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An article in The Asia Times titled “US reforms may boost medical tourism” analyzes the affect of the recently passed healthcare reform bill are analyzed from the perspective of the medical tourism industry. From that analysis it looks as though the short-term affects may be a bane, as Americans begin to line up for healthcare paid for by tax dollars. From the march 30th article Muhammad Cohen writes:
HONG KONG – The long-awaited United States healthcare reform package became law last week. Asian hospitals treating American medical travelers will have to wait longer to see whether the bill will have a significant impact on their businesses, but US insurers will feel the reforms’ impact more quickly, and that could lead them to look more closely at international options.
“Greater coverage for more Americans presumably would mean fewer Americans would need to travel abroad for care,” Bangkok Hospital international marketing manager, Judy Mitchell, said.
The only problem with this is that real benefits don’t kick in until 2014. So those with medical needs that aren’t able to take advantage of the sweeping legislation will still seek the care they need. With top-quality, low-cost care available around the world, the industry may be just fine for a while.
The medical tourism industry should be looking at the long-term. If a former Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Holtz-Eakin is correct, the new legislation increases the US federal budget deficit by half a trillion. From the New York Times on March 20th, 2010, Holtz-Eakin writes:
“In reality, if you strip out all the gimmicks and budgetary games and rework the calculus, a wholly different picture emerges: The health care reform legislation would raise, not lower, federal deficits, by $562 billion.”
If this is true, then they are going to have to lower the amount of payout to service providers and increase taxes on business and individuals to make up for the shortfall. With those decreases in payouts will come shortages of healthcare workers. The only option left to those in need of actual doctors will be medical tourism.
Let’s say Holtz-Eakin is wrong and the legislation actually saves money over the next decade. That $138 billion pales in comparison to the deficits that the CBO is projecting today for each of the next 10 years totaling $9.7 Trillion.
From a common sense economics point of view this will be a long-term boon for the medical tourism industry around the world.
You’re probably thinking, “That’s the last thing I would want do in Cancun.” I don’t blame you, but people have been traveling to Mexico for quite some time to get teeth filled, capped bridged, and veneered. It’s nothing new.
Walk the beaches, visit Chichén Itzá and go home with a brand new smile.
That’s what one man did last week. A few years back he had gotten up in the middle of the night, slipped and smashed his teeth on the bathroom counter top. It makes me cringe just thinking of it. He was lucky that he didn’t loose any teeth, but the fall left them chipped and crooked. Even his local dentist in Rhode Island said he was amazed that his teeth had managed to survive the fall.
 Thumbs up for Dentistry in Cancun A few years later he found Patient’s Without Borders. He was tired of hiding his messed up smile, so he contacted them and they set up a trip to Cancun, Mexico. He left on February 22, and two day’s later he was in the dentist’s chair preparing for a beautiful new smile. The dentist prepared his teeth for veneers, created a temporary fixture and sent on his way to experience Cancun. He spent the next five days traveling around, seeing the sites. Chichén Itzá, the beach, a little golf, and by the end of the week his dentist installed a permanent new smile. No more being embarrassed with a broken smile! The Patient’s Without Borders client, said:
“I was really amazed by the fact that I didn’t feel a thing, Not even a wince! The dentist was so nice and he took me out to dinner as I traveled the day before my 67th birthday. I was greeted with baloons and a nice bottle of wine. My teeth are fixed, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. I saved about $8,000.00 of what it would have cost in the US and had a great vaction to boot, all thanks to Patient’s Without Borders.”
A week in Cancun is an awesome place to spend a vacation. If you’ve got a smile you aren’t happy with, or if you just need a cleaning, why not kill two birds with one stone and save a little cash while you’re at it.
Healthy Traveling!
Medical Travel, for most, is a relatively new idea. On a percentage basis, the number of people seeking healthcare outside the United States is fairly small. A vast majority of treatments and procedures are still done in-country. It’s your body, and traveling for medical treatment is a choice that every individual should make for themselves. The world is really coming of age in the healthcare industry, and the amount of information you need to make an informed decision about your health, globally speaking, is staggering.
