Joint Replacement Cost in China

Quick Summary

The joint-replacement overview cites third-party medical-information sites estimating self-pay knee replacement at ¥90,000–160,000 ($12,000–22,000) at a top hospital's international department, including an imported implant. These are not official hospital quotes — sources are OrientHealthLink and MedoraChina. A verified total requires a written hospital estimate for your specific case. The breakdown below shows which line items to ask about.

Cost Breakdown

Ask the hospital to mark each line as included, excluded or conditional. Do not add component rows to a quoted total until you know whether an implant or room charge is already included.

Item	Who charges	Public price for the hospitals in our directory	Source and limit
Knee-replacement episode at Beijing Jishuitan	Hospital	Third-party estimate: ¥100,000–160,000 (imported implant, VIP ward). Not a hospital quote	OrientHealthLink
Knee-replacement episode at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital	Hospital	Third-party estimate: ¥90,000–140,000 ($12,000–18,000). Not a hospital quote	MedoraChina
Implant brand and model	Hospital	Not publicly available — ask whether the implant is included in the package	A patient-specific written estimate is required.
Robot-assisted option, if proposed	Hospital	Not publicly available — ask whether it changes the bill	Availability and billing need hospital confirmation.
Private or international room	Hospital	Not publicly available — request the applicable daily rate	Ask which room class the estimate includes.
Pre-operative tests, anesthesia, medicines and rehabilitation	Hospital or provider	Not publicly available — ask the hospital for a written estimate	The available sources do not establish a complete itemized tariff.

The choice of implant and optional technology may change the bill. Ask for the proposed implant brand and model, whether it is within the package, and whether a robot option is clinically proposed and separately billed. The hospital, rather than Medvoyal, makes those clinical and billing decisions.

International Department vs General Clinic

An international department may include a different appointment route, interpretation, room category and coordinator support. It may set a separate price schedule. The China hospital costs guide shows why a general-clinic consultation price cannot be used as a surgery quote. Ask Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital which route can accept an international patient and which fees apply; a profile is not an endorsement or evidence of a current price.

What Is Not Included

Unless the written estimate names them, budget separately for interpretation or translated records, accommodation, local transport, travel, visa application, companion expenses and follow-up care after returning home. Each has a different seller and refund policy. Ask whether physiotherapy, extra inpatient days, revision of the treatment plan and postoperative imaging are included or separately charged.

How to Get a Written Estimate

Contact the hospital's international department with your intended dates and a brief description of the service you are asking about. Ask for an itemized, dated estimate that states the hospital, campus, surgeon or department, access route, implant, anesthesia, room class, expected stay, rehabilitation and any optional technology. Ask what could change the total, the deposit amount, payment currency, cancellation terms and when the final bill is settled. See how to read a China hospital cost estimate.

Do not send records through the website or email. A coordinator can explain the consent-based secure handoff if the hospital needs imaging to prepare the estimate.

Insurance and Payment

Ask your insurer for written pre-authorization and whether the specific hospital and access route qualify for direct billing or reimbursement. Ask the hospital whether it accepts your insurer and which documents it will issue. Our international insurance guide explains the limits. If self-paying, confirm deposit, accepted cards and refund method in advance; see paying a Chinese hospital without a Chinese bank account.