Everything You Need to Know
Before Getting Treatment in China

Panda Touring Care is an international medical tourism coordination service specializing in connecting patients with China's leading Class 3A hospitals. We provide end-to-end support including hospital and doctor matching, medical record translation, appointment scheduling, visa assistance, and English-speaking concierge care throughout your treatment.

We work with patients from over 47 countries worldwide, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Our coordination team operates across multiple time zones to ensure responsive communication regardless of your location.

No. Panda Touring Care is a coordination and patient navigation service, not a medical provider. All medical care is delivered by licensed physicians at our partner hospitals — Class 3A tertiary institutions that are fully regulated by China's National Health Commission (NHC). Our role is to navigate the system on your behalf, manage logistics, and ensure seamless communication between you and your medical team.

We partner exclusively with Class 3A (三级甲等) hospitals — China's highest hospital designation, covering fewer than 2,000 institutions out of over 38,000 hospitals nationwide. Many partners hold JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation, the globally recognized gold standard for hospital quality. We can provide hospital rankings, accreditation certificates, and department-specific credentials for any institution we recommend.

Our core treatment areas include: stem cell therapy (MSC, CAR-T, iPSC-derived programs), cancer treatment (surgery, immunotherapy, proton therapy, CAR-T for hematological malignancies), orthopedic surgery (joint replacement, robotic arthroplasty, cartilage regeneration), neurological care (Parkinson's, ALS, spinal cord injury trials), and traditional Chinese medicine combined with modern diagnostics.

Yes. China's NMPA (National Medical Products Administration) formally regulates stem cell therapies. Since January 2025, China has its first commercially approved stem cell drug — amimestrocel (Ruibosheng) — for steroid-refractory acute graft-versus-host disease. For other conditions, treatment occurs within registered clinical trials overseen by the NMPA's Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE). Legitimate hospitals operate exclusively within this regulatory framework. We only work with NMPA-registered trial sites and approved treatment programs.

In some cases, yes. China's Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Zone in Hainan Province operates under a regulatory fast-track: drugs and devices approved in the US, EU, or Japan can be made available within months, rather than the 3–5 years of standard NMPA review. Over 400 specially licensed drugs and devices have been granted access through this zone. Additionally, China runs more CAR-T and stem cell clinical trials than any other country, providing access to investigational therapies not yet available elsewhere.

Yes. China is the world leader by number of registered CAR-T clinical trials and has multiple NMPA-approved commercial CAR-T products, including domestically developed relma-cel (relmacabtagene autoleucel) for B-cell lymphoma and imported axi-cel. Treatment costs for approved CAR-T products in China are typically 40–60% lower than equivalent US list prices. We can connect eligible patients with CAR-T programs at our partner oncology centers in Beijing and Shanghai.

Chinese hospitals have exceptional specialist volume and expertise in liver cancer, gastric (stomach) cancer, esophageal cancer, and lung cancer — cancers that are more prevalent in Asia and where Chinese centers have accumulated the highest global case volumes. China's 5-year survival rates for gastric and cervical cancer exceed those reported in the United States. For internationally common cancers including breast, colorectal, and lung cancer, top-tier Chinese hospitals achieve outcomes comparable to leading Western cancer centers at significantly lower cost.

China's top Class 3A hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai are internationally competitive. Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) has ranked first in China for 14 consecutive years and benchmarks directly against leading Western academic medical centers. China's life expectancy reached 79 years in 2024 — surpassing 21 high-income countries — and the maternal mortality rate is lower than that of the United States. National cancer survival rates have improved dramatically over the past 15 years. For common conditions, the gap between top Chinese hospitals and Western peers is small; for high-volume specialties unique to China, outcomes often exceed Western benchmarks.

JCI (Joint Commission International) is the international arm of the organization that accredits most major US hospitals. JCI accreditation requires hospitals to meet rigorous international standards across patient safety, infection control, medication management, and quality systems — verified through on-site surveys every three years. China ranks 5th globally by number of JCI-accredited institutions (46 as of December 2022). JCI accreditation is the most reliable signal of internationally comparable quality standards for a Chinese hospital.

At Class 3A hospitals — particularly JCI-accredited institutions — surgical safety standards are comparable to those of major Western medical centers. These hospitals perform surgical volumes that typically exceed Western peers, and surgical volume is one of the strongest predictors of procedural outcomes. Key safeguards for international patients include: English-speaking care teams in international departments, internationally trained surgeons at many leading centers, and institutional accreditation systems that are publicly verifiable.

Three independent verification steps: (1) Check the hospital's Class 3A status via China's NHC hospital information system. (2) Verify JCI accreditation status at jointcommissioninternational.org — accreditation is time-limited and the database shows current status only. (3) Search the principal physician's publication record on PubMed or CNKI. Panda Touring Care provides credential documentation for every hospital and physician we recommend before any commitment is made.

