Curiomed Knowledge · 800+ structured pages

Reading worth your time.

Not weekly think-pieces. A structured library of decision frames, country comparisons, cost & process explainers, and misconception take-downs — organized by what kind of help you actually need.

Most read this month

The four questions you should answer before talking to any hospital.

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Layer 01

Decision frames.

The mental models that hold up across cases. Read once, use forever.

28 pieces All decision frames →
Foundational

The four questions you should answer before talking to any hospital.

Outcome target, real budget, decision structure, trust signal. Write them down before any consult — the conversation changes completely.

12 MIN UPDATED 3D AGO 1.2K SAVED
Method

How to read a second opinion when two doctors disagree.

The honest framework for weighing contradictory recommendations — including the surprisingly useful information that "both are reasonable" can give you.

6 MIN UPDATED 5D AGO 820 SAVED
Method

The three numbers every patient should ask their surgeon.

Volume per year, complication rate, and average time per consult. None of them are on the marketing page. All of them are askable in plain English.

8 MIN UPDATED 1W AGO 654 SAVED
Foundational

When cross-border is the wrong move — and how to tell.

A page we write because we'd rather you not become a customer than become an unhappy one. The five situations where staying home is genuinely the smarter call.

9 MIN UPDATED 2W AGO 1.5K SAVED
Layer 02

Country & destination compare.

Honest comparisons across destinations. Where each is genuinely strong — and where it isn't.

42 pieces All comparisons →
Hong Kong vs Singapore for oncology, 2026: what actually changed.
SG widened its trial lead. HK doubled down on private-track speed. What this means for a typical Stage II patient.
9 MIN · UPDATED THIS WEEK
Japan or Taiwan for cell therapy: regulatory reality vs marketing.
Both market heavily. Only one has a PMDA-approved framework that survives scrutiny. The other has interesting exceptions.
11 MIN · UPDATED 2W AGO
Thailand vs mainland China for dental: the cost math nobody runs.
Per-unit price is the headline. Travel, complications, and follow-up are the actual budget. Worked through with a real $14K case.
7 MIN · UPDATED 1W AGO
Where to do a whole-body MRI if you live in mainland China.
Three destinations within 5 flight hours. Different protocols, different turnaround, different reading quality. Direct cost-and-quality comparison.
8 MIN · UPDATED 4D AGO
Living-donor liver: Japan vs Singapore protocols compared.
Donor compatibility, immunosuppression standards, and post-op care. The two top programs in Asia, side by side.
14 MIN · UPDATED 3W AGO
Layer 03

Costs & process.

The numbers, timelines, and logistics — explained with their hidden parts surfaced.

36 pieces All explainers →
22% Of cross-border
budgets are under-estimated

"Cheaper abroad" is usually wrong. Here's the real cost math.

7 MIN · 2,140 READS THIS MONTH
$52K Typical Stage II
breast cancer · SG

Where the money actually goes in cross-border breast cancer.

9 MIN · 1,820 READS THIS MONTH
16w Typical oncology
timeline · door to door

A realistic timeline for cross-border cancer treatment.

8 MIN · 1,420 READS THIS MONTH
7 Things insurance
likely won't cover

Cross-border insurance: what's actually covered, by region.

11 MIN · 1,108 READS THIS MONTH
3 days Median time to get
a real cost estimate

How to get an itemized cost estimate from any hospital.

5 MIN · 980 READS THIS MONTH
25% Buffer to plan for
even in best case

The budget buffer rule and why every patient breaks it.

6 MIN · 760 READS THIS MONTH
Layer 04

Common misconceptions.

What people believe coming in — and what the evidence actually says. One myth per page.

19 pieces All myths →
01
If I go abroad, the chemo will be better.
For most common breast cancer regimens, the drugs and protocols are essentially identical in HK, SG, JP, KR, and major mainland centers. What differs is supportive care, not medicine.
5 MIN READ
02
More expensive city means more advanced surgery.
For early-stage cases, surgical volume per surgeon matters more than the city's brand. A 200-case-per-year specialist in Taipei beats a 40-case-per-year specialist anywhere.
4 MIN READ
03
Stem cell therapy in Mexico costs less, so it's worth trying.
Most offerings in this category are not what they claim to be. We've reviewed 40+ clinics. We recommend zero of them. Here's the full breakdown of why.
11 MIN READ
04
My insurance will cover most of it once I'm abroad.
Most cross-border insurance plans cover far less than patients think. The exclusions list is usually longer than the inclusions. Read this before assuming.
9 MIN READ
05
A top private hospital must mean top doctors.
The hospital's reputation is the building. The surgeon you actually need may or may not be the one assigned to you by default. Volume by individual matters more than amenity.
6 MIN READ
★ What advisors actually send

The 5 pages we send most often.

Hand-curated weekly. If a patient writes in with a vague question, these are the pages we send before scheduling any call. They answer 80% of what people actually want to know.

01.
Decision frames
The four questions you should answer before talking to any hospital.
If you only read one thing on this site, read this. It's the prerequisite for every other conversation.
LC Picked by Curiomed Editorial Desk
02.
Decision frames
When cross-border is the wrong move — and how to tell.
I send this to roughly half the people who ask us about going abroad. Saves them money and us time.
KT Picked by Oncology Review Advisor
03.
Cost & process
"Cheaper abroad" is usually wrong. Here's the real cost math.
The article that has prevented the most bad decisions in the last 6 months. Worth re-reading mid-process.
MW Picked by M. Wang
04.
Misconceptions
Stem cell therapy in Mexico costs less, so it's worth trying.
If a patient mentions stem cell therapy in the first email, this is the page I send before we talk.
LC Picked by Curiomed Editorial Desk
05.
Country compare
Hong Kong vs Singapore for oncology, 2026.
For HK/mainland patients comparing the two obvious options. Most current view of how each is actually changing.
KT Picked by Oncology Review Advisor

One useful thing about cross-border medicine, every Friday.

No marketing emails. No "what we're working on" updates. One curated link, with a short note from one of our advisors explaining why we picked it. Skip a week without consequence.