That brings me to the topic of this post: choosing a Medical Tourism Advocate. You’ll want to know first if medical travel is even practical or advisable . That is a decision you should make based on the recommendations of your doctor. Other factors may include cost, and availability of the treatment you need. As you probably already know, if you’ve looked in to Medical Tourism at all, costs are anywhere from 1/2 to 1/3, and in some cases 1/10, of the costs for the same procedures here in the US. In many cases that will include travel and lodging costs for you and a companion. On the availability side of the equation there are some treatments which are not available in the US, such as stem cell therapy. If you are at the end of your treatment rope at home, you aren’t limited by the border lines of your home country.
Once your and your doctor have talked it over and you’ve, at the very least, decided you’re going to look into Medical Tourism, where are you going to get reliable information? That’s where a Medical Tourism Advocate comes in. These companies have spent many years developing relationships with the best people and top-notch doctors that work in the most advanced hospitals around the world. They’ve sifted through a mountainous amount of information to discover who does what type of treatment the best. Apart form the fact that they can arrange all of the travel and see to that you get the best doctor for your particular need, good Medical Tourism Advocates will ensure that you have the continuity of care you deserve.
How will you know the Medical Travel Advocate (or facilitator, as they are more commonly known) is reliable? Here are some guidelines.
A reputable advocate should:
- Work only with Joint Commission International accredited hospitals. In the case of stem cells, services are provided in clinics but a good advocacy will have pre-screened potential service providers to assure reputability.
- Provide a list of services providers and the destinations in which they operate
- Have a list of prescreened accommodations that will meet your pre and post operative needs and assure they are met.
- Create a communication plan for you and your loved ones and your attending physician and your service providers abroad. This should include a prepaid cellular phone that is able to call back to your home country.
- Provide a list of payment options that suit your needs
- Negotiate with your insurance company at your request to see if your insurance provider will waive deductibles and co-pays due to the savings they will experience.*
- Provide for translation services if needed
- Provide you with a list of people who have used their service so you can talk with them.
- Assist with leisure plans for touring if you so desire
This is a short list, but these few basic guidelines are essential to choosing the right Medical Travel Advocacy Company. Your comfort is the most important part of any experience in the world of healthcare. Going under the knife can be a worrisome and fearful experience. You’ll want to make sure that you feel comfortable with the people and services you decide to accept. If you aren’t, get a second or even third opinion. After all, it’s your health we’re talking about.
Medical Tourism has emerged as a fantastic alternative to high healthcare costs and wait times. Many countries around the world have decided that it makes economic sense to invest in the growth of the medical travel industry. Recent reports from South Korea, India, Costa Rica and Malaysia signal that, not only is this a growth industry, but that the West has priced itself out of the market in some respects. Not everyone is going to jump on a plane for dental or eye exams, but as costs rise this may be the next major out-flux from countries with high prices. People from the US have been traveling for dental care to places like Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, and even as far as the Philippines for these relatively lower cost procedures for quite some time. But it isn’t necessarily lower costs that is going to get people to choose Panama over the dentist next door.
 Paradise Island (Borocay), Philipines. Clean teeth, clean heart and mind. Recently a friend of mine returned from the Philippines where he and his wife had dental work, including a cleaning, and eye exams. After the dentist, optometrist and re-wedding, he spent another couple of weeks on Baracay Island. He said the trip was just what the doctor ordered. He is a firm believer in the three week vacation. He said it allows him to forget about everything for a while, but the main benefit is clearing out all the stuff that tends to get built up in his head. He said he returned with a much more focused and clearer vision of work and where he wanted to take his many business ideas and concerns.
I look back on the vacations I’ve taken, short though they may have been, and I really value what those times away from it all did for my mind and soul. There were times at the end of the trip where I just wanted to get back so I could take care of business I had lined up before I left. And of course there were times when I didn’t want to go back. The idea that I could have that ever-annoying teeth cleaning and eye exam with a vacation tacked on the end seems like a good way to go, especially since those medical type procedures would cost less than an extra night’s stay.
