How to choose a geriatrician 2026: what Geriatric Medicine deals with, checking specialist registration, public and private fees and waiting, insurance
To choose a geriatrician, first check that the doctor is on the Medical Council's Specialist Register under Geriatric Medicine (code S18), then choose public or private by referral rules, waiting time and fees. Geriatric Medicine is a specialty of internal medicine that deals with acute and chronic medical problems in older people and attends to their social, therapeutic and rehabilitation needs (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). Book a Doctor's Geriatric Medicine list is in English-name order, not of preference (this page is compiled by this site).
What does a geriatrician treat?
Geriatric Medicine is a specialty of internal medicine that deals with acute and chronic medical problems in older people and attends to their social, therapeutic and rehabilitation needs; it comes under the Hong Kong College of Physicians (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025); the specialty's name on the Medical Council register is Geriatric Medicine (S18); for its English name, see Geriatric Medicine: English name and code.
Which doctor follows up a particular health problem in an older person, and whether to refer, is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.
How do I check whether a doctor is a Geriatric Medicine specialist?
On the Medical Council of Hong Kong website, choosing ‘Geriatric Medicine’ (S18) 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, section 7, October 2022).
For what qualification abbreviations on a name card mean, see What is FHKAM?.
How do I get a referral to a public geriatric clinic? Can I book a private geriatrician 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 what a consultation fee quote generally includes, see Private specialist fees overview; 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.
| Item | Public (Hospital Authority specialist outpatient clinic) | Private (hospitals, medical centres and clinics) |
|---|---|---|
| How to start | 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 | As arranged by the hospital or clinic |
| Triage | New cases are usually first assessed by a nurse and then reviewed by a specialist, and classified as urgent, semi-urgent or stable; the Hospital Authority's target is to keep the median waiting time for urgent and semi-urgent new cases within two weeks and eight weeks respectively | As arranged by the clinic |
| Consultation fee | HK$250 per attendance for Eligible Persons, the same for first and follow-up visits (from 1 January 2026) | Ask the hospital or clinic; for what a consultation fee quote generally includes, see Private specialist fees overview |
| Medicines and tests | HK$20 per drug item, charged in units of 4 weeks (self-financed drugs excluded); some laboratory tests and non-emergency radiology examinations are charged separately | Medicines are generally charged separately, tests and investigations are charged by item, and some hospitals charge a facility fee |
| Cost protection | An annual charge cap of HK$10,000 (excluding inpatient charges in special wards and self-financed drugs and devices), by application, with no means test; those in financial difficulty can apply for a medical fee waiver | Depends on your medical insurance cover |
How long is the wait for public geriatric medicine?
The waiting times the Hospital Authority regularly publishes do not list Geriatric Medicine separately; for reference, from October 2025 to September 2026 the median waiting time for stable new cases in Hospital Authority Medicine ranged from 28 to 61 weeks (about 6 to 14 months) across the seven hospital clusters (by former boundaries), and the data's next update is due on 29 January 2027. For the figures by cluster, see Public waiting time for Medicine (for reference).
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 to compare | How to put it on the same basis |
|---|---|
| Consultation fee | Whether the published fee is for a first visit, a follow-up or a fee cap; whether it is listed by doctor grade or consultation session; what is published is generally only the doctor's consultation fee |
| Test fees | Whether it is an outpatient or inpatient (standard room) price; whether the doctor's fee and report fee are included; whether there is a set fee for holders of a Hospital Authority referral letter |
| Other charges | Whether there is a facility fee; how medicines are charged |
| Budget estimate | Before a non-emergency procedure or admission, you can ask for a budget estimate of the service fees; the Department of Health has set out 30 common non-emergency treatments and procedures for which private hospitals can provide a budget estimate before admission |
| Insurance | Whether the hospital can bill the insurer directly; whether a referral letter or pre-approval is needed |
What should I check when using medical insurance for a geriatrician?
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 Geriatric Medicine (S18) 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?
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.
Health problems in older people: when should I call 999 or go to A&E straight away?
If you feel it is an emergency, call 999 straight away. 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 geriatrician, 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
Who is a good geriatrician?
What you can check yourself: whether the doctor is listed under Geriatric Medicine on the Medical Council's Specialist Register, whether to go public or private, how much it costs, and the questions to ask before booking. To find a doctor in Geriatric Medicine by district, use Book a Doctor's Geriatric Medicine list (30, as of 25 October 2026), each doctor page showing the register check date, in order of English name, not of preference. Book a Doctor does not publish patient reviews, because it is hard to verify whether an online reviewer actually saw the doctor; instead it lists what you can check yourself, such as register entries, qualifications and practice arrangements, with their sources and dates.
What is the difference between Geriatric Medicine and Internal Medicine?
Both come under the Hong Kong College of Physicians: Geriatric Medicine focuses on acute and chronic medical problems and rehabilitation in older people; Internal Medicine (S12) deals with general medical conditions involving several organs (Hong Kong Academy of Medicine, Specialty Descriptions, April 2025). The two are different specialties on the Medical Council register.
Not sure whether I need a geriatrician: can I see a family doctor first?
Primary healthcare is the first point of contact for individuals and families in a continuing healthcare process, and family doctors are the main healthcare professionals providing primary healthcare; the Primary Healthcare Blueprint's directions include improving the arrangements for family doctors to refer patients to specialists and hospitals (Health Bureau, December 2022). For choosing a family doctor, see How to choose a family doctor.