If you spend time in China for work, a comprehensive health screening is one of the most efficient things you can fit into a trip. The facilities are modern, the turnaround is fast, and a full work-up that might take weeks of separate appointments at home is often completed in a single morning. The catch is logistics: most screening centres operate primarily in Chinese, slots fill up, and the report you walk away with is usually a thick Chinese document. This guide covers what a premium screening actually includes, how to slot it into a business schedule, how to think about scope, and how Cathay Health coordinates the English-language side so the results are usable when you get home.
What an executive health screening includes
A “health screening” (体检, tijian) in China ranges from a basic employment check to a deep, multi-system work-up. An executive-level package sits at the comprehensive end. While the exact menu depends on the facility and the scope you choose, a thorough screening commonly includes:
- Physical measures — height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, waist circumference, vision, and hearing
- Blood panels — complete blood count, lipid profile (cholesterol and triglycerides), fasting glucose, and often HbA1c
- Urine analysis
- Liver and kidney function tests
- Thyroid function panel
- Cardiac assessment — resting ECG, sometimes with an echocardiogram or treadmill stress test in fuller packages
- Ultrasound — typically abdominal (liver, gallbladder, pancreas, kidneys, spleen) and, where relevant, thyroid, breast, or pelvic
- Imaging — chest X-ray as standard; some packages or risk profiles add low-dose CT, MRI, or coronary calcium scoring
- Cancer and tumour markers — blood-based markers, the relevant set depending on age, sex, and history
- Optional endoscopy — gastroscopy and colonoscopy, usually as add-ons rather than part of a standard package
Specialist consultations — for example with a cardiologist, gynaecologist, or ophthalmologist — are often bundled into higher tiers or added on request.
Typical inclusions by package level
The table below shows how scope usually scales across tiers. Treat it as a general map, not a fixed menu — facilities label and bundle things differently.
| Component | Standard | Comprehensive | Executive / Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical measures & vitals | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Blood & urine panels | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Liver / kidney function | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lipids & glucose (incl. HbA1c) | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Thyroid function | Sometimes | Yes | Yes |
| Resting ECG | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Echocardiogram / stress ECG | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Abdominal ultrasound | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Additional ultrasound (thyroid, breast, pelvic) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Chest X-ray | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced imaging (CT / MRI / calcium score) | No | Optional | Often included |
| Cancer / tumour markers | Limited | Expanded | Comprehensive |
| Endoscopy / colonoscopy | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on |
| Specialist consultations | No | Some | Yes |
| Private suite & dedicated coordinator | No | Sometimes | Yes |
We don’t publish fixed prices here, because the final cost depends entirely on the scope you choose and the partner facility. We quote per case once the package is set, so you see the real number before anything is booked.
Fitting it into a business trip
The right format depends on how much time you have and how deep you want to go.
Half-day. A focused screening — bloods, urine, ECG, ultrasound, chest X-ray, and core markers — can usually be completed in a single fasting morning. You’re done by lunch and can keep the afternoon for meetings. This works well for a regular annual check or a first baseline.
Full day. Adding a stress ECG, broader imaging, more specialist consultations, or extended marker panels pushes the work-up into a longer morning with some afternoon follow-up. Expect to keep the day clear.
Multi-day. If you want endoscopy or colonoscopy, plan for more time. These require dietary preparation beforehand, sedation on the day, and recovery afterwards — you should not schedule meetings or sign documents for the rest of that day, and you’ll need someone to accompany you home. Spreading a deep work-up across two days also makes results review less rushed.
Tip: book your screening for the first morning of your trip, before jet lag, restaurant dinners, and back-to-back days skew your numbers. A clean overnight fast and a decent night’s sleep produce far more reliable bloodwork than a screening squeezed in at the end of a hectic week.
Choosing the right scope
More tests are not automatically better. The most useful screening is risk-based — matched to your age, sex, personal and family history, and any current symptoms. A 35-year-old with no family history has different priorities than a 55-year-old with a history of high blood pressure.
The sensible approach is to discuss scope with a doctor before booking rather than picking the longest menu. A clinician can help you weigh which additions are worth doing now, which can wait, and where over-testing risks incidental findings that lead to anxiety and unnecessary follow-up. We’re not in a position to tell you which tests you personally need — that’s a conversation for a physician who can see your history — but we can make sure that conversation happens before the package is locked in.
If you already have records from previous check-ups, bring them. Continuity matters: a single number in isolation says less than a trend over several years. Our guide on taking your medical records and imaging home from China covers how to get your results in a form your own doctor can use.
