or another authorized function.”
If you are particularly concerned about highly sensitive information, such as:
- HIV or other infectious-disease information;
- reproductive or sexual-health records;
- mental-health records;
- genetic testing;
- cancer genomic information;
you can ask the hospital about its access-control, privacy, and information-protection procedures.
China’s Personal Information Protection Law also classifies medical and health information as sensitive personal information. Processing this information requires a specific purpose, sufficient necessity, and strict protective measures.
Can Antu, an interpreter, a family member, or my insurer directly access my medical records?
A person should not automatically have access to a patient’s entire medical record simply because they are “helping the patient.”
Medical and health information is classified as sensitive personal information under China’s Personal Information Protection Law. Processing sensitive personal information requires a specific purpose, sufficient necessity, and strict protective measures. Where required under the applicable rules, the individual’s separate consent must also be obtained.
The situation also differs depending on who is requesting the information.
Family members:
For an adult patient who has the capacity to make their own decisions, being a family member does not automatically provide unrestricted access to the full medical record. If a family member will request or collect records on the patient’s behalf, the hospital will generally require authorization and appropriate identification documents for both the patient and representative.
Insurance companies:
When a commercial insurer needs to review or copy medical records for an insurance assessment or claim, current Chinese medical-record rules require appropriate supporting documentation. In applicable cases, the insurer must also provide the insurance contract and evidence of the patient’s or authorized representative’s consent.
Medical interpreters or accompanying personnel:
They may need access to some medical information in order to assist with communication, but in principle they should access only the information necessary to perform that role. Acting as an interpreter should not automatically mean being entitled to retain or forward the patient’s complete medical file.
Antu:
If the patient authorizes Antu to assist with case organization, hospital submission, a second opinion, insurance coordination, or follow-up care, Antu may need to process the medical information relevant to that service. However, the information requested should be determined by the actual purpose of the service rather than automatically collecting every medical record the patient has.
For example, if Antu is only helping arrange an orthopedic consultation, there would normally be no reason to distribute the patient’s complete oncology history, insurance documents, and other unrelated information to people who do not need it.
Before authorizing any third party, the patient can ask:
Who will see my information?
Why is this information needed?
Which hospital or doctor will receive it?
Will it be shared with any other organization afterward?