For common illnesses, patients should first visit community clinics; referrals then proceed stepwise to larger hospitals, after which the hospital deductible is calculated only once.

Start by going to a community clinic, which will then refer you to a larger hospital for inpatient care. The amount you pay out-of-pocket at the start is counted only once. If you go directly to a tertiary hospital for admission and later return to a community clinic for recovery, you might have to pay that amount twice. However, if a larger hospital refers you back to a community clinic for continued treatment, the deductible is not recalculated for the same condition during that period.

No expense is required. You must first make a trip to a community clinic. The hard part is resisting the urge to book an appointment with a specialist right away.

Insured patients who follow this stepwise referral process can have their hospital deductible accumulated across multiple facilities. The deductible represents the portion of each hospitalization you must pay personally before insurance coverage kicks in. Accumulation means that the total paid at both the community clinic and the larger hospital counts as a single deductible amount, so you do not have to pay it again. For patients transferred from a larger hospital back to a community clinic, no additional deductible is applied for the same illness during that timeframe.

The deductible is the amount you pay out-of-pocket per hospitalization before insurance begins to reimburse costs. If you go directly to a tertiary hospital for admission and later return to a community clinic for recovery, you may end up paying this amount twice. Following the proper referral pathway ensures it is calculated only once. Specific referral rules are determined individually by each province, city, and medical consortium. Be sure to ask your community clinic about these rules before seeking care.

国务院办公厅 (2026). 关于加快建设分级诊疗体系的若干措施. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/202604/content_7065031.htm：「统筹地区内经基层医疗卫生机构逐级转诊的参保患者，在上级医院的住院起付线可连续计算；由上级医院下转至基层医疗卫生机构的住院患者，同一疾病周期内不再另设住院起付线。」；四川省医疗保障局 (2025). 关于省第十四届人大第四次会议第14041026号建议办理答复的函. https://ylbzj.sc.gov.cn/scsybj/nc010414/2025/3/19/fea6f0a5f8ba416abf7ed17541afdc7a.shtml：「仪陇县人民医院起付线是800元，仪陇县中医院起付线是600元，仪陇县中医院转仪陇县人民医院起付线只需要补200元差额即可。」