This is the most common question we get, and the honest answer is that the two products are less similar than the marketing suggests.
The Standard Checkup
Costs between $70 and $400. Covers basic labs, chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasound, ECG, and a brief physician review. It is efficient, fast-moving, and — outside the international department — conducted almost entirely in Mandarin.
Best for young, low-risk patients who want baseline reference values.
The Executive Physical
Runs from $800 to $3,500. Adds low-dose CT, echocardiogram, often full-body MRI, expanded tumor markers, coronary calcium scoring, and specialist consultations with real face time. Coordinated scheduling eliminates waiting.
Best for executives, high-net-worth patients, anyone over 50, and anyone who wants maximum diagnostic depth in one visit.
The Imaging Difference Matters Most
A full-body MRI alone costs $2,500 to $4,000 in the US. In Shanghai, the same scan is often bundled into a full executive physical for less than that total. If your goal is structural screening — actual pictures of your organs and vessels — Chinese hospitals deliver this faster and at lower cost than most Western private clinics.
How Long Each Takes
Standard: 3 to 4 hours. Executive core screening: 4 to 6 hours. If either includes endoscopy, add a second day for sedation and bowel preparation.
The Follow-Up Question
Neither tier solves what happens after you fly home. The executive tier gives you better raw data, but you still need to coordinate follow-up with your home physician. Ask for a written referral and the DICOM imaging data either way.
Decision Criteria
Choose the standard tier if you are optimizing for cost and have no risk factors. Choose the executive tier if you are optimizing for depth, imaging coverage, and speed of specialist access. Neither choice is wrong — they are answering different questions.