More invasive procedures can weigh heavily on one’s mind. Spending time on a beach in some of the most beautiful places our little blue marble has to offer might be a good way to clear the cob webs and relax afterwards. It’s been proven that a positive mental attitude is one of the keys to recovery. Who could argue that two weeks in paradise being waited on hand and foot wouldn’t do anyone a world of good. You’re sure to return with a little more spring in your step, or at least a brighter smile.
I don’t know about you, but the term facilitator has really bothered me since I first heard it a year ago. When someone says they’ve used a facilitator it brings to mind images of someone moving inventory from one place to another or that capsule you stick your bank deposits in at the drive-through. “Here you go. We’re going to wrap you in your medical records and stick you in this tube and send you on your way.” Now that’s easy. It’s really difficult for me to think of humans seeking healthcare as inventory or a jettisoned capsule.
Facilitator comes from the latin root “facilis” meaning easy. But world health travelers don’t want just easy. Certainly, having surgery isn’t going to be easy for you. Going to Costa Rica for dentistry or Korea for a discectomy, I would want someone to be my voice in the fine details. Notice the root of “advocate.” It’s “vocare” meaning to call to ones aid, which is derived from a more basic root “vox,” or “voc” meaning voice. An advocate will make all the arrangements for the trip and the procedure as well as be your principle agent when dealing with the insurance company, and search for the best doctor for your particular health need. An advocate would be there to answer your questions, and help my medical travel companion find something to do other than sit in the waiting room and worry.
Advocates ensure that there is “continuity of care.” This is probably the most important part of going beyond borders for treatment. Contact between your surgeons and your home doctor is essential from initial decision through to any physical therapy and recovery. An advocate will not just hand your records off, but be a conduit through which information between doctors and hospitals can communicate. An advocate will give 100%, where as a facilitator may not be so inclined to give you that extra special treatment and service you deserve.
I really prefer the term Medical Travel Advocate. Who would you rather have on your side, a facilitator or an advocate? So far the only company I’ve found that uses Medical Travel Advocates is Patients Without Borders. The distinction is small, but the difference is huge.
Stem cells are being used to treat some really horrible health conditions. You’ve probably heard the debate over the use of embryonic stem cells, but that seems to be a bit of a distraction. Information that sidesteps the ethical arguments and focuses on the efficacy of treatments in real life seems to be lacking due to the love of controversy in traditional media. Stem cell therapy for medical tourists seems to be expanding at a quickening pace. So, what are stem cells, what are they used for, who’s using them, and do they work? I hope to provide some answers.
Stem cells are amazing little critters. What sets them apart from regular cells, like those in your liver or big toe, is that they don’t have any specialized characteristics, and can be grown through cellular division outside the body for long periods of time. They do this naturally inside the body, but with a little coaxing they can do it in the laboratory as well. The most interesting part is that they are employed as the repair crew for the many different kinds of specialized cells. Without stem cells we wouldn’t be here because these cells create all the specialty cells that make up the rest of our bodies in the first few days after conception. 3 to 5 days after sperm meets egg these cells start to build every organ in the body. Stems cells were derived from the embryos of mice in 1981 and then in 1998, a method for deriving stem cells from human embryos in the lab was discovered and used for research into human reproduction. Embryonic stem cells do not come from eggs fertilized in a woman’s body, but from eggs that have been removed from a woman and fertilized with sperm for use in in-vitro fertilization. Fertilized eggs that aren’t used for in-vitro fertilization were donated for stem cell research with, of course, informed consent of the donors. 2006 brought another discovery. Continue reading Stem Cells and Medical Tourism
More people are looking for healthcare alternatives. Even in the so-called “down economy” relief can still be found by traveling for medical care. International healthcare over the last 15 years has come a long way. The idea that medical care outside the United States is not as good is ridiculous. Why limit your choices based on an outdated premise when the new paradigm in healthcare has a lot to offer? There are a host of other countries with American trained doctors performing state-of-the-art procedures in hospitals that are cleaner and, in many cases more technologically advanced. Surely you could overcome your fear of flying if it meant you were going to get excellent care and save thousands of dollars.
I can tell you this and you might believe it’s true. But let me share with you some statistics from the a few of the hospitals around the world that are doing fantastic work.
