How to Check Hospital Quality and Safety Information

When comparing hospitals, first confirm whether the actual campus and team that will care for you can manage your condition, who will take over if your condition changes, and how care will be handed over after you return home. When a hospital provides a “success rate” or case volume, ask about the definition, patient numbers, and follow-up, then ask the responsible doctor to explain how the figures relate to your situation. Record unanswered questions as pending verification. Do not assume that unknown information means poor quality, or treat a single number as a personal guarantee.

If symptoms are severe or worsening rapidly, seek emergency care where you are first. Do not wait for cross-border arrangements. In mainland China, you can call 120.[1]

Key Points

• First verify the hospital, campus, department, and doctor, then ask whether the team has experience with conditions similar to yours. A hospital’s grade cannot replace checking the specific care pathway.
• When comparing rates, look at the outcome definition, number of events and total patients, reporting period, patients’ conditions, observation period, and loss to follow-up. Figures measured differently cannot be ranked directly.[2]
• Ask the clinical team to explain how diagnoses are reviewed, how infections and medicines are managed, who handles complications, and who follows up on results after discharge. Record the responsible person, response date, and anything still awaiting confirmation.
• Assess clinical quality as well as interpreting, appointments, billing, and travel coordination. Record them separately so that your experience with one service does not determine your judgment of another.

First Confirm That the Campus and Team Match Your Care Needs

Check that the hospital’s full name, address, campus, and receiving department on your appointment confirmation or admission notice match the actual examination and treatment locations. Ask where pathology, imaging, surgery, and any intensive care you may need will take place; whether outside organizations are involved; and who is responsible for coordination and clinical decisions. You can first check the institution’s information through the National Government Service Platform’s Medical Institution Search and the doctor’s practice information through the National Health Commission’s Physician Search. If you cannot find a listing, first check the full Chinese name and campus, then ask the hospital or local health authority to help confirm it. Do not infer that an institution or doctor is operating illegally simply because no result appears. You still need to confirm with the hospital whether the specific procedures and the doctor’s work there are authorized. For detailed verification steps, see Verifying Hospitals and Doctors.

Give the prospective treating doctor your diagnosis or the problem you need addressed, previous treatments, and important coexisting conditions. Ask about the purpose of the proposed plan, major risks, feasible alternatives, and possible consequences of no treatment or a delay. Confirm that suitable interpreting is available, and allow yourself time to ask questions and understand the answers before making an informed decision. Ask who reviewed the original records, who develops the plan, who performs the procedure, and who takes over at night and on weekends. Ask whether the team has recently treated similar cases: does “similar” mean the same diagnosis, severity, treatment, and medical history, or only the same broad category? Do the case numbers refer to the doctor, team, campus, whole hospital, or a study population? Case volume may indicate experience, but it cannot guarantee your outcome.[3]

If promotional materials, appointment documents, and the hospital’s answers name different campuses or doctors, first ask the hospital for written clarification. For new technologies, also ask about their regulatory status and whether the proposed institution and doctor have the relevant authorization. If you cannot obtain the answers you need, record them as pending verification. In non-emergency situations, do not rush a decision because of pressure about limited availability; you can seek an independent opinion.

How to Understand and Compare Quality Figures

Ask your doctor to help identify outcomes worth asking about for your decision, such as complications, changes in function, or readmission after a particular treatment. For figures such as “success rates” or infection rates, try to clarify:

1. Definition: What exactly counts as success or a complication, and when is it assessed? Are events or patients being counted?
2. Numbers and scope: How many people experienced the event, out of how many in total? Who was included or excluded? Which campus, team, or doctor do the figures cover?
3. Timing and follow-up: In which years were patients treated, how long were they observed, and how many did not complete follow-up?
4. Comparability and source: Were patients similar in age, condition, and previous treatment? Were differences in risk considered or adjusted for? Where did the data come from, and were they checked?