Typical cost savings for international patients at top Chinese hospitals range from 40–70% compared to equivalent procedures in the United States, and 20–50% compared to UK or Australian private healthcare. Examples: CAR-T therapy lists at approximately USD 165,000–207,000 in China vs. USD 370,000–530,000 in the US; orthopedic stem cell procedures range USD 8,000–25,000 vs. USD 30,000–80,000 equivalent in Western markets; major oncological surgeries are typically 50–60% of US pricing. These savings apply even at the highest-quality Class 3A institutions.

Our coordination fee covers: initial medical record review and specialist matching, hospital and physician selection, appointment scheduling and confirmation, translation of medical documents, visa letter preparation, English-speaking concierge support throughout your stay, liaison between you and your medical team, and post-treatment follow-up coordination. Travel costs, accommodation, and medical fees are separate and paid directly to the relevant providers.

Some international health insurance policies provide partial or full coverage for treatment abroad, including in China. Coverage depends on your specific policy. We recommend contacting your insurer before travel to confirm coverage and obtain any required pre-authorization. We can provide itemized treatment cost estimates and hospital documentation to support insurance claims. Certain premium international health insurance plans (including Cigna Global, Bupa International, and AXA PPP International) have direct billing arrangements with select Chinese hospitals.

The costs that patients most commonly underestimate are: extended accommodation if treatment requires multiple visits (we provide estimates based on typical treatment timelines), ancillary diagnostic testing during pre-treatment workup, post-treatment medications to take home, and visa extension fees if required. We provide a complete pre-travel cost estimate covering all known charges, and flag variable items clearly so there are no surprises.

Most international patients require a medical visa (M-type visa) for treatment in mainland China. Panda Touring Care provides official invitation letters from our partner hospitals that are required for the medical visa application. Processing time is typically 5–10 business days. Hainan Island (including the Boao Lecheng zone) offers visa-free entry for citizens of 59 countries for stays up to 30 days — an option for patients accessing treatments through the Lecheng fast-track program.

Yes. All major Class 3A hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have dedicated international patient departments with English-speaking coordinators. Panda Touring Care assigns a dedicated English-speaking care coordinator to accompany you through registration, specialist consultations, and discharge planning. Medical documents, consent forms, and discharge summaries are translated into English as standard.

Duration varies significantly by treatment type. Diagnostic workup and consultation: 3–5 days. Stem cell infusion therapy: typically 7–14 days per treatment cycle (some conditions require multiple cycles with intervals). Major surgery: 10–21 days including pre-operative preparation and post-operative monitoring. CAR-T cell therapy: typically 3–6 weeks for manufacturing, apheresis, conditioning, and infusion plus initial monitoring. We provide condition-specific timeline estimates during the pre-travel planning process.

Yes, and we encourage it. Family companions can enter on standard tourist or companion visas. Our coordination service extends to companion logistics including accommodation recommendations, hospital visitor access arrangements, and orientation to the local area. Having a companion is particularly important for treatments involving sedation, general anesthesia, or post-procedure mobility limitations.

We coordinate post-treatment follow-up in two ways: scheduling follow-up telemedicine consultations with your Chinese specialist for monitoring and medication adjustment, and preparing a comprehensive medical record package (translated into English) for your home country physician. For complex treatments, we maintain relationships with international physicians in key markets who have familiarity with Chinese treatment protocols.

The process begins with a free initial consultation. Share your medical records, diagnosis, and treatment history with us — our team reviews your case and identifies which Chinese hospitals and specialists are best suited to your condition. We then arrange a remote consultation with a shortlisted physician before any travel commitment is required. From first contact to hospital appointment, the typical timeline is 2–4 weeks.

Most useful: recent imaging (CT, MRI, PET scans — digital files preferred), pathology reports and biopsy results, current medication list, previous treatment summary, and any specialist letters describing your condition. Records do not need to be pre-translated — we handle translation as part of the coordination process. Older records can still be helpful for understanding your medical history.

You choose, with our guidance. We present options — typically 2–3 hospital-physician combinations appropriate to your condition — with supporting information on each specialist's credentials, published research, and case volume. The final decision is always yours. If you already have a preferred hospital or physician in mind, we can facilitate access and handle coordination logistics.

We will tell you clearly. Not every condition has strong evidence for better outcomes or cost advantages in China, and not every patient is a suitable candidate for international medical travel. If after reviewing your records we believe treatment in China is not in your best interest — whether because of the nature of your condition, your travel fitness, or lack of evidence for the treatment you are considering — we will say so. Our reputation depends on patients having successful outcomes, not on maximizing referral volume.