Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: Turn a Treatment Quote into an Itemized Budget You Can Check

EastMedGo Nov 6, 2026

When preparing to come to China for an assessment of drug-resistant epilepsy, first tell the hospital what you hope to address and submit seizure records, your medication history, and existing test results. Ask the doctor to explain what may be needed next, then ask the billing department for estimates by stage. The assessment may lead to continued nonsurgical treatment. Any surgery, implant, or further tests that have not yet been decided on should be listed separately as conditional items, rather than treated as confirmed expenses or assumed to be free.

Key points

The hospital, campus, patient status, service type, number of items, and quote validity period can all affect an estimate. Someone else’s bill cannot replace a personal quote.
Record confirmed items, items that depend on test results, and items not yet quoted separately. Do not deduct insurance payments or reimbursements from the money you need to prepare until they are confirmed.
Do not stop or reduce medication yourself to shorten monitoring or while waiting for tests. Have your current doctor and the receiving team coordinate treatment and travel.
Call local emergency services immediately if convulsions last 5 minutes, seizures occur one after another, or the person has trouble breathing or is difficult to wake. Follow the person’s seizure action plan if it calls for help sooner. See What to do during a seizure.

Tell the hospital what you want to address

Write one sentence stating the main question you hope this visit will answer, such as “Are these different episodes all epileptic seizures?”, “Is further assessment needed after the medications already tried?”, or “Is an assessment for surgery worthwhile?” Ask the receiving doctor to explain the purpose of each test, whether existing records can be used, and which results could change the next step. A surgical assessment does not mean that surgery is already suitable or required.

Prepare a medication list with names, dosage forms, doses, dates and duration of use, effects, side effects, and reasons for stopping. Bring a seizure diary, videos of typical seizures that can be recorded safely, EEG reports and available raw data, and MRI reports and original images. Record different types of episodes separately. For children, you can also provide information about changes in development and learning. First ask which formats, languages, and secure transfer methods the hospital accepts. Once it confirms that the files are readable, ask whether additional or repeat tests are needed.

Enter the quote in a budget table

Ask the hospital to state the patient’s details, hospital and campus, outpatient or inpatient setting and service type, currency, quote date, and validity period. For each row, enter unit price × estimated quantity or number of days, what is included, what is excluded, the conditions that would make the item necessary, and who confirms it. If an amount is unknown, write “awaiting quote,” not zero. The table below is a checklist for requesting prices, not a list of tests or treatments every patient needs.

Stage or item	Quantities, inclusions, and conditions to check with the hospital	Amount and status
Initial consultation and record review	Number of doctor or multidisciplinary consultations; whether review of outside EEGs and images and written reports cost extra	Unit price__ × quantity__; confirmed / conditional / awaiting quote
Video EEG	Billing unit and expected monitoring duration; whether interpretation and report, bed, nursing care, and medication are included; charges for extensions	Unit price__ × duration__; status__
Imaging and other assessments	Purpose of each MRI, possible PET/SPECT, neuropsychological assessment, or other test; whether previous records can be used; whether sedation, anesthesia, and observation cost extra	Unit price for each item__ × number__; status__
Medication and safety monitoring	Name, dosage form, strength, quantity, and supply period for each medication; list doctor-requested tests and follow-up visits separately	Medication__; tests__; status__
Further localization, such as intracranial EEG/SEEG	Ask only if the doctor is considering it: whether electrode implantation, consumables, anesthesia, monitoring, imaging, removal, and hospitalization are each included	Each item__; conditions__
Surgery or implanted device	List the procedure, consumables or specific device model, anesthesia, monitoring during surgery, pathology, hospitalization, and any postoperative monitoring and tests that may be needed separately	Each item__; conditions__
Ongoing treatment and follow-up	Follow-up visits, tests, prescriptions, device programming, and possible replacement; number, location, responsible provider, and price	Each item__; time frame__
Nonmedical expenses	Round-trip travel for the patient and accompanying person, accommodation, interpreting, caregiving, and extended stays or return visits	Each item__; scope__

For every row, also record when payment is due, whether advance payments are credited toward the bill, refund conditions for cancellation or rescheduling, and how the final bill is settled. If a bed, anesthesia, or test is already included in a package, do not add it again elsewhere. Ask the billing department to identify package inclusions and separately billed items.

