Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most common questions about our services and processes.
What can Antu actually help international patients with?
Antu’s role is not limited to “booking a doctor appointment.” It is to help connect the different parts of a cross-border medical journey that would otherwise be handled separately.
Depending on the patient’s actual needs, support may include:
- organizing medical records;
- matching hospitals and doctors;
- coordinating preliminary case review or a second medical opinion;
- arranging hospital appointments;
- preparing for travel to China;
- coordinating the hospital-visit process;
- medical interpretation;
- communication support during hospitalization and surgery;
- insurance and payment coordination;
- organizing medical records and test results;
- discharge documentation;
- connecting follow-up testing and remote care after the patient returns home.
Not every patient needs every service.
For example, a patient traveling to China for only one specialist consultation may need:
medical-record organization + doctor booking + medical interpretation.
A patient undergoing major surgery may also need:
inpatient coordination + family support + insurance communication + discharge documentation + follow-up coordination.
Antu is therefore better suited to building support around the patient’s actual treatment journey rather than requiring every patient to use exactly the same package.
Is Antu a hospital?
No.
Antu is a cross-border healthcare service and patient-coordination platform, not a hospital or medical institution.
This means Antu can help patients:
- organize medical records;
- identify appropriate hospitals and doctors;
- coordinate appointments;
- transmit medical information;
- arrange language and hospital-visit support;
- follow the treatment process.
However, responsibility for:
- making a diagnosis;
- prescribing medication;
- deciding whether surgery should be performed;
- determining whether a patient is suitable for a particular treatment;
- managing complications;
- deciding when the patient can be discharged
belongs to the hospital and the treating medical team.
Patients should therefore think of Antu as:
“the team helping me access and navigate the Chinese healthcare system.”
not:
“a replacement for the hospital that provides my medical treatment.”
Can Antu tell me which treatment I should choose?
Antu can help patients understand what different doctors are recommending and how those recommendations differ, but Antu cannot replace the physician in making medical judgments or make the treatment decision for the patient.
For example, two hospitals may recommend:
Hospital A: surgery first.
Hospital B: drug treatment first, followed by reassessment for surgery.
Antu can help organize questions such as:
- Do the two hospitals agree on the diagnosis?
- Do they agree on the disease stage?
- Why are they recommending different approaches?
- What additional tests does each plan require?
- What questions should the patient still ask the doctors?
However, Antu should not independently tell the patient:
“You definitely should choose Plan A.”
Medical judgments should be made by appropriately qualified doctors based on the patient’s actual case, and the final choice should be made by the patient and family after they understand the options.
Antu’s role is to help the patient make sense of complex medical information, not to make the medical decision on the patient’s behalf.
Can Antu help me if I do not yet know which hospital in China to choose?
Yes.
A patient does not need to choose a hospital independently before contacting Antu.
A more appropriate process is usually to first understand:
- the confirmed diagnosis;
- the main medical problem that needs to be solved now;
- previous treatment;
- what the patient hopes to obtain from treatment in China;
- whether the patient is seeking surgery, a second opinion, specialized treatment, or further diagnostic evaluation.
The case can then be matched through:
specialty → subspecialty → clinical team → hospital.
For example, a patient may say:
“I have cancer and want to go to the best hospital in China.”
That is not enough information for meaningful matching.
It is also necessary to know:
- which type of cancer;
- the stage;
- what treatment has already been given;
- why a different approach is now being considered.
Antu can begin with medical-record organization rather than expecting the patient to understand China’s complex hospital system before seeking help.
What information does Antu need before it can start helping me?
A patient usually does not need to submit hundreds of pages of medical records during the first contact.
The initial information should ideally include:
- the patient’s age;
- current diagnosis;
- main symptoms;
- when the diagnosis was made;
- previous treatment;
- current medications;
- recent changes in the condition;
- the main question the patient wants to resolve;
- whether a particular hospital or doctor has already been selected.
If the case then needs to be submitted to a hospital, additional records may include:
- pathology;
- CT/MRI/PET-CT;
- DICOM imaging;
- operative records;
- laboratory results;
- discharge documents;
- other important medical records.
The most important thing for Antu to understand first is:
“What medical problem does the patient actually need to solve right now?”
Only then can the appropriate specialty be identified and the most important records prioritized.
Can Antu organize my medical records before submitting them to a hospital?
Yes. This is an important part of cross-border medical coordination.
