Preparing for the first conversation

What to gather, how to send it safely, and how long we keep it.

What a Chinese hospital needs before it will look at a case

• Discharge summaries and clinic letters, in date order.
• Imaging — the actual study, not only the report, where a radiologist will need to re-read it.
• Pathology reports, and the slides or blocks if a second read is likely.
• Current medication with doses, and the allergy list.
• Previous surgery, including implants and the year.
• Infectious disease status where the treatment requires it.

How to send it

Through the secure upload channel hosted in mainland China that we provide once a case is open. Not through this website, not in an order note, not by ordinary email. WhatsApp, overseas email and overseas cloud services each count as a cross-border transfer of personal information under PRC law and are handled through a defined route with your separate consent.

No form on this site accepts a file attachment. That is deliberate.

What happens to it

Records are collected, ordered and translated into Chinese for the reviewing clinicians. Health information is treated as a special category throughout: separate explicit consent, minimum necessary scope, and sharing limited to the hospitals and clinicians involved in the case.

How long it is kept

• Unprocessed consultation records — 24 months from last contact.
• Case files and medical records — three years from completion, extended while a claim is live.
• Consent records — three years, as compliance evidence.
• Original imaging and pathology — only for the duration of the clinical review or the current visit; the authoritative copy stays with the hospital.

Full detail, including your rights of access, correction, erasure and withdrawal, is in the privacy policy.

This guide covers process and paperwork. It is not medical advice and does not replace a consultation. Medical disclaimer

Sources: FamilyAid privacy policy, sections III, VII and VIII