Visiting Peking University People’s Hospital (PKUPH)

Treatment at Hospital 306 didn’t go smoothly, so I switched to PKUPH. The care is stronger overall, but the process still has its pain points. Here are my notes.

What to Bring

• Social security card — only required the first time to activate the hospital’s e-insurance; not needed afterward
• Phone — for booking appointments and paying bills

Full Visit Flow

1. WeChat 114 registration — note that it’s the service account, not the mini program
   • Each doctor has different clinic hours. I recommend sticking with the same doctor to avoid repeating your case history, even if it’s in the records. The doctor I like is on duty Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so I only book those days.
   • New appointments are released at 8:00 a.m.
2. Scan the QR code at the entrance to fill out the pandemic screening form.
3. Use the self-service kiosk on the left side of the entrance to print your visit slip. Paying with the phone—Alipay + e-insurance—works well.
4. Head to the outpatient building for your consultation. Dermatology is on the 4th floor; scan the code to check in and wait to be called.
5. After the visit, pay for medications at any self-service kiosk on the 4th floor or elsewhere.
6. Pick up your meds on the 1st or 4th floor, depending on what was prescribed.
7. I need paper invoices for commercial insurance reimbursement, and the hospital doesn’t issue e-invoices, so I have to queue at the staffed payment window to print them. Sometimes you have to remind the doctor to include the registration fee on that invoice.

Friction Points

1. Some ticketing kiosks at the entrance are out of order with no signage. If something seems off, flag down a staff member instead of wasting time troubleshooting it yourself.
2. The medication pickup line for dermatology shares the same queue as in-clinic treatments, so it can crawl. Just ask the outpatient doctor to arrange for someone to fetch the meds. It takes minutes versus an hour of waiting.
3. Medical records don’t sync across hospitals. Exams done at Hospital A may not be recognized at Hospital B, which wastes both time and money. Stick with one hospital for the same condition if you can.

Summary

1. Compared with the dermatology department at Hospital 306, PKUPH feels more professional, so I’ve been doing all related treatments here lately.
2. Hospital visits reveal plenty of inefficiencies. Use every trick you can to save your own time.