Medically reviewed by Jane Xi, MD, CMDA
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
JCI operated in China until 2023. Then it stopped. The trust signal most expats relied on when selecting a hospital for a health checkup no longer applies to most facilities — and most of the online content pointing to JCI-accredited hospitals in China hasn't been updated to reflect this.
This guide is not a re-explanation of why JCI left. The anchor post in this series covers that in detail. What this post does is go deeper on the selection question specifically: what the accreditation framework actually looks like now, and a concrete 7-point checklist you can apply to any facility before booking.
Key takeaways
- JCI exited China in 2023; most accreditations from that period have lapsed
- Grade 3A, held by fewer than 5% of China's 38,355 hospitals, is the primary quality floor now (NHC, 2023)
- China's Grade 3A assessment system received ISQua certification in February 2022, scoring 97% — ISQua is the same body that evaluates JCI (HAConvention 2023 / SHARC)
- CIHA certification and Grade 3A are separate credentials — don't assume one implies the other
- The 7-point checklist in this guide goes beyond accreditation to cover what Grade 3A doesn't measure: language capability, report clarity, and responsiveness
Medical disclaimer: This guide provides general information about hospital accreditation and facility selection in China. It is not medical advice. Goji Health Care is a coordination intermediary, not a clinical provider. Nothing in this post should be taken as a recommendation to seek or avoid any specific medical examination.
Why the old accreditation playbook no longer works
At its peak in December 2022, 46 Chinese healthcare organisations held JCI accreditation, making China the 5th-largest country cohort globally and representing 5% of all JCI-accredited organisations worldwide (Frontiers in Public Health, PMC10642254, 2023). That was a meaningful number. It also wasn't representative of the broader hospital landscape — most of China's top-tier facilities never pursued JCI at all.
The instinct to search for "JCI-accredited hospitals in China" is understandable. JCI is the name most Western expats recognise. But relying on it as a selection filter now produces a list that is mostly outdated or empty. The accreditations that existed before 2023 have either lapsed or are in an ambiguous status. For practical facility selection purposes, JCI is no longer the relevant framework in China.
What replaced it — and what most English-language health tourism content hasn't caught up to — is a domestic accreditation pathway that carries equivalency with JCI through the same international umbrella body. That's the framework worth understanding.
Understanding China's hospital tier system (the Grade 3A benchmark)
Of China's 38,355 registered hospitals, only 1,795 — 4.7% — hold Grade 3A status (NHC Statistical Bulletin 2023). That's the figure worth anchoring to. Grade 3A is not a participation badge handed to any facility that applies. It's the top designation in a three-tier national classification system, and the requirements to reach it are specific.
The tier structure works like this. Grade 1 facilities are community-level hospitals, typically under 100 beds. Grade 2 sits in the middle — regional hospitals with broader capability. Grade 3 is reserved for large facilities with advanced technical capability across multiple specialisms, set at 500 beds minimum as a baseline requirement. Within Grade 3, facilities are subdivided into A, B, and C ratings based on performance assessment scores.
Grade 3A requires a score of 900 or above out of 1,000 points on the national assessment. That assessment is administered by government inspection teams — not self-reported. It covers clinical quality systems, infection control, medication safety, staff qualifications, patient safety protocols, and continuous improvement processes. Facilities that fall below threshold lose the designation. That multi-year review cycle is what gives Grade 3A its credibility as a floor credential.
What Grade 3A does not cover matters just as much. The certification says nothing about patient experience. It doesn't assess whether English-language services exist. It doesn't evaluate whether reports are legible to an international visitor, or whether there's any infrastructure for follow-up questions in a language you speak. Those gaps are real, and they're why Grade 3A is the floor of the selection process — not the ceiling.
Citation capsule: China's 38,355 registered hospitals include only 1,795 facilities (4.7%) holding Grade 3A status — the country's highest clinical designation, requiring 500+ beds and a score of 900+ out of 1,000 points on a government-administered national assessment reviewed on multi-year cycles (NHC Statistical Bulletin, 2023).
The ISQua connection: why Grade 3A now meets international standards
China's International Hospital Accreditation Standards — formally referred to as CIHA, developed under the SHARC-IHQAS framework — received ISQua certification in February 2022, scoring 97% on the independent assessment (HAConvention 2023 / SHARC abstract). ISQua (the International Society for Quality in Health Care) is the same umbrella body that evaluates JCI itself. In other words, the organisation that certified JCI's standards as internationally valid has now done the same for China's domestic system.