Patient records often come from different hospitals and countries and may include:
- PDFs;
- phone photographs;
- DICOM imaging;
- pathology materials;
- reports in different languages;
- many duplicate files.
If dozens or hundreds of unorganized files are sent directly to a doctor, important information can easily be buried.
A more useful structure is:
case summary + timeline + key investigations + previous treatment + current question + original supporting files.
For example, a cancer case might be organized as:
2024: diagnosis
2024: surgery
2025: recurrence
2025: first-line treatment
2026: progression
Now: seeking assessment of the next treatment option
Antu can help convert the records into a structure that doctors can understand more quickly, but it does not alter the medical content of original hospital reports.
Can Antu contact Chinese hospitals and doctors and submit my case for review?
With the patient’s authorization, and where the hospital accepts the relevant submission process, Antu can assist with case submission and communication.
The process may look like:
organize the case → identify the target specialty/doctor → submit the key records → preliminary hospital or physician review → provide additional records if requested → receive preliminary feedback.
However:
A submitted case does not mean that the doctor has accepted the patient for treatment.
The doctor may respond that:
- an in-person evaluation is recommended;
- additional testing is required;
- pathology review is needed;
- there is currently no suitable treatment option;
- a medical problem should first be managed locally.
Antu’s role is to help the case reach an appropriate clinical team for genuine assessment, not to reinterpret every response as “the hospital has accepted you” simply to encourage travel to China.
Can Antu help me obtain assessments from two or three hospitals for comparison?
Yes, particularly for major surgery, cancer, rare diseases, or high-cost treatment.
However, the information should ideally be standardized before comparison.
In other words:
Hospital A, Hospital B, and Hospital C should receive the same updated case information whenever possible.
This allows meaningful comparison of:
- diagnostic assessment;
- recommended treatment;
- need for further testing;
- treatment timeline;
- hospital capabilities;
- expected cost range.
If one hospital reviews the latest CT while another sees only records from six months ago, the resulting opinions are not truly comparable.
Antu can help standardize the case before submitting it to different clinical teams and organize the responses around the same questions.
The patient and family should ultimately make the decision after considering the doctors’ opinions, risks, costs, and personal circumstances.
Can Antu help me book a specialist at a Chinese hospital?
Antu can assist with specialist appointments, provided the hospital and physician have an available booking channel and actual appointment capacity.
For an international patient, booking should involve more than simply confirming:
“The specialist appointment has been booked.”
It should also confirm:
- the hospital;
- the specific campus;
- the department;
- the doctor;
- date and time;
- whether it is regular outpatient care or the International Medical Department;
- where to check in after arrival;
- whether any testing or records need to be prepared in advance.
For highly requested doctors, there may also be:
- limited appointment availability;
- temporary clinic cancellations;
- schedule changes caused by surgery or conferences.
Antu can help with booking and process confirmation, but cannot guarantee that a particular doctor will always have availability or that a physician’s schedule will never change unexpectedly.
Can Antu help me prepare before traveling to China?
Yes. Many cross-border medical problems are best resolved before the patient boards the flight.
Depending on the patient’s needs, pre-travel preparation may include confirming:
- whether the hospital has reviewed the case;
- whether the doctor and appointment date are confirmed;
- how long the patient may need to remain in China;
- whether hospital supporting documents are needed;
- whether the entry arrangement has been confirmed;
- how far the accommodation is from the hospital;
- whether airport or local transport support is needed;
- whether medical interpretation is required;
- whether special medication needs to be carried;
- whether large medical payments need to be prepared;
- whether insurance pre-authorization has been completed.
Antu can help organize these items into a pre-departure checklist.
However, visa approval, airline rules, insurance authorization, and similar decisions are made by the relevant authorities or organizations. Antu can coordinate and remind the patient but cannot make those final decisions on their behalf.
Can Antu help arrange airport transfers and accommodation?
If the patient selects the relevant support service, Antu can help coordinate transportation and accommodation related to the medical trip.
For a medical patient, accommodation should not be evaluated only by asking:
“Is the hotel nice?”
It may also be important to consider:
- distance from the hospital;
- whether it is suitable for a post-operative patient;
- elevator access;
- wheelchair accessibility;
- kitchen or laundry facilities;
- whether accompanying family will stay there;
- whether the property can properly accommodate foreign guests and complete required accommodation registration;
- whether the stay can be extended if treatment takes longer.
Transportation should also reflect the patient’s medical condition.
