Insights · Voices, not press releases

The opinions behind the work.

Curiomed advisors and contributors writing about what we believe — including where we disagree with the industry, where we think the consensus is wrong, and where we've changed our minds.

Insights · live count
74
Pieces published
12
Contributors
9
Active series
2x
Per week
Every piece has a named author and a stated position. If we don't have a view, we don't publish.

Meet the voices.

Doctors, advisors, and operating team. Each writes from their actual specialty — not corporate communications.

LC Medical Content Lead Clinical Lead · Onco 18 pieces · since 2024 KT Oncology Review Advisor Advisor · Japan 14 pieces · since 2024 MW Mei Wang Decision research 11 pieces · since 2024 SP Cardiothoracic Review Advisor Advisor · Cardiac 9 pieces · since 2024 YL Spine & Orthopedics Review Advisor Advisor · Korea 12 pieces · since 2025 RH Founding Team Lead Editor-in-Chief 10 pieces · since 2024
01 / Recent

What we've been arguing about.

Each piece has a position. We won't hedge to keep everyone happy.
Position · No Industry

The "international patient department" is usually marketing, not medicine.

Most hospital international-patient departments report to marketing, not the clinical chief. What this means in practice when you call, write, or visit — and the three signs you are talking to a sales team in scrubs.

LC
Medical Content Lead Clinical Lead
11 MIN · 4D AGO
Position · Yes Practice

Every patient should ask for the complication rate — and they almost never do.

It is the single most predictive question. It is also the one that surgeons are most prepared to answer honestly. Why patients don't ask, why we should change that, and how to phrase the question without sounding accusatory.

KT
Oncology Review Advisor Advisor · Japan
7 MIN · 1W AGO
Position · Depends Cost

Is private oncology in HK really better than subsidized?

The instinctive answer is yes. The actual answer depends on three variables that almost no one weighs honestly: wait sensitivity, complication risk, and the patient's relationship to bureaucracy. A working framework.

MW
Mei Wang Decision research
9 MIN · 1W AGO
Position · No Industry

"VIP packages" almost never improve clinical outcomes.

A nicer room, faster admission, an English-speaking concierge. These are real services and they have a cost. They do not change the surgeon's hands or the protocol's effectiveness. Where the line actually is — and where it gets blurred on purpose.

SP
Cardiothoracic Review Advisor Advisor · Cardiac
8 MIN · 2W AGO
02 / Series

Ongoing themes.

01 Series · Weekly

Notes from clinic.

Short reflections after particularly instructive consults. Always anonymized, sometimes uncomfortable, frequently the most-read posts of the month.

22 entries · since 2024 Browse series
02 Series · Monthly

What we got wrong.

Recommendations we'd revise with hindsight. Industries we underestimated. Destinations we overrated. Patient categories we mis-served. Public corrections, on the record.

8 entries · since 2024 Browse series
03 Series · Quarterly

Cross-border in 2026.

Industry shifts we are tracking — regulation, pricing, institutional changes. Read this before any major decision; the landscape has moved in ways your group chat hasn't caught up to.

4 entries · since 2025 Browse series
03 / Conversations · clinical perspectives

Clinical questions broken into discussable frames, before a hospital call.

PT
Breast Oncology Review Advisor De-identified Q&A sample · Authorization pending
What should a Stage II HR+ breast cancer patient clarify before a cross-border consultation?
Confirm treatment goals, pathology, and molecular testing first, then compare wait time, cost, and follow-up conditions by destination.
32 MIN READ FEB 2026
HN
Cardiothoracic Review Advisor De-identified Q&A sample · Authorization pending
How should a patient read a second opinion that contradicts the first?
Look at which facts each opinion used, which limits each one noted, and what must be verified before choosing a direction.
28 MIN READ JAN 2026
AK
Health Systems Review Advisor De-identified Q&A sample · Authorization pending
What does cross-border medicine mean for patients in 2026?
It can expand choice for informed patients with clear budgets and follow-up plans; it can also amplify cost and complication risk.
41 MIN READ JAN 2026

All insights.

21 MAR 2026
The "international patient department" is usually marketing, not medicine.
LCDr. L. Chan
Position · No
17 MAR 2026
Every patient should ask for the complication rate — and almost never does.
ONOncology Review Advisor
Position · Yes
13 MAR 2026
Is private oncology in HK really better than subsidized? It depends on three variables.
MWM. Wang
Position · Depends
08 MAR 2026
"VIP packages" almost never improve clinical outcomes.
HTCardiothoracic Review Advisor
Position · No
04 MAR 2026
Korea's spine surgery boom: great or overstated?
YLY. Lim
Position · Depends
28 FEB 2026
The Mainland CN private oncology landscape is changing faster than its reputation.
RHDr. R. Ho
Position · Yes
22 FEB 2026
Notes from clinic · the case that changed how I write up second opinions.
LCDr. L. Chan
Series · Notes
Browse the full archive (74 pieces)

One insight, one position, one month.

A monthly digest of our most-argued-about pieces. No marketing. If the month was quiet, the email is short.