Add up the confirmed, quoted items without duplication to estimate the current stage. List conditional items separately and state when a new quote will be provided. Keep total medical costs separate from the money the family needs to prepare upfront: the upfront amount depends on the hospital’s advance payment requirements and payment schedule. The insurer must confirm direct billing, coverage limits, and uncovered costs in writing. The family’s total budget must also include nonmedical expenses. Leave all unknown amounts marked as unknown.

Ask about video EEG and further seizure localization costs

Video EEG records seizure activity on video and EEG at the same time. Ask the hospital how long monitoring is expected to last, how it is billed, whether the report and inpatient nursing care are included, and who decides whether to stop, extend, or change the approach if no typical event is recorded. Before an extension, ask the team to explain its purpose, extra costs, and how you will be notified. Patient information from Cambridge University Hospitals in the UK notes that medication may be adjusted during some inpatient monitoring after discussion within the team. Do not reduce medication yourself to trigger seizures. Source

If noninvasive information still cannot answer where seizures start, the doctor may discuss intracranial EEG, including stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG). This is an assessment involving further recording. Ask about each stage: implantation, monitoring, and removal. Completing the assessment does not guarantee that surgery will be possible afterward. Ask the doctor to explain the questions it needs to answer, the risks, and the possible results, then ask the billing department for an itemized estimate. Source

What else to ask about surgery or device quotes

First ask the doctor to explain whether the proposed treatment is suitable for you, its goals, and its risks. Then compare costs covering the same services. Different procedures cannot be judged by total price alone. Ask whether monitoring during surgery, consumables, anesthesia, hospitalization, postoperative imaging, pathology, and intensive care if needed are included. If test results change the plan, ask how completed assessments will be billed and how payments for procedures not performed will be refunded.

If the team discusses an implanted device, record its exact name and model, local availability, and conditions for use. Separate the costs of the device, implantation, and later programming. Find out where you can receive follow-up checks, programming, or help with malfunctions after returning home, and how future tests and possible replacement will be arranged. Obtain confirmation that a local provider can take over care. Do not treat the initial implantation quote as the full long-term cost.

Coordinate medication, follow-up, and cross-border expenses

Have your current doctor and the receiving doctor review your current medications, arrangements for carrying them and obtaining refills, and lawful prescribing and supply at your destination and after you return home. Calculate the budget using each specific medication, dosage form, strength, quantity, and supply period. Also ask about the follow-up visits and safety tests you personally need. Update the budget when the treatment plan changes; do not use the price of one box to estimate everyone’s annual costs. Do not skip doses, stop medication, or change doses without medical guidance. NHS medication information

Before leaving the treatment center, ask the team to put in writing when your next follow-up is due, where tests will be done, who will review the results, whom to contact about abnormal results, and who will provide ongoing prescriptions. Ask your doctor where you live to confirm whether they can take over care. If they cannot, ask both teams to help arrange it. List accommodation and accompanying caregiver costs separately, based on the expected stay and conditions that could extend it. There is no need to invent a fixed contingency percentage for everyone.

Check responsibilities and changes before paying

Ask the hospital’s billing or international patient department to explain in writing the quote’s validity period, currency, inclusions and exclusions, advance payment and final settlement arrangements, and rules for postponement, cancellation, and refunds. Confirm the official payment channels and keep quotes and receipts. Before items are added, ask who will notify the family and when the estimate will be updated. Emergency medical decisions should follow clinical needs; check the actual costs afterward.

If you are covered by a public health insurance scheme, ask the agency administering your coverage and the hospital to verify your personal eligibility, procedures for care outside your coverage area, and benefits for the hospital and specific services. For commercial insurance, ask about pre-existing condition exclusions, prior authorization, hospital and service categories, deductibles, limits, direct billing coverage, and required documents. Also confirm whether treatment changes require new authorization. Do not treat any payment as approved for coverage until you have written confirmation.