This is the equivalency argument most people don't know. JCI and CIHA are not the same standard — but they are both ISQua-certified. That puts them in the same credibility tier for international comparison purposes, which is why the JCI exit from China is less consequential than it first appears, provided the domestic framework is understood and applied correctly.
The first 13 CIHA-certified pilot hospitals were confirmed in March 2023, spanning facilities in Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai (CAIVD / SHARC, 2023). The pilot cohort is small. It will grow over time, but right now CIHA certification is a bonus signal — something worth asking about, not a standard you should expect every Grade 3A facility to hold.
Here's the distinction that matters most: legacy Grade 3A has existed since 1989. CIHA is the ISQua-mapped upgrade layer introduced in 2021. A hospital can hold Grade 3A without holding CIHA certification. These are separate credentials with a partial overlap. When you ask a facility whether it's accredited to international standards, ask specifically about CIHA, not just Grade 3A.
Most expat content treats Grade 3A and international accreditation as if they're interchangeable. They're not. CIHA is a newer, more specific layer on top of Grade 3A. It's the detail that separates informed evaluation from pattern-matching on accreditation names.
Citation capsule: China's CIHA 2021 Version (SHARC-IHQAS) received ISQua certification in February 2022, scoring 97% on the independent assessment — placing it in the same credibility tier as JCI, which is also ISQua-certified. The first 13 CIHA pilot hospitals were certified in March 2023 (HAConvention 2023 / SHARC; CAIVD / SHARC, 2023).
The 7-point checklist for evaluating any hospital
97.2% of medical tourists rate trust as the most important factor in choosing a provider. 63.3% say accreditation directly influenced their choice (Medical Tourism Association / IHRC Patient Survey, 2024). The problem is that most people stop at accreditation name recognition and don't dig into what the credential actually covers — or what it doesn't.
This checklist is designed to fill that gap. Apply it to any facility you're considering, whether you're booking independently or working with a coordinator.
1. Grade 3A status
Grade 3A is the minimum clinical floor for a health screening at a public facility in China. Verify it via the NHC registry, or ask the facility directly for their NHC registration number and classification tier. If a facility can't provide this promptly and clearly, that's information. Don't book at anything below this designation for a comprehensive health checkup.
2. CIHA certification
CIHA is the ISQua-mapped upgrade layer on top of Grade 3A, held by a small pilot cohort as of 2023. It's worth asking about specifically. A facility that holds CIHA certification has been assessed against the same international umbrella standards as JCI. Don't expect every Grade 3A facility to have it — but don't skip the question either.
3. A dedicated international department
Look for a named guoji zhenliao bu (international medical department) with an English-language booking line. Don't assume it exists because a facility has an English version of its website. 850 institutions across 57 Chinese cities now provide some level of international medical services (Chinese Hospital Association via China Daily HK, 2024/2025), but "international services" is a broad term that can mean anything from a part-time translator to a fully staffed department with dedicated coordinators. Ask what the department actually consists of.
4. English report delivery
Get a specific written commitment before booking. "We can arrange translation" is not the same as "we deliver a bilingual certified report within 48 hours." In a cross-sectional study at Shanghai Renji Hospital's international outpatient department, language services ranked as the highest-demand, lowest-satisfaction category for foreign patients (PMC11130770, 2024). This is not a minor inconvenience — a health checkup report you can't read is only marginally more useful than no report at all. Confirm the format, the language, and the turnaround before you commit.
5. Direct insurance billing
If you carry international health insurance, confirm the facility appears on your insurer's direct-billing network before you arrive. Grade 3A status does not imply insurance eligibility. Some insurers cover specific public Grade 3A facilities; many have stronger direct-billing relationships with private international facilities. A quick call to your insurer before booking eliminates the friction of paying upfront and reclaiming afterward.
6. Specialty match
Grade 3A is a facility-level designation, not a procedure-level one. A Grade 3A oncology centre and a Grade 3A general hospital are clinically different institutions. If you're booking a cardiovascular screening, confirm the facility has a ranked cardiology department. If you're booking a cancer screening package, confirm the facility's oncology and radiology capability specifically. The accreditation tells you about overall clinical floor — it doesn't guarantee the right department for your specific needs.
