Documents for Reimbursement Back Home: Start Collecting Them During Your Hospital Stay

If you plan to claim reimbursement from an overseas insurer or another organization after a hospital stay in China, ask the organization handling your claim for a document checklist specific to this treatment while you are still in hospital. Then confirm each item with the hospital. Coverage and document requirements vary by country or region, insurance type, and individual policy. Having all the documents does not guarantee payment.

Key Points

• First confirm whether your treatment in China is covered, whether preauthorization is required, and the deadlines for notifying the organization and submitting your claim. You do not need to wait until you return home to contact them.
• Medical records, official medical receipts, itemized bills, and proof of payment serve different purposes. Before leaving the hospital, check the patient’s name, dates, amounts, and refunds. Do not take only a card payment slip.
• Some reports may not be ready at discharge. Arrange with the hospital how to request and collect them or authorize someone else to do so. Then ask the organization handling your claim how to submit on time and provide the remaining documents later.
• The receiving organization must confirm whether translation, certification, or notarization is needed for your specific application. Check the scope, language, and qualification requirements before paying for these services.

Who to Contact and When to Submit

Contact the claims department listed in your policy. If you are applying through a public healthcare plan or an employer benefit, contact the organization responsible for that plan. Explain the patient’s country or region of residence, policy or plan, hospital in China, planned or actual treatment, and treatment dates. Request written answers to these questions:

1. Are this treatment in China and this hospital covered? Is prior approval, a referral, or notification after admission required? If the treatment plan, dates, or hospital change, how should the approval be updated?
2. What documents, signatures, or forms completed by a doctor are required? Are electronic files accepted, or are paper originals needed? Which documents require translation, certification, or notarization?
3. What are the deadlines for notifying you, making the initial submission, and providing additional documents? From which date are they calculated, and which time zone applies? Can I submit the documents already available while waiting for reports?
4. How do I submit the claim, check its status, and receive payment? Are separate claims needed for different patients or separate visits? What other proof of identity or information about the person who paid is required?

Keep the replies, contact details, dates, and claim number. Ask about deductibles, copayments, limits, exclusions, and how to claim your out-of-pocket share if the insurer pays part of the bill directly to the hospital. The answers must be considered in light of your policy and actual treatment. Preauthorization does not guarantee full payment of the final claim.[1][2]

What to Start Collecting During Your Hospital Stay

Show the organization’s checklist to the ward staff, doctor, and billing department. Ask who issues each document and when it will be available. You can use the checklist below to mark items as “received,” “pending,” or “not applicable,” but follow the organization’s requirements for your specific claim.

Document	Who to Ask and What to Check
Identity and coverage documents	Keep the passport, insurance policy or proof of enrollment, claim form, and claim number. Prepare proof of the relationship between the patient and applicant, travel dates, or authorization as required. Check that the name registered at the hospital can be matched to the passport and policy.
Diagnosis and hospital records	Ask the doctor to confirm the diagnosis document and discharge summary or discharge record. Check the name, admission and discharge dates, diagnosis, course of treatment, and discharge arrangements. If the diagnosis is still uncertain, retain the wording in the original record.
Evidence of tests and treatment	Request doctors’ orders, surgery or anesthesia records, pathology, imaging and laboratory reports, medication records, and prescriptions as required. Certain services may also require a referral, treatment plan, or doctor’s explanation.
Billing documents	Obtain official medical receipts/invoices, the final settlement statement, and an itemized bill from the hospital’s billing or settlement department. Use the itemized bill to check the dates, quantities, and charges for services, medicines, and medical supplies. Keep separate receipts for any charges billed separately by doctors, pharmacies, or other organizations.
Payments and refunds	Keep receipts for deposits, additional payments, and final payments, along with card, bank, or mobile payment records. Keep records of any refunds or payment reversals. Identify the person who actually paid as required.
Approvals and communications	Keep preauthorizations, letters of guarantee, referrals, approvals for changes, and replies requesting documents from the organization handling your claim. Check which hospital, services, and dates each approval covers.

China’s Regulations on the Management of Medical Records in Medical Institutions list records that may be requested for copying, including doctors’ orders, discharge records, surgery and anesthesia records, and pathology and laboratory reports. If the medical record is not yet complete, you may first obtain copies of the completed sections and request newly completed sections later.[3] Confirm the service counter, identity documents, authorization, fees, and collection options with the treating hospital.

How to Check Bills and Complete Your Documents Before Leaving

1. Check identity details and dates. Compare the names, patient numbers, and treatment dates in the passport, policy, medical records, and receipts. If the name order or spelling differs, ask the hospital how to correct it or provide a statement linking the names. Do not alter medical documents yourself.
2. Check charges against actual payments. Compare official receipts, itemized bills, and every payment and refund. A deposit is not the final cost. If there is a refund, confirm with the hospital the amount you actually paid after settlement, and ask the insurer how to report it. Keep every transaction record; do not claim directly on the basis of the deposit amount.
3. List pending documents. If the final pathology report or complete medical record is not ready, record the document name, expected completion date, responsible department, contact details, and collection or secure delivery method. Ask whether you can obtain completed sections first, whether someone can act on your behalf after you return home, and what identity documents and authorization are needed.
4. Address missing documents and errors. If an invoice, itemized bill, or proof of payment is lost, ask each issuing organization whether it can reissue it, provide a copy, or issue an explanation. Submit any available alternatives to the organization handling your claim for confirmation. If you have questions about charges or diagnosis information, ask the hospital to verify them and keep records of any corrections.

