Brigham and Womens Hospital is considering a proposal from real estate billionaire Hui Ka Yan to become the first Harvard-University affiliated hospital to expand to China.

Spokeswoman Erin McDonough said that Brigham and Womens, which trains Harvard Medical School students, is exploring the possibility of collaborating with Huis Evergrande Real Estate Group Ltd. (3333) on a hospital in China. Evergrande said it reached an agreement with the hospital and is seeking a site for the project, according to a company release.

Evergrande announced a donation in December for three academic research centers at Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Harvard, which launched a $6.5 billion fundraising campaign in September. One of the centers, devoted to immunology, would be co-run by researchers at Boston-based Brigham and Womens. The gift is unrelated to the China proposal, McDonough said. Harvard declined to disclose the amount.

U.S. hospitals and medical schools are eyeing China as its economy matures and demand for health care increases, said Joanne Conroy, chief health-care officer for the American Association of Medical Colleges in Washington. Constraints on pricing from payers for hospital services have also pushed some U.S. medical centers to consider expanding abroad, she said.

Brigham and Womens Hospital, which traces its roots to 1832 and cooperates with... Read More

Brigham and Womens Hospital, which traces its roots to 1832 and cooperates with Harvard to train students from the universitys medical school, is reviewing a proposal to establish a hospital with billionaire Hui Ka Yans Evergrande Real Estate Group. Close

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Brigham and Womens Hospital, which traces its roots to 1832 and cooperates with Harvard to train students from the universitys medical school, is reviewing a proposal to establish a hospital with billionaire Hui Ka Yans Evergrande Real Estate Group.

Its not too surprising that people are looking at China, said Conroy, who advised a consultant working with Brigham and Womens on the expansion plan. With an emerging middle class and health-care system, there are opportunities to expand the global brand and offer health care and expertise.

A 2011 survey of 311 medical centers by the American College of Healthcare Executives and the American Hospital Association found that 21 had overseas partnerships. Among 12 willing to give details of the arrangements, two -- Tampa General Hospital in Florida and Hartford Hospital in Connecticut -- had partnerships in China. Both arrangements were formed with existing health-care providers in the country, rather than new hospitals.

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Harvard-Linked Hospital Eyes Expansion With China Billionaire