I have been to healthcare practice both in China and in America, experiencing the same high quality medical service on both sides. To be sure, medical facilities in the US are far better equipped than those in China, though I am not sure if American physicians are as well qualified clinically as those in China. Yet, one striking difference that I have shockingly observed is that of privacy.

In America where HIPPA rules are adhered to everywhere in healthcare field, the accepted practice is one patient, one time and cared by one medical professional. It is a HIPPA violation if a doctor or any medical professional talks about patient’s problem in front of a third person without the permission of the patient. One cannot even leave a message about a lab or CT result on a patient’s answering machine without patient’s permission.

In China, all kinds of HIPPA rules that you can imagine are violated relentlessly with several patients sharing the same clinic room and even the same physician at the same time, even in GYN/OB clinics. At times I feel it rude to have someone interrupting the service when you expect full medical attention.

Do in Rome as the Romans do. The only wise thing to do.