You can send the hospital this question: “The patient’s main concern is [ ], and we have [seizure records / EEG / imaging]. Please list the items, unit prices, quantities, inclusions, and exclusions separately for the initial consultation, proposed tests, and conditional treatment. If monitoring is extended or the plan changes, who will update the estimate? How are advance payments, cancellations, and refunds handled?”

What to do during a seizure

Stay with the person and time the seizure. Move hazards away. If the person is already lying down, gently turn them onto their side. Do not restrain them or put anything in their mouth. Do not give water or food until they are fully awake. Call local emergency services immediately if convulsions last 5 minutes, seizures occur one after another, the person has trouble breathing or is difficult to wake afterward, they are injured, or the seizure occurs in water. A first seizure also requires emergency help. In mainland China, call 120; elsewhere, use the local emergency number. Follow an existing personal action plan if it calls for help sooner. Use prescribed rescue medication under the conditions taught by the doctor. CDC first aid guidance

Frequently asked questions

Must I repeat my MRI and EEG if I already have them?

Not necessarily. First submit the reports and the original images or EEG recordings requested by the hospital. Ask the doctor whether the records are readable, whether they can answer the current question, and what additional testing could change. Confirm record review fees and new test fees separately.

Do I still have to pay if monitoring does not record a typical seizure?

Ask the hospital to explain in writing beforehand the charges for completed monitoring, reports, and hospitalization, and the rules for extending or rescheduling monitoring if its goal is not met. The clinical team and patient should discuss whether to continue. Do not change medication yourself.

Can my advance payment be refunded if I do not have surgery after assessment?

This depends on the actual payment agreement and services already provided. Ask the hospital to list completed services, how advance payments are credited, items not performed, and refund conditions. Keep written replies and receipts.

Is a package price from the hospital enough?

Ask the hospital to list the services, quantities, hospital days, consumables, and exclusions covered by the package. Ask separately how additional tests, longer stays, and later follow-up visits are charged. Compare quotes covering the same services.

Does a ketogenic diet also need a budget?

If the team considers it an option for discussion, ask about arrangements and costs for assessment by specialists and the nutrition team, food, follow-up visits, and monitoring. Do not start it yourself using online recipes. The team must assess whether it is suitable.

Does joining a clinical trial mean there are no costs?

You cannot assume this. Article 8 of China’s Regulations for the Implementation of the Drug Administration Law states that drug clinical trial sponsors and institutions must not charge participants fees related to the clinical trial. If a project is clinical research covered by the Regulations on the Administration of Clinical Research and Clinical Translation Applications of New Biomedical Technologies, the initiating institution and research institution must also not charge fees related to that clinical research. Ask the research center and ethics committee to confirm the type of project. This rule cannot be applied directly to all medical device research or clinical translation applications.

For research covered by China’s Measures for the Ethical Review of Life Science and Medical Research Involving Humans, reasonable expenses incurred through participation should be appropriately compensated. If research-related harm occurs, participants should receive prompt, free treatment and compensation or damages in accordance with the law and the agreement between the parties. Participants or their guardians may withdraw unconditionally at any stage. They may voluntarily discuss a safe handover of treatment with the research team and their original doctor; this is not a condition of withdrawal.

Ask the research team to explain in writing how costs are classified, arrangements for routine care, travel and accommodation, medication supply after the study ends, and how research-related harm is handled. If you have questions about how particular costs or harm are classified, check with the research institution and ethics committee. Registration or prescreening does not guarantee enrollment. Regulations for the Implementation of the Drug Administration Law; Ethical Review Measures; Regulations on New Biomedical Technologies.

What if I cannot afford the full quote?

Tell the doctor about your budget limits early. Ask them to distinguish the questions that need answering now, items that can wait, and treatments not yet decided on, and to explain the consequences of each. Also ask the billing department to update the estimates by stage. Do not cancel necessary treatment or stop medication yourself.

Sources

Date checked: November 6, 2026. Each hospital must confirm its own services, charges, patient acceptance, and follow-up arrangements.