7. Responsiveness test
Before booking, send one inquiry email in English. Ask something specific — the turnaround time on bilingual reports, for example, or what the booking process looks like for an international visitor. Response speed and English quality are predictive. A facility that takes a week to reply in minimal English is giving you a preview of what happens when you have a follow-up question about your results at 6pm on a Thursday. What you're looking for isn't just speed — it's whether the response demonstrates that someone on the other end actually understood your question.
Goji Health Care applies all seven of these criteria when assessing partner facilities. Not every facility in the network holds every credential — CIHA certification in particular is still a small pilot cohort — but each has been assessed against this framework before being added. If you'd rather not run this process yourself, speak to a coordinator about which partner facilities are assessed and available for your city and dates.
City-by-city snapshot: where the options cluster
1.28 million international patients were treated at major Chinese hospitals in 2025, up 73.6% compared to three years prior (NHC / Sixth Tone, 2025). That growth is unevenly distributed. Grade 3A facilities and CIHA-pilot hospitals are heavily concentrated in Tier 1 cities. If you're selecting a city partly on the basis of facility quality, the geography matters.
Shenzhen is a CIHA pilot city and the most relevant destination for the Hong Kong cross-border segment. HK private healthcare costs are among the highest in Asia. Residents crossing into Shenzhen specifically for a health checkup are a high-intent, underserved group — and the city's proximity makes it a practical day-trip option rather than a trip in itself.
Shanghai has the deepest pool of vetted options. The city recorded more than 300,000 international medical service visits in the first half of 2024 alone. The concentration of established international departments with English-capable staff is strongest here relative to the other cities in Goji's network.
Wuhan, Chengdu, and Chongqing have fewer vetted options for international visitors. English capability varies more widely at facilities in these cities, and international patient departments are generally less developed simply because there's less competition for international patients. That makes the checklist more important here, not less. Don't assume that a Grade 3A facility in Chengdu has the same international infrastructure as a Grade 3A facility in Shanghai.
The language and navigation reality check
Even at accredited facilities, structural barriers exist outside the international department. Peer-reviewed data from Shanghai Renji Hospital's international outpatient department found that language services and institutional certification were the two highest-demand, lowest-satisfaction categories for foreign patients — in a study where overall satisfaction averaged 4.50 out of 5.00 (PMC11130770, 2024). The facility performed well overall. These two specific categories underperformed relative to patient demand.
This matches what we've seen directly. A Grade 3A certificate tells you about clinical capability, assessed against a national standard. It says nothing about what happens when you need to ask a follow-up question about your results in English at 6pm on the day of your appointment. Those two things are genuinely separate.
The practical implication is this. Confirm English report availability before you book, not after. If you're not fluent in medical Chinese, factor in how you'll handle result interpretation before you arrive — not when you're holding a report full of flagged values with no context. A coordinator is most useful at precisely this point: not for the appointment itself, but for everything that happens between receiving the report and knowing what to do about it.
This isn't a pitch for using a coordinator. It's an honest description of where the friction actually sits. If you're confident in your ability to handle medical Chinese, or if you have a bilingual contact who can assist, direct booking is entirely viable. The gap to plan for is specific and predictable.
Red flags that override a good accreditation score
Accreditation is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one. These warning signs should make you reconsider a facility regardless of what credential it holds.
- No English-language booking process, or very slow response to an English inquiry. If the facility can't handle the booking conversation in English, that's a preview of what happens post-appointment.
- No clear pricing before arrival. If they can't tell you what your health checkup costs before you show up, that's information about how they handle international patients — not a billing technicality.
- No named doctor or department for your specific procedure. "Grade 3A" without a named department head or specialty designation for your specific tests is not enough for a complex screening.
- Grade 3A status recently obtained with no track record serving international patients. A facility can be newly classified and entirely unprepared for the navigation needs of a foreign visitor. Ask how many international patients they see annually.
- Accreditation certificate with no visible review date or an expired date. Grade 3A status is reviewed on multi-year cycles. An expired certificate that hasn't been renewed is a specific red flag.
- The health checkup centre operates in a separate, lower-grade affiliated clinic. Some large Grade 3A hospitals run their health checkup centres through affiliated outpatient clinics that are not themselves Grade 3A classified. Confirm that the facility where your tests will actually happen holds the accreditation — not just the parent institution's name.
How to book without starting from scratch
The checklist above is thorough. It's also time-consuming to apply to a facility you've never interacted with, in a language you may not speak, from outside the country. Most expats don't have that kind of research time before a trip.