China’s electronic medical receipts use a standardized inpatient receipt format.[4] The organization handling your claim must confirm whether an electronic receipt can be used directly for this overseas claim and whether another format or an official stamp is required.

How to Confirm Translation and Notarization Requirements

Send the names and languages of the documents you intend to submit to the organization handling your claim. Ask about each document: Which pages need translation, and into which language? Are English documents issued by the hospital acceptable? Is a translator with specific qualifications, a translator’s declaration, certification, or notarization required? Who pays the costs? Make arrangements after receiving the answers. Whether notarization is required depends on the receiving organization and the applicable requirements. Do not assume that all medical records or receipts must be notarized.

Keep the Chinese originals or the original electronic files provided by the hospital, and match each translation to its source document. Check names, dates, diagnoses, medicine names, strengths or specifications, amounts, and currencies. Verify anything unclear with the issuer instead of guessing. If originals must be submitted, first keep complete copies and confirm the mailing address and a trackable delivery method.

How to Submit and Follow Up After Returning Home

Complete the application form according to the organization’s instructions. Attach identity and coverage documents, approvals, medical records, receipts, itemized bills, payment and refund records, and required translations. Use its designated secure channel. Include a document index identifying final versions, revised versions, and documents still to follow. Provide the receiving account details and currency as required, and keep a copy of everything submitted and the acknowledgment of receipt.

After receiving an acknowledgment, confirm the claim number, whether the files can be opened, what is still missing, and the deadline for additional documents. A successful upload only means the files have been sent. Ask the organization to confirm that it has received them and can use them for review. When submitting additional documents, state the claim number, the requested document or field, and the version. Keep the new acknowledgment.

After receiving a decision, compare the settlement explanation with the money received in your bank account. Check the amounts assessed, deductible, copayments, limits, exchange rate, denied items, and any hospital refunds. If you have questions, ask the organization for the detailed calculation and relevant policy terms, as well as the process and deadlines for review or appeal. Keep correspondence and documents until the retention period required by the plan has ended.[2]

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can hospital invoices, itemized bills, and card payment slips replace one another?

Keep all three for now. Receipts record medical charges, itemized bills explain individual costs, and card or bank transfer records help show payment. The organization handling your claim decides which evidence it accepts. If names or amounts differ, first ask the hospital to explain.

2. If the pathology result is not ready at discharge, must I wait for everything before applying?

Immediately ask the organization handling your claim whether you can submit the completed documents within the deadline and when to provide the final report. At the same time, arrange collection with the hospital, either yourself or through an authorized person. Do not assume that waiting for a report extends the claim deadline.

3. What if I only have an electronic receipt and no paper original?

Keep the original electronic file issued by the hospital. Ask the organization handling your claim whether it accepts it and whether other evidence is needed. If it does not accept it, ask the hospital what official documents it can provide, then have the organization confirm an alternative.

4. What if a family member pays for the patient or collects medical records after the patient returns home?

Keep payment records and confirm the requirements for proof of who paid and for the receiving account with the organization handling your claim. Before someone collects medical records on the patient’s behalf, check with the hospital which identity documents are needed for the patient and representative, what written authorization is required, and what procedures apply.[3]

5. What if the name at the hospital differs from the name on the policy?

Ask the hospital to check its registration details and explain the process for correcting them or issuing a statement linking the names to the same person. Also ask the organization handling your claim to confirm what evidence it needs. Keep the original documents and any officially corrected versions.

6. If the insurer has already arranged direct payment to the hospital, do I still need to collect documents?

You should still confirm with the organization handling your claim how to handle the patient’s out-of-pocket costs, unapproved charges, and later expenses. Keep settlement and payment records. The scope of the direct payment arrangement is determined by the approval documents and final settlement.

7. Who should I contact if the insurer requests more documents after I have submitted my claim?

Ask the organization handling your claim to specify in writing the missing documents or fields, acceptable alternatives, and deadline. Then contact the relevant hospital ward, medical records department, or billing department. If you cannot meet the deadline, tell the organization immediately, ask what arrangements are possible, and keep its reply.

8. What if the insurer denies the claim or pays only part of it?

Request an itemized settlement statement, the applicable policy terms, and the reasons. First check for missing documents or incorrect amounts. Then submit the relevant evidence through the organization’s review or appeal process and confirm the deadline.

9. Can the insurer obtain medical records directly from the hospital?

First ask both the insurer and hospital whether this is possible and what contractual documents, proof of identity, and patient consent documents are required. Confirm who will request the records and when they are expected to arrive. Even if someone else obtains them, you must still check the claim deadline and whether any documents remain missing.[3]

Sources

1. Cigna Global: Claims Documents and Process; Cigna Global Policy Rules for an International Health Plan, 2026 Edition. Check your own plan for the applicable requirements.
2. Allianz Care: Claims FAQs. The page distinguishes between plans and lists requirements for diagnoses, invoices, retaining originals, and possible proof of payment.
3. National Health Commission: Regulations on the Management of Medical Records in Medical Institutions (2013 Edition); Full Text Republished by the Taiping District Government, Articles 17–22.
4. Ministry of Finance and Other Authorities: Notice on Fully Implementing the Reform of Electronic Medical Receipt Management.

Sources checked: November 6, 2026.