Pre-booking confirmations
Before your appointment is confirmed, it’s worth getting these points in writing:
- The exact components in your chosen package, including any consultations
- Whether fasting is required and for how long
- Preparation instructions for any endoscopy, colonoscopy, or specialised imaging
- The facility location and your arrival time
- How and when you’ll receive results, and in what language
- The all-in quoted cost for the scope you selected
Sorting these out in advance avoids the two most common day-of problems: arriving without having fasted, and discovering a test you wanted isn’t in the booked package.
Planning your screening trip: a checklist
- Decide your trip format — half-day, full day, or multi-day
- Discuss scope with a doctor and confirm which tests to include
- Book the first morning of your trip where possible
- Confirm fasting and any preparation instructions in writing
- Gather previous health records to bring for comparison
- Confirm the all-in quote before the appointment
- Arrange a translator or English-language coordinator
- Plan recovery time and a companion if endoscopy is included
- Confirm how and when you’ll receive the report
What to bring on the day
- Passport for identity verification at registration
- Insurance details if you intend to claim
- Previous medical records and prior screening reports, ideally translated
- A list of current medications and supplements, and known allergies
- Comfortable clothing — you’ll change in and out for several tests
- Glasses or contacts if you wear them, for the vision check
If you’ve been told to fast, that usually means no food and only water for the hours specified beforehand. Confirm whether you should take or hold your regular medications on the morning of the test — this is a question for the doctor, not a default.
Reading the report
A standard Chinese screening report lists every measured value alongside a reference range, flags anything outside that range, and usually ends with a summary of findings and general recommendations. Two things to keep in mind:
- A flagged value is not a diagnosis. Many out-of-range results are mild, transient, or explained by something simple. They indicate where a clinician should look more closely, not a confirmed problem.
- Reference ranges and abbreviations vary between Chinese and Western labs, which is exactly where a translated, explained version earns its keep.
The goal of the report is to give you and your own doctor a clear, comparable baseline. We translate and organise it so it reads cleanly for a physician at home.
Records to collect before you leave
Reports in China are issued in Chinese by default, and it is far easier to collect everything in person than to chase it after you’ve flown out. Before you leave, make sure you have:
- The full screening report with all numerical results
- Imaging files (ultrasound, X-ray, CT, MRI) on disc or digital copy, plus the written reports
- Endoscopy / colonoscopy reports and any biopsy results, if applicable
- Any specialist consultation notes
- Itemised invoices and fapiao if you plan to claim on insurance
- English translations of the diagnosis and key documents
Collecting imaging files specifically matters — your doctor at home may want the raw scans, not just the summary, and they can be hard to retrieve remotely.
How we coordinate English-language service
This is where a concierge earns its place. Cathay Health handles the parts that are hard to manage from abroad or without Chinese:
- Scope planning — connecting you with a doctor to agree the right package before booking
- Booking and scheduling around your trip, with confirmed timings
- An English-speaking coordinator with you on the day, from registration through each station
- Clear written confirmations of inclusions, preparation, and the all-in quote
- Translation and organisation of the full report and imaging into a claim- and doctor-ready format
- Help collecting every record, invoice, and imaging file before you leave
You can see the full service and current partner facilities on our health checkup page, and city-specific details — including the centres we work with — on our Shanghai health checkup page.
FAQ
How long does an executive health screening take?
A focused screening is often completed in a single fasting morning. A fuller work-up with stress testing, advanced imaging, or multiple consultations can take most of a day. Endoscopy or colonoscopy needs preparation beforehand and recovery afterwards, so plan for more time and don’t schedule anything important for the rest of that day.
Do I need to fast?
Most screenings that include bloodwork and abdominal ultrasound require fasting beforehand. The exact window is set by the facility, so confirm it in writing when you book. Whether to take your regular medications on the morning of the test is a question for the doctor, not a fixed rule.
Can I get the results in English?
Reports are issued in Chinese by default. We translate and organise the full report, including imaging summaries, into a format your own doctor can read and that insurers will accept. Collecting and translating everything in person, before you leave, is far easier than retrieving it remotely.
How do I know which tests I need?
Screening scope should be risk-based — matched to your age, sex, and personal and family history. The best approach is to discuss it with a doctor before booking rather than choosing the longest menu. We arrange that conversation so your package is set sensibly before anything is confirmed.
What does it cost?
Final pricing depends on the scope you choose and the partner facility, so we quote per case rather than publishing fixed prices. You’ll see the full all-in number for your chosen package before anything is booked.
Should I bring my previous records?
Yes. A single result in isolation says less than a trend over time, so prior screening reports and medical records help with comparison. Bring them translated if you can, and our about page explains how we work with your existing records and home physician.