Goji Health Care works with a curated set of partner facilities that have been assessed against all seven criteria. Not every facility in the network holds every credential — CIHA certification in particular is still a small pilot cohort — but each has been assessed directly before being included. Partner facilities span Goji's five operating cities: Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chengdu, Shanghai, and Chongqing.
Three things worth knowing before you decide how to proceed:
- Goji is a coordination intermediary. The clinical services are delivered by partner facilities. Goji coordinates the booking, manages communication with the facility, and ensures bilingual report delivery.
- Goji does not name specific partner facilities before booking. Facility assignment happens post-booking based on availability, location, and your profile.
- If you prefer to book independently, the 7-point checklist in this guide gives you a framework that applies to any facility you're considering.
Browse health checkup packages: healthgoji.com/pages/health-packages
Speak to a coordinator: healthgoji.com/pages/contact
Frequently asked questions
What replaced JCI accreditation in China?
China's own International Hospital Accreditation Standards (CIHA), developed by SHARC under the Chinese Hospital Association, received ISQua certification in February 2022, scoring 97% on the independent assessment. Grade 3A remains the primary quality signal. CIHA is a bonus layer on top, held by a small pilot cohort of facilities as of 2023. (HAConvention 2023 / SHARC)
How do I verify a hospital's Grade 3A status?
The National Health Commission publishes a searchable registry of classified hospitals. You can also ask the facility directly for their NHC registration number and classification. Any facility that can't provide this information promptly should not be on your shortlist. If you're using a coordinator, ask them to confirm classification status directly with the facility before booking.
Are private international hospitals different from Grade 3A public hospitals?
Yes. Private international facilities often have stronger English-language services and faster appointment processes. Many do not hold Grade 3A, which is a government classification for large public facilities. The trade-off is between navigational ease at the private facility and the clinical depth of a large public Grade 3A hospital. The right choice depends on what you're having done. (PMC11130770, 2024)
Does my health insurance work at Grade 3A hospitals in China?
This depends on your insurer's direct-billing network, not on Grade 3A status. Some international health insurers cover specific Grade 3A public facilities. Most have stronger coverage at private international facilities. Always confirm direct-billing eligibility with your insurer before booking — paying upfront and claiming back is avoidable friction that a single call eliminates.
Is health screening at a Grade 3A hospital covered by CIHA accreditation?
Only if the specific facility holds CIHA certification. Grade 3A and CIHA are separate credentials. Grade 3A has been in operation since 1989 and covers clinical capability broadly. CIHA is the ISQua-mapped upgrade layer, with the first 13 pilot hospitals certified in March 2023. A Grade 3A hospital does not automatically hold CIHA certification. Ask specifically. (CAIVD / SHARC, 2023)
Three things to take from this guide
- The accreditation framework that matters now is Grade 3A (the clinical floor) and CIHA (the ISQua-certified upgrade layer). JCI is no longer the relevant signal for most facilities in China.
- Grade 3A and CIHA are separate credentials. Don't assume one implies the other. Ask specifically about each.
- Accreditation tells you about clinical capability. It says nothing about English-language service, report clarity, or responsiveness — which is why the 7-point checklist goes beyond the badge.
If a finding in your health checkup results ever needs follow-up explanation in English, the facility's accreditation status won't help you. What matters at that point is whether the facility has the infrastructure to handle that conversation, and whether you planned for it before you booked.
Sources:
- NHC Statistical Bulletin 2023 — 38,355 hospitals total; 1,795 Grade 3A — english.www.gov.cn
- HAConvention 2023 / SHARC abstract — 97% ISQua assessment score, February 2022
- Frontiers in Public Health (PMC10642254) — 46 JCI hospitals at peak, 5th globally, 2023
- Chinese Hospital Association via China Daily HK — 850 institutions in 57 cities providing international medical services, 2024/2025
- PMC11130770 — Shanghai Renji Hospital international outpatient study, 2024
- NHC / Sixth Tone — 1.28 million international patients, +73.6% vs three years prior, 2025
- Medical Tourism Association / IHRC Patient Survey 2024 — 97.2% trust factor; 63.3% accreditation influence
- CAIVD / SHARC — First 13 CIHA pilot hospitals certified, March 2023
- The Lancet Public Health — 431 million health screenings in China in 2020