Three payments, none of them hidden.

The structure

Who you pay	For	When	Refundable?
Boao Access	Assessment: records review, hospital and doctor verification, approval-status check, written options	Before work starts, after the scope is agreed in writing	Credited toward coordination if you proceed within 90 days
Boao Access	Coordination: appointments, interpretation, arrival logistics, document handling	Before the coordination work begins, quoted per case	Partly, per the written scope — stated before you pay
The hospital	Consultations, tests, procedures, medicine, bed, rehabilitation	At the hospital, on the hospital's invoice	Governed by the hospital's own policy

Why the assessment fee is fixed but not listed here

The assessment fee depends on what has to be verified. A checkup package is one hospital call. A CAR-T eligibility question needs a filing reference, a named institution, a protocol status and a written hospital price — several days of work. Publishing one number for both would either overcharge the first or make the second impossible.

So the sequence is:

1. You tell us the question and the country you are travelling from.
2. We reply in writing with the scope, the fee, and what you get for it.
3. You decide. Nothing is charged before that.
4. If the answer turns out to be “Boao cannot help you”, you still receive the written reasoning.

What is never on the invoice

• No hospital commission. We are not paid by hospitals for referrals, and we say so in writing if a hospital asks.
• No mark-up on hospital fees. The hospital's invoice is the hospital's.
• No “deposit” to a personal account. Ever. If anyone asks you to pay a hospital fee to an individual's account, stop and tell us.
• No charge for a clinical trial's investigational product. Trials do not bill patients for the study drug.
• No insurance products. We are not an insurer and do not sell insurance.

Typical cost drivers, by service

Service	What moves the hospital bill most	What moves our fee
Health checkup	Whether endoscopy, contrast imaging or cardiac stress testing is included; single vs couple vs family	Number of hospitals compared; English report and interpretation hours
Dental	Implant system, number of sites, grafting and sinus lift, crown material	Whether a home treatment plan needs review; number of trips coordinated
Second opinion	Single specialist vs MDT panel; imaging volume; molecular testing review	Translation volume; number of specialties involved
Advanced therapy	Product, indication, hospital, length of stay, ICU days if relevant	Depth of approval-status verification; number of institutions screened

Payment mechanics

• Our fees: invoiced in writing, paid by international transfer or card through a business account. We do not accept payment to a personal account.
• Hospital fees: paid at the hospital, in RMB, by the means the hospital accepts. We help you prepare for that; we do not route the money.
• Currency: hospital bills are in RMB. Your bank's rate applies. Budget a margin for card and transfer costs.
• Receipts: keep the itemised hospital invoice and the medical report. They are what insurance reimbursement and tax claims usually require.

Insurance

We do not sell insurance and we are not an insurer. Some international policies reimburse part of treatment abroad; most exclude planned treatment or require pre-authorisation. Ask your insurer before you travel, and ask specifically whether they will pay a hospital in mainland China directly or only reimburse you afterwards. Do not assume a Boao hospital is in-network — most are not.

Common questions

Do I pay the assessment fee before I know if Boao can help?

Yes, and that is deliberate. The assessment is the work: verifying a hospital, a doctor, a filing status and a price takes time whether the answer is yes or no. You get the reasoning either way.

Is the assessment fee credited if I proceed?

Yes — credited toward coordination if you proceed within 90 days. It is not refundable as cash.

Can you get the hospital to discount?

No. We do not negotiate hospital prices on commission, because that creates exactly the incentive structure we are trying to avoid. We get the written price and show it to you.

What if I cancel after paying the coordination fee?

The written scope states what is refundable and what is not, before you pay. Work already performed — appointments held, interpretation booked, documents translated — is not refundable.

Do you charge for a simple question?

If it is a question we can answer from public sources in a couple of minutes, we answer it and do not invoice. The paid assessment starts when verification work does.