Children's Hospital Los Angeles, one of the top five children's hospitals in the U.S., is seeking strategic partnerships with hospitals and Insurance companies in China to attract more Chinese medical tourists, and to provide them with advanced health care.

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The children's hospital treated its first Chinese patient from mainland China 10 years ago, and with the expansion of the middle class in China, the hospital has since been receiving an increase in Chinese patients traveling abroad seeking more advanced medical treatment.

"It was not a common practice for Chinese patients back then, as the cost of medical treatment was beyond the capacity of most of them," said Richard D. Cordova, president of Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

The hospital treated 44 patients from mainland China between 2011 and 2013, with 18 patients traveling abroad to be treated in 2014. While that may not seem like much, according to Cordova, the amount of Chinese patients account for about 20 percent of all overseas patients the hospital received.

The hospital expects the number of Chinese patients to increase by as much as 20 percent next year, as Cordova seeks to form alliances with multiple hospitals in China. Cordova wants Chinese hospitals to recommend certain patients to receive treatment from his hospital overseas.

"We are looking for strategic partnerships that will ensure our future, while revising care models to help patients maintain their health more efficiently," said Cordova.

In addition, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is also seeking alliances with local Chinese insurance companies such as People's Insurance Company of China, and Ping An Insurance.  

The hospital has already implemented a translation team consisting of 25 translators capable of speaking 42 languages including Chinese in an effort to break cultural and language barriers. A new Chinese-language website is also in the works for the hospital.

"We need to make sure the patients are comfortable while seeing doctors in a foreign land, together with the finest medical facilities and services," said Cordova.

TagsChildren's Hospital Los Angeles, health care, Chinese medical tourists, hospitals, Mainland China