For example, a patient who has recently undergone major surgery or requires a wheelchair or oxygen may not be suitable for an ordinary ride-hailing car.
Antu can help coordinate appropriate arrangements, but if the patient needs medical transport, an ambulance, or a professionally staffed vehicle, this should be arranged according to medical advice and professional transport requirements. Ordinary transport support should not be treated as medical transport.
Can someone accompany me through the hospital process after I arrive?
If the patient selects hospital-visit accompaniment or on-site coordination, support can be arranged through the hospital process.
On-site assistance may include:
- locating the correct campus and department;
- passport registration;
- check-in;
- helping the patient understand the queue system;
- medical interpretation;
- locating diagnostic departments;
- confirming the next steps;
- helping collect or organize test results.
However, the accompanying coordinator is not a healthcare professional.
For example, the coordinator can tell the patient:
“The doctor has ordered an MRI, so we are going to confirm where and when it will be performed.”
But the coordinator should not independently say:
“This MRI is unnecessary, so you do not need to do it.”
Medical decisions must remain with the treating medical team.
The purpose of Antu’s on-site support is to ensure that the patient’s care is not disrupted by language or process barriers, not to replace the hospital in providing treatment.
Does Antu continue supporting me after I am admitted to the hospital?
If inpatient coordination is included in the patient’s service arrangement, support does not automatically end once hospital admission is completed.
During hospitalization, coordination may involve:
- important communication with doctors;
- test arrangements;
- medical interpretation;
- information before and after surgery;
- communication between the hospital and family;
- additional insurance authorization;
- changes in costs;
- discharge timing;
- medical records and follow-up documents.
However, Antu does not replace ward nurses or doctors.
If the patient suddenly develops:
- chest pain;
- difficulty breathing;
- major bleeding;
- altered consciousness;
the patient or family should immediately notify the ward medical staff rather than first sending a message to Antu and waiting for a response.
Inpatient coordination is intended to keep communication between the international patient and hospital running smoothly. It is not an emergency-response or clinical-monitoring service.
Can my family receive treatment updates through Antu if they are not in China?
With the patient’s authorization, Antu can help family members understand the treatment process and information that has already been confirmed by the hospital.
For example, Antu may help the family understand:
- whether the patient has been admitted;
- which important tests are scheduled that day;
- when surgery is expected to take place;
- whether an important physician discussion has occurred;
- what the family needs to prepare next.
However, there are two important boundaries.
First, patient privacy.
A person should not automatically receive the patient’s complete medical records and treatment information simply because they claim to be a relative.
Second, medical information must remain based on the treating doctor’s assessment.
Antu can communicate information that the medical team has already provided but should not independently tell the family:
“The patient will definitely recover well.”
or:
“This treatment will definitely work.”
If family members may need to participate in major treatment decisions, the patient should identify in advance who should serve as the primary family contact.
What happens if my treatment plan changes after I arrive in China?
This is common in cross-border healthcare.
A remote preliminary review can only be based on the information available at that time.
After the patient arrives, the original plan may change because of:
- new CT/MRI;
- new pathology;
- laboratory results;
- anesthesia assessment;
- changes in the patient’s physical condition;
- in-person physician assessment.
For example, the original plan may have been:
travel to China and proceed directly to surgery.
After evaluation, the doctor may instead conclude:
the infection should be controlled first before surgery is considered.
In that situation, Antu can help the patient reorganize:
- why the doctor changed the plan;
- what the new plan is;
- whether travel arrangements need to change;
- whether hospitalization will be longer;
- whether the cost estimate needs to be updated;
- whether additional insurance authorization is required;
- whether family and accommodation plans need to change.
However, Antu cannot ask the doctor to continue with a medically inappropriate plan simply because it fits the patient’s original flight schedule.
Can I add interpretation, hospital accompaniment, or other support after arriving in China?
Where service resources are available, additional interpretation, hospital accompaniment, or other support can be added as the treatment situation changes. However, advance planning is preferable.
For example, a patient may initially expect only one outpatient consultation, but the doctor later arranges:
- multiple tests;
- another follow-up consultation;
- hospitalization;
- surgery.
The patient may then need additional:
- medical interpretation;
- hospital accompaniment;
- medical-record organization;
- inpatient coordination;
- family communication support.
Antu can reassess the new needs and confirm:
which service is required, how long it is needed, whether it can be arranged, and how the fee will be calculated.
