Taiwan Medical Tests Guide: Lab Work, Imaging, Health Checkups, and Your Reports

Doctor-Ordered Tests: How It Works

1. 醫師開單: your doctor orders tests during the visit (blood work, urine test, X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, endoscopy…).
2. 批價/預約: pay any copayment at the billing counter; some imaging needs a scheduled appointment (often days to weeks out for MRI).
3. 檢查: go to the lab or imaging department. Bring your NHI card and the order slip.
4. 回診看報告: return to the doctor — usually at a follow-up visit — to discuss results. Some results also appear in the NHI app (see below).

Preparation matters: blood tests often require 8–12 hours of fasting (空腹); abdominal ultrasounds need a full bladder; MRIs require removing all metal; some contrast exams need allergy screening. The order slip or nurse will spell out the prep — follow it, or the test may need repeating.

What Tests Cost Under NHI

Medically necessary tests ordered by a doctor are NHI-covered. You pay a copayment based on a percentage of the test cost:

• With a referral: 10% of test costs — capped at NT$200 at medical centers, NT$150 at regional hospitals.
• Without a referral: 20% — capped at NT$400 at medical centers, NT$300 at regional hospitals.

This is another reason referrals save money: the same MRI costs you far less in copayment with a referral slip.

Health Checkups (健檢): Mostly Self-Pay

Routine preventive checkups are not covered by NHI (with narrow exceptions like the free adult preventive health service for certain age groups — check eligibility with your local health bureau). Options:

• Hospital health-check centers: full packages from basic (blood work, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound) to premium (whole-body MRI, endoscopy, low-dose CT). Prices range widely — basic packages start around NT$5,000–10,000, premium ones can exceed NT$50,000.
• Clinic-based checkups: simpler and cheaper.
• Employer checkups: many companies offer annual checkups as a benefit — ask HR.

If a checkup finds something abnormal, the follow-up diagnostic workup ordered by a doctor is NHI-covered.

Check Your Reports on the NHI App (健保快易通)

The official 健保快易通 (NHI Express App) lets you:

• View recent lab and imaging reports from participating institutions.
• See your medical visit records and medication history.
• Check NHI premium payments and download certificates.
• Book COVID/flu vaccinations and view vaccination records.

Register with your NHI card plus mobile-phone verification. It's the fastest way to track your own health data without waiting for the next appointment.

Common Tests and What They're For

A quick decoder for the tests doctors order most often:

• CBC (血液常規檢查): red/white blood cells, platelets — screens for anemia, infection, and blood disorders. The baseline of almost every workup.
• Fasting glucose & HbA1c (空腹血糖/糖化血色素): diabetes screening and monitoring. Fasting required for the glucose draw.
• Lipid panel (血脂肪): cholesterol and triglycerides — cardiovascular risk. Fasting 8–12 hours.
• Liver & kidney function (肝腎功能): ALT/AST, creatinine — how your organs are handling medications and disease.
• Chest X-ray (胸部X光): quick look at lungs and heart — routine, takes minutes.
• Abdominal ultrasound (腹部超音波): liver, gallbladder, kidneys, pancreas — painless, needs a full bladder for some views.
• ECG (心電圖): heart rhythm check — stickers on chest, done in minutes.
• Endoscopy (胃鏡/大腸鏡): direct look inside — usually scheduled separately, may involve sedation and bowel prep for colonoscopy.

You don't need to memorize these — but knowing roughly what each test looks at makes the doctor's explanation much easier to follow, and helps you ask better questions.

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