Ask the doctor responsible for your care, or the hospital’s medical affairs or quality management department, what relevant outcomes they can provide and how the figures were measured. Hospitals do not necessarily publish every internal measure; privacy, sample size, or statistical limitations may also restrict what they can provide. Mark information that was not supplied as “not provided,” and information with unclear sources or definitions as “pending verification.” When data are missing, ask the doctor to explain the team’s verifiable experience and emergency backup arrangements in relation to your condition. Seek an independent clinical opinion if needed. Risk adjustment and external verification are not available for every measure.[2]

Fictional example: Hospital A says “none of 12 patients developed a particular complication,” while Hospital B says “12 of 600 patients developed it.” You cannot rank them based only on 0% and 2%. You also need to ask whether the event definitions and follow-up periods match, and whether the two groups had similar conditions and follow-up. Results from 12 people cannot rule out variation due to a small sample. Even if the figures are comparable, a doctor still needs to explain how they relate to your situation; they cannot guarantee the next patient’s outcome.[2]

How to Check Diagnosis, Medicines, and Infection Prevention

Ask the treating doctor whether the original pathology slides, complete imaging, and laboratory reports need review, and who will review them. If the diagnosis, affected side, or stage changes, ask who will reconsider the treatment plan. When translation is involved, ask the team to verify that the patient’s identity, specimens, and reports match, and confirm who will explain the key findings. You can ask how the laboratory controls quality and whether it participates in external quality assessment. Ask the laboratory to explain the specific tests covered and provide supporting documentation. China has requirements for the quality management of examinations and laboratory testing, but you still need to verify how the treating institution implements them.[4]

Give the team the generic names, doses, and instructions for your medicines, your allergy history, supplements, and recent medicine use. Keep original prescriptions or packaging for checking. Ask who checks your medicine list at admission, transfer between departments, and discharge. Ask whom to contact first if names, doses, or translations do not match. Do not change medicines yourself without a doctor’s confirmation.

A clean appearance does not tell you everything about infection prevention. Based on your planned treatment, ask a nurse or doctor how hand hygiene, equipment, and catheters are managed; whether screening or isolation is needed; how infections are monitored and who assesses antimicrobial use; and how to report and manage signs of infection. Specific measures depend on the condition and procedure. Do not assume everyone needs the same screening. If you have concerns about the identity attached to a medical record or specimen, ask staff on site to verify it before proceeding.

What Happens if Your Condition Changes or Complications Occur

Ask the doctor responsible for your care to give an example of how your condition might worsen and explain which symptoms require immediate help, who reassesses you, who decides whether to postpone a procedure or the next treatment cycle, and how you and your family will be notified. Ask whether the relevant doctors are on site or on call at night and on weekends. Depending on your condition, confirm whether emergency imaging, blood supplies, interventional procedures, an operating room, and intensive care can be accessed promptly.

If the campus cannot manage the problem, ask who contacts a receiving hospital, how records are handed over, and how doctors assess transfer. Record the ward’s and on-duty staff’s contact details, and ask how to escalate if you cannot reach them. China’s core medical quality and safety systems include on-duty handovers, emergency treatment for critically ill patients, and reporting of critical test results. However, the existence of these systems does not prove that a particular campus has arranged resources for you.[5]

Who to Contact With Concerns and How to Arrange Care After Leaving

If you have concerns about medicines, specimens, or results, first contact the doctor or nurse responsible for your care. Ask who will check the issue and when you will receive a response. Who confirms receipt of delayed or critical results, records them, and notifies you? If the response does not resolve the issue, ask about the ward lead or the hospital’s complaints department, a contact person, and how to track progress. Ask who coordinates issues involving several departments. If an internal hospital complaint remains unresolved, check the official channels published by the health authority where the hospital is located for advice or raising concerns, and explain the problem and how it has been handled so far.[8] For an urgent medical problem, seek clinical help first rather than waiting for a complaint to be processed. If you have concerns about medical records, ask the medical records department or relevant clinical department about the process for checking and correcting them and obtaining updated copies. Do not alter the original records yourself.

Ask about discharge and arrangements for returning home before you travel. Before leaving the hospital, confirm with the team:

• Which records you can obtain, when, and how: admission records, discharge summary, procedure records, pathology and laboratory reports, imaging, and source files. If you have an implant or another special product, ask which identifiers and records you should keep.
• Your medicine list and when to start or stop medicines; restrictions related to wounds, activity, diet, flying, and other matters; warning symptoms; and how to access nearby emergency care. Ask the doctor to explain these based on your circumstances.
• Who will review pending results and how you will be notified; follow-up dates and contact details; and which doctor or institution where you live is willing to take over your care. Ask the receiving provider to confirm that they can read the records and identify anything still missing. Sending documents does not mean they have been received and reviewed.