However, interpreters for particular languages, prolonged inpatient accompaniment, or same-day support may not always be immediately available.
If a major operation, MDT meeting, or important physician discussion is already scheduled, it is better to arrange support in advance rather than searching for it at the last minute.
Can Antu help coordinate communication between my insurer and the hospital?
Antu can assist with coordination, but it cannot make reimbursement decisions on behalf of the insurer.
Antu can help:
- obtain or clarify hospital cost estimates;
- organize medical information required by the insurer;
- follow up on documents needed for pre-authorization;
- confirm whether the hospital has received a GOP or other payment guarantee from the insurer;
- communicate updated medical and cost information when the treatment plan changes;
- help the patient understand which costs are currently approved and which still require confirmation.
However, the final decisions about:
- what the policy covers;
- whether Direct Billing is approved;
- how much the insurer will approve;
- which expenses remain the patient’s responsibility
are made by the insurer according to the patient’s own insurance contract.
Antu’s role is to reduce information gaps between:
the patient + the hospital + the insurer
rather than promising:
“If you use Antu, your insurance will definitely pay.”
Does Antu’s support end once I am discharged?
Not necessarily.
For international patients, many issues may still be unresolved after discharge, for example:
- the final pathology report may still be pending;
- the complete medical record may still be undergoing archiving;
- insurance claim documents may still be incomplete;
- the patient may need follow-up testing at home;
- the Chinese doctor may need to review a new CT scan or blood-test result;
- the patient may need to return to China for a second treatment stage several months later.
If the patient selects the relevant follow-up support, Antu can continue assisting with:
- pending medical documents;
- organization of discharge records;
- remote follow-up coordination;
- resubmission of tests completed in the patient’s home country to the Chinese medical team;
- planning the next treatment trip to China.
An ideal cross-border healthcare journey should feel like:
someone connects the process before China → someone coordinates it while the patient is in China → after returning home, the patient still knows what happens next.
It should not become completely disconnected the moment the patient leaves the hospital.
How are Antu’s service fees calculated, and are hospital charges included?
Patients should understand hospital medical charges and Antu service fees as separate categories.
The hospital charges for medical care, such as:
- consultations;
- diagnostic testing;
- surgery;
- hospitalization;
- medications;
- medical supplies.
Antu’s service fees relate to the cross-border coordination and patient-support services actually used, which may include:
- medical-record organization;
- hospital coordination;
- hospital accompaniment;
- medical interpretation;
- inpatient coordination;
- other agreed support services.
Whether Antu uses:
- itemized service fees;
- time-based fees;
- service packages;
- another pricing structure
should depend on the actual service selected by the patient and the formal quotation provided.
Before confirming the service, the patient should understand:
What is included in the Antu fee?
What is not included?
Are hospital charges paid separately?
If the treatment plan changes and additional support is needed, how will that be charged?
Platform service fees and hospital medical charges should not be combined into one vague total that prevents the patient from understanding who is being paid and what service is being purchased.
What are the things Antu cannot do on behalf of the patient or hospital?
These boundaries are important.
Antu can coordinate cross-border healthcare, but certain responsibilities must remain with the appropriate party.
Antu cannot replace the doctor by:
- diagnosing disease;
- prescribing medication;
- deciding the treatment plan;
- guaranteeing treatment outcomes;
- determining that a patient will definitely qualify for a particular treatment.
Antu cannot replace the hospital by:
- guaranteeing that a bed will always be available;
- guaranteeing that a particular doctor will never change the schedule;
- guaranteeing that surgery will occur on the originally planned date;
- determining medical charges or clinical priority.
Antu cannot replace the insurer by:
- deciding whether a claim will be paid;
- guaranteeing that Direct Billing will be approved;
- changing the patient’s insurance terms.
Antu cannot replace visa or immigration authorities by:
- approving a visa;
- determining the permitted duration of stay;
- guaranteeing entry into China.
Antu also cannot replace the patient by:
- making major medical decisions;
- hiding relevant medical information;
- consenting to treatment without the patient or authorized decision-maker understanding the risks.
If a medical emergency occurs, Antu is also not an emergency-response channel. The patient or family should immediately contact hospital medical staff, local emergency services, or the nearest emergency department.
A more accurate description of Antu’s role is:
connecting the patient, doctors, hospital, insurer, language support, and cross-border travel process so that the patient can move through the medical journey more smoothly.
It should not promise:
“We can solve everything on your behalf.”