In South Korea, Wooridul Hospitals performs many different types of surgery. With 40 peer reviewed articles in various health related journals Wooridul is making a name for itself. According to their 2008 annual report, they treated 1017 patients from 56 different foreign countries with a majority coming from the United States (318). The total number of spinal surgeries for the year is an astounding 22,964. They also performed another 57,531 non surgical treatments which include the use of the 4th generation of Cyberknife.
The first JCI accredited hospital in Turkey, Acibadem International caters to patients in many areas of health care including oncology, neurosurgery, in-vitro fertilization, thoracic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, general surgery and many others. Acıbadem operates with over 8.000 employees of which 1,580 are physicians, in 9 General Hospitals, 8 medical centers, 1 laboratory and genetic diagnostic center.
Hospital Clinica Biblica, located in San Jose, Costa Rica, is a short flight (3-6 hours from the US) away. With a knee replacement package of under $12,000.00 it may make sense to look to this tropical paradise. Costa Rica offers so much more on the tourism side as well. It is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet; 1500 species of butterfly alone. But the hospital has 200 skilled physicians offering a wide variety of services, including lap band surgery that costs approximately $7,100 as apposed to the $25,000 you might pay in the US.
Your medical options might seem limited when faced with putting your financial health at risk in the US. Health care abroad is providing another option. If you’d like more information, contact our sponsor. Patients Without Borders can answer any questions and help you make an informed decision.
All that jogging you did in the 70’s, and the aerobics you did in the 80’s may have put you on the path to joint replacement. You aren’t the only one who put your miniscus through hell, or ground out that hip joint like a mortar and pestle. According to an article posted on Articlebase and Hooted by anna_brachold (hat tip) the market is gearing up for the aging US population.
The expected outlay for hip replacement and knee replacement is expected to grow by nearly 12% per year. In 2008, hips and knees were generating a market size of 6.7 billion dollars. That’s going to more than double by 2015 to $14.7 billion. That’s a lot of joints!
Unfortunately the entire report is too pricey for this blogger ($3,500US), however if you are in the knee and hip biz, and have the means, I highly recommend it. It will give you insight into trends in the market as well as many other useful tidbits. Stuff like treatment flow analysis, and where the restraints of the market are likely to slow its growth.
One aspect of the market I didn’t see in the table of contents was the impact medical tourism will have on market growth here in the US. Judging by the investments being made in Asia in healthcare and their plans to grab a share of the American patient market at significantly lower costs it won’t be long before Americans are flocking to India, South Korea, China, Malaysia and Turkey to trade for newer models.
Another aspect to consider in this is the early adoption of treatment by a younger set of patients. It seems to reason that the younger you are the less money you have, so traveling to get a hip resurface at one tenth to one third the cost of the US makes economic sense. Plus a trip to the Great Wall, or Istanbul is a great way to break in the new hardware (if your doctor says that’s okay, of course).
It’a good to know there are people looking out for you. Deloitte LLC recently published the 2009 Medical Tourism Update. You can find the entire report here.
This report lists the Medical Tourism Association’s guidelines for those considering travel abroad for medical treatment.
They are:
- Medical care outside the US should be voluntary.
- Financial incentives to go outside the US for care should not inappropriately limit diagnostic and theraputic alternatives, or restrict treatment referral options.
- Financial incentives should be used only for care at institutions accredited by recognized international accrediting bodies
- Local follow-up care should be coordinated and financing arranged to ensure continuity of care.
- Coverage for travel outside the US for care must include the costs of follow-up care upon return.
- Patients should be informed of rights and legal recourse before traveling outside the US for care.
- Patients should have access to physician licensing and outcomes data, as well as facility accreditation and outcomes data.
- Transfer of patients’ medical records should be consistant with HIPAA guidelines.
- Patients should be provided with information about the potential risks of combining surgical procedures with long flights and vacation activities.
If your medical facilitator ensures that standards on each of these points is high, then you have chosen a good facilitator. But there is much more to this equation.
Surgery and health treatment are serious matters. After all, it’s your life we’re talking about. That’s why it is so important to have someone you trust helping you through the process. Of course this begs the question: How do you know who to trust?