China’s medical records management rules list the records that patients or their representatives may request copies of, along with identification requirements. If some parts are unfinished, you can first obtain copies of the completed parts and ask how to collect the rest later.[6] Both sides must confirm imaging formats, translation, preparation times, and cross-border transfer methods. Before sharing records, confirm the recipient and the scope of authorized sharing to protect your privacy.

Record Responses and Follow Up on Missing Information

For each hospital you are considering, record the claim, source, applicable campus or team, date, scope, and unresolved questions. For example, if a claim of a “very high success rate” has no patient numbers or definition, ask the hospital to provide them; do not fill in figures yourself. The team responsible for diagnosis and treatment should explain clinical matters. Coordinators can help with appointments, interpreting, documents, and communication about costs. Where needed, ask a doctor to confirm key clinical answers in writing.

When comparing options, first consider the institution’s and team’s identities, their suitability for your condition, emergency backup, and whether handover arrangements can be put in place. Then consider interpreting, itemized estimates, waiting times, and travel plans. If risks, complication management, record delivery, or the entity receiving payment are unclear, check with the hospital and keep records. In non-emergency situations, you can pause payment or your decision. Ask the hospital separately for an itemized explanation of complication-related costs and payment terms. For comparisons of public and non-public hospitals and payment, see Public and Non-Public Hospitals; for institution types and referrals, see the Hospital Selection Guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a Grade III Class A rating mean every specialty is suitable for me?

You cannot judge suitability from that alone. Check the specific campus, team, procedure or service, and necessary backup, then ask a doctor to assess them.

Is a higher case volume always better?

You cannot draw that conclusion directly. First ask who the figures cover, whether the cases are similar, the time period, outcomes, and support arrangements. Case volume alone cannot guarantee your outcome.

Should I rule out a hospital that does not publish quality data?

Not necessarily. Ask which outcomes the team monitors, what explanations it can provide, and what safety processes it uses. Record unpublished or unverifiable information as unknown and assess it alongside other information.

Which quality figure should I request?

There is no single figure suitable for every condition. Ask your doctor to choose outcomes relevant to your decision, then ask about the definition, number of events, total patients, time period, patient population, and follow-up.

Can I directly compare identical success rates?

First compare definitions, numerators and denominators, patient characteristics, observation periods, and follow-up. Figures measured differently cannot be ranked directly. Data without risk adjustment do not all need to be discarded, but avoid comparing them directly across populations with different risks.

Should a coordinator or a doctor answer questions about quality?

Coordinators can help pass on documents and arrange interpreting. Ask the team responsible for your diagnosis and treatment to answer or confirm questions about diagnosis, the meaning of results, personal risks, treatment choices, and complication management.

What if the final report is not ready at discharge?

Record which results are pending, who is responsible for reviewing them, the expected contact method and timing, and whom to contact if they are overdue. After obtaining the report, ask the doctor taking over your care to confirm receipt and that they can read it.

Sources

1. Shanghai Municipal Government: What to Do in an Emergency: China’s medical emergency telephone number.
2. U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Adjusting Health Care Quality Scores; Quality Indicator Methods: Methods for understanding risk adjustment, samples, and measure definitions; these are not China’s assessment rules.
3. U.S. National Cancer Institute: Finding Cancer Care: Ideas for asking about team experience and quality; U.S. accreditation and insurance rules should not be applied directly.
4. Measures for the Administration of Medical Quality (reproduced by the Beijing Municipal Government): Requirements for medical quality and the management of examinations and laboratory testing.
5. Key Provisions of the Core Medical Quality and Safety Systems (reproduced by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission): Contents of the core quality and safety systems.
6. Regulations on the Management of Medical Records in Medical Institutions (2013 Edition) (reproduced on the website of the Taiping District People’s Government, Fuxin): Records eligible for copying, application documents, and handling of unfinished records. Confirm specific arrangements for obtaining records with the treating institution.
7. National Government Service Platform: Medical Institution Search; National Health Commission: Physician Search: For checking institution and physician information. Authorization for specific procedures or services and reasons for missing search results require separate verification.
8. Measures for the Administration of Complaints in Medical Institutions (reproduced by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission): Complaint handling by medical institutions and supervision and guidance by local health authorities.