How to choose a cardiologist 2026: which specialty, checking specialist registration, public and private fees and waiting, insurance

What does a cardiologist treat?

Cardiology is part of adult internal medicine and deals with diseases of the heart and blood vessels, from prevention and investigation to diagnosis and treatment; the scope of Cardio-thoracic Surgery and Paediatric Cardiology also includes the heart (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). On the Medical Council register, the three are different specialties; for other specialty names, see Chinese–English table of medical specialties.

Which specialty follows up a particular heart condition is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.

How do I check whether a doctor is a cardiology specialist?

On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, choosing ‘Cardiology’ in the Specialist Register opens the list of doctors registered in that specialty; searching by name shows the specialty and the specialist registration number in the specialist registration field of the doctor's record. For the steps, see How to check a doctor's registration and specialty.

A doctor must be on the Specialist Register to hold himself or herself out as a specialist, and can use only the title of the specialty in which he or she is registered (Medical Council, Code of Professional Conduct for the Guidance of Registered Medical Practitioners, section 7, revised October 2022).

For what qualification abbreviations on a name card mean, such as FHKAM (Medicine), see What is FHKAM?.

How do I get a referral to a public cardiology clinic? Can I book a private cardiologist directly?

To book a new appointment at a Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinic, you need a referral letter issued by a locally registered doctor within the last three months; a letter from a private doctor is also accepted. Our analysis: for a private specialist, you can ask the hospital or clinic directly how to book; if you use medical insurance, whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed depends on the policy terms, and you can ask the insurer first.

‘Eligible Persons’ in the table mainly means holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card and children under 11 who are Hong Kong residents; for details, see Public healthcare fee reform 2026.

For each institution's consultation fees, see Private cardiologist fees compared; for the booking steps, see How to book a public specialist outpatient clinic; for a general comparison of the two routes, see Public or private specialist?.

If your condition gets worse while you wait, you can contact the specialist outpatient clinic to ask for an earlier appointment; in an emergency, go to the Accident and Emergency Department.

Roughly how much do heart tests cost?

Of the 13 private hospitals and medical centres this site checked, the 5 that publish a fee charge about HK$550 to HK$740 for a resting electrocardiogram (ECG), and the 13 charge about HK$6,380 to HK$10,650 for a coronary CT scan (HK dollars; fees published on institution websites as checked on 1 October 2026; confirm with the hospital); some hospitals charge a doctor's fee on top.

For each hospital's fees for exercise ECG, 24-hour ECG and echocardiogram, and the set fees for holders of a Hospital Authority referral letter, see Heart test fees compared.

In public hospitals, CT scanning is an Advanced item in non-emergency radiology, at HK$500 per item for Eligible Persons from 1 January 2026 (Hospital Authority Chief Executive, March 2025).

How do I compare hospitals or medical centres?

When comparing, put the same item on the same basis. Private hospitals must have a fee schedule covering all chargeable items, and patients have the right to know the charges before treatment (Department of Health, Code of Practice for Private Hospitals, July 2026).

For each private hospital's fees, see Private hospital fees.

What should I check when using medical insurance for a cardiologist?

Before seeing a private specialist, confirm three things with the insurer: whether the policy covers specialist outpatient visits, whether it is limited to a designated medical network, and whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed; see Using medical insurance for a private specialist.

The Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme covers only individual indemnity hospital insurance; outpatient insurance is outside the Scheme. The Standard Plan covers up to 1 outpatient or emergency consultation before a hospital stay or day surgery, and up to 3 follow-up outpatient visits within 90 days after discharge or day surgery, which must be directly related to the illness or injury requiring the hospital stay or day surgery, at HK$580 per visit and HK$3,000 per policy year (Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme, Standard Plan policy template, July 2022).

Some insurers offer pre-approval (commonly called ‘免找數’): if both the policy and the hospital offer direct billing, you can apply to the insurer before admission and the insurer pays the hospital directly; the approved amount is an estimate, and before discharge you still pay charges not listed in the ‘letter of guarantee’, such as the deductible, co-payment and items outside the cover (Insurance Authority, January 2024); see Medical insurance pre-approval.

What should I ask before booking? What should I bring to the first visit?

Is the doctor listed under Cardiology (S13) on the Medical Council's Specialist Register?

How much are the first consultation and follow-ups? What grade is the doctor?

Does the consultation fee include medicines? What tests might be needed this time, and roughly how much will they cost?

With a Hospital Authority referral letter, is there a set fee for tests?

Is my medical insurance accepted, can the clinic bill the insurer directly, and is a referral letter or pre-approval needed?

If a procedure or admission is needed later, can a budget estimate of the service fees be provided first?

What to bring: a referral letter (if any), previous test reports and a list of the medicines you are taking; see What to prepare before a specialist appointment.

Chest pain or breathlessness: when should I call 999 or go to A&E straight away?

Call 999 straight away, without waiting for an appointment, for: severe chest pain with tightness or a feeling of pressure in the chest; or unconsciousness (Department of Health, First Aid booklet); chest pain that feels like squeezing, or that spreads to the arms, neck or jaw (UK NHS, Heart attack, March 2026). With chest pain, do not drive yourself. Where Hong Kong sources do not list a sign, the UK NHS is used; this site suggests going to A&E now, and calling 999 if you cannot get there yourself or it gets worse, for: severe difficulty breathing (NHS, Heart attack, March 2026).

If you feel it is an emergency for any other reason, call 999 straight away too. The situations in which this site suggests calling 999, with the source for each, are listed in Why do we suggest calling 999?.

If it is not urgent and you are not sure whether you need a cardiologist, you can see a family doctor first; which specialty to be referred to is decided by the attending doctor according to your condition (see the questions below).

Frequently asked questions