The answer can sometimes be difficult. Consider the following:
- Ask a lot of questions - You may not know all the right questions to ask. That is why it is important to ask many. If you don’t understand something your doctor of facilitator is telling you, keep asking questions until you do. This is your life, your body, and your money, so being able to make informed decisions will help ensure a favorable outcome.
- For information, go straight to the source – It is very important that you check out information related to the facility you’ll go to, and the doctor who will be handling your case. Pretend you are a private eye and that no one is trustworthy. Look for corroborating evidence from other independent parties (like JCI or The Medical Tourism Association). Your best move is to be proactive in your own care.
- Find others who have traveled for treatment – Connecting with people today is very easy. With all of the social networking sites available, you should be able to make contact with others who have traveled for surgery or other treatment. Thousands every year travel for a myriad of health care needs. Don’t just rely on the referrals given to you by your facilitator, find your own sources of information.
- The Human Touch – Most of us make decisions about people very shortly after we meet them. What does your gut tell you? If you are planning to travel halfway around the world to have surgery, your instincts should never be discounted, so trust yourself. If you don’t feel your “sixth sense” about people is very strong, invite someone you trust as a good judge of character to meet your facilitator with you.
- Always compare what is said with what is done – If your facilitator says they are going to do something and it doesn’t get done to your satisfaction, or if it was done in a way that doesn’t line up with what they said they were going to do, find another facilitator.
Here are some sources of information to get you started:
Medical Tourism Association
Joint Commission International
Medical Travel City
International Medical Travel Journal
You can also order a book called “Patients Beyond Borders.” It is a comprehensive look at at the basics of medical tourism.
 6 million Americans will travel abroad for health care in 201o. As most you know the cost medical treatment has been steadily increasing. Statistics show that the costs nationwide have topped $2.2 trillion in 2007, and once the numbers for 2008 come in, that will increase to $2.4 trillion. The National Health Expenditure Projection for 2008 to 2018 is expected to rise by of 6.2% per year. Prescription drugs, new medical technologies, longer life spans, an ever aging population, as well as administrative costs are among the largest contributers to rising costs.
But there is an alternative…
Right now, around the world highly skilled doctors in pristine, high-tech hospitals are performing the same procedures that are done in the US at 1/10 to 1/3 the cost. And that includes travel for you and a companion, hospital stays, recovery and lodging.
Health insurers and patients are starting to catch on. In a September 30th, 2008 article in the Wall Street Journal, M.P. McQueen said the number of Americans seeking treatment overseas is growing. Deloitte estimates in 2007 approximatley 750,000 Americans went abroad for in- and out-patient procedures, including dental and cosmetic. Deloitte’s latest projection shows that in 2010 that number could exceed 6 million (Update).
What kinds of procedures are people traveling for? Eeverything you can think of, as long as it isn’t an emergency. At Asan Medical Center in South Korea, doctors are performing some of the most innovaive and amazing procedure. Dr. Joon-Pio Hong was recently cited for his accomplishments in reconstructive surgery through the use of an advanced form of micro-surgery for nerve and capillary damage on an accident victim’s leg. Last summer at the Korean Health Industy Development Institute’s (KHIDI) symposium at the Hilton Hotel in New York City one doctor said they were doing partial non-relative liver transplants with a 96.5% success rate. In one surgery the doctors at Asan took liver tissue from two donors and created a new liver for another person who had damage from a blood disease.
What’s the downside of traveling to a foreign country for health care? In many countries the legal system isn’t what it is here in the US. But there is a way to minimize the risks of a poor outcome, or a doctor making a mistake. Many of the medical travel facilitators help people purchase insurance hedging the risk of an undesirable outcome. Like any insurance, the more risky the surgery the more costly the insurance, but even with the cost of that policy tacked to the price of the travel, surgery, hospital stay and lodging for your companion, it is still much less than you’ll pay in the US.
Probably the hardest thing to get over is the idea of going to a place like India or Turkey for surgery. Places that were considered by many to be underdeveloped are now locations for the most advanced medical centers in the world. You should take a look at it, if for nothing else than to know the option exists. If there is one thing we Americans love, it’s the freedom to choose. Having another choice can’t be a bad thing.
Heres’ to your good health.
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