MORE Health

Through MORE Health, patients are able to obtain bilingual medical records first, followed by an alternative co-diagnosis from both US and Chinese doctors, and finally a recommended treatment plan from top physicians on the experts’ team in the US.

“Our services are not just for the deep-pocketed,’’ said Jiang. Our global co-diagnosis is priced for middle-, upper-middle, and affluent-class Chinese who are suffering from life-threatening and chronic medical conditions,” said Lewis.

The startup currently handles 20 to 30 cases from China each month and expects business will boom as they step up marketing efforts in China.

The quality of care offered by medical tourism companies can be as variable as the quality of care available in the US, Xiaodong noted, adding that a US physician is only required to be minimally competent under the law.

Gang said he is very careful when referring patients to the US for further treatment.

“Any responsible doctor needs to prioritize the well-being of his patient among other factors,” he said, adding that he would examine the background of the US partners, including the agency specializing in medical tourism and American doctors and hospitals.

Meanwhile, “patients themselves need to set reasonable expectations from their medical tourism trip,” said Lv. “There is no such thing as a ‘guaranteed cure’.”

On the surge in medical tourism and increasing number of agencies, Lewis cautioned consumers to question the qualifications of a medical team proposed by an agency, and an agency’s professionalism. “For example, can they prepare impeccable business documents in English?”

A practicing attorney specializing in international corporate law, Lewis said specialty practices of MORE Health physicians include oncology, neurology, cardiology and pediatrics.

For MD Anderson Cancer Center, it now has a webpage in Chinese and has put Chinese-speaking personnel on staff, directing patients in each step of their hospital visit or stay from making an appointment to paying the bill.

“I’m so grateful to my mother’s American medical team,” said Diana Liu. “The treatment is so effective. I can’t believe I still have my mom.”

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com