How It Works
From your MRI to surgery in China —
and safely home.
The complete pathway, every step in the open. Most patients go from first contact to surgery in three to six weeks — and every stage has a written deliverable and a clean exit. You are never locked in.
The Journey
Seven stages. Zero surprises.
Tell us about your condition and upload your MRI or CT — DICOM files or clear photos both work. We review completeness, tell you honestly whether remote assessment and treatment in China make sense for your case, and outline which specialist profiles fit.
A named senior specialist — matched by sub-specialty and case volume — reviews your actual imaging and history. You receive a structured English report: diagnosis review, whether surgery is indicated, which approach and why, plus questions to take back to your home doctor. How the written opinion works →
Meet the specialist face to face before committing to anything. A live video consultation — Associate Chief $399, Chief Physician $599 — with interpretation handled by us. Ask the hard questions; pressure-test the written report; decide if this is someone you trust.
If you want to proceed, the hospital issues a written, itemised quote for your specific case — procedure, implants, length of stay, everything — and we lay out our fixed coordination fee beside it. You see the complete financial picture before committing a penny to travel.
- Hospital package quoted by the hospital, paid to the hospital — never through us
- HanBridge coordination fee fixed in writing: $1,500 spine surgery · $2,000 joint replacement & complex cases
- Take weeks to decide. Compare against UK private quotes. Show your GP. This decision should survive scrutiny.
Once you accept, the hospital issues a formal invitation letter for your visa application, and we walk you through it. We advise on flights and timing, arrange companion accommodation if someone travels with you, and meet you at the airport in China. Your English-speaking coordinator stays with you through admission.
Treatment at the hospital's international department, with interpretation at every consent discussion, ward round and discharge briefing — you will never sign anything you cannot read. We keep your family at home updated if you wish. Your surgeon clears you for flying in writing before departure:
- Minimally invasive (endoscopic) spine surgery — typically fly home after 7–10 days
- Joint replacement — typically 2 weeks
- Fusion surgery — typically 2–3 weeks
You fly home with a complete English operative report, imaging set and discharge summary — everything your GP or physio needs to take over seamlessly. Video follow-ups with your surgical team are scheduled at 3, 6 and 12 months, coordinated by us. If anything concerns you in between, you message us, not a foreign switchboard. (Read the full follow-up playbook: what actually happens after surgery abroad.)
Clear Lines
Who is responsible for what.
The hospital — everything medical
- Diagnosis, treatment decisions and all clinical care
- Surgery, anaesthesia, implants and ward care
- Medical records, consent and discharge documentation
- The specialist's written opinion and video consultations
All medical services are delivered by licensed physicians at independent hospitals. Clinical decisions are theirs alone.
HanBridge — everything around it
- Specialist matching, with our reasoning in writing
- Medical translation and interpretation, end to end
- Visa invitation letter, travel and admission coordination
- Airport transfers and on-site English-speaking support
- 12 months of follow-up coordination after you fly home
We are coordinators, not clinicians. Our fee is fixed and disclosed in writing — we take no commissions from hospitals.
Money, Mapped
What each stage costs.
| Stage | Fee | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| Case assessment | Freepersonal review by our coordination team — always free | — |
| Written second opinion | $99fixed | HanBridge |
| Video consultationoptional | $399 – $599Assoc. Chief $399 · Chief $599 | HanBridge |
| Treatment coordinationif you proceed | $1,500 – $2,000fixed, journey-based, in writing before you commit | HanBridge |
| Hospital packageif you proceed | from $6,000itemised written quote — procedure, implants, stay | The hospital, directly.never through us — we take no commissions |
Timing
How long each part takes.
Assessment response
From submitting your case to our honest read on whether China makes sense for it.
Written opinion
From the specialist receiving your complete file to the report in your inbox.
Quote to surgery
Visa, flights and scheduling — typically, once you've accepted the written quote.
Follow-up
Video reviews at 3, 6 and 12 months, coordinated by us with your surgical team.
Practical Questions
The ones everyone asks.
Yes, most UK, US and Canadian passport holders need a visa. Once you accept a treatment plan, the hospital issues a formal invitation letter and we guide you through the application step by step. Most patients receive theirs within one to two weeks of applying.
Yes, and we encourage it for major surgery. We arrange companion accommodation in or near the hospital, include them in all translated briefings, and plan transfers for two. Companions pay only their own travel and accommodation costs — our coordination fee does not change.
No. An English-speaking HanBridge coordinator is with you for admission, consent discussions, ward rounds and discharge. All critical documents — consent forms, operative report, discharge summary — are provided in English. You will never sign anything you cannot read.
You can walk away at any point before treatment. The assessment and the specialist's written opinion are yours to keep with no obligation. Consultations cancelled more than 24 hours ahead are fully refunded. Before you travel, you will have everything in writing — so a change of mind costs you nothing further.
Two separate payments, always: hospital fees go directly to the hospital's own account — never through us — and HanBridge's fixed coordination fee is disclosed in writing before you commit. We take no commissions from hospitals, so our only incentive is your outcome.
Stage 01 costs nothing.
Send your case — we'll tell you within 24 hours whether this pathway makes sense for you. If it doesn't, we'll say so.