Tag Archives: domestic medical tourism

Five things will need to happen before medical travel gets real

Despite the research reports, eco-devo white papers, industry analyses and industry marketing hype, medical travel/medical tourism is still an early stage industry looking for the right formula for success.

In my view, five things will need to happen before medical tourism and global healthcare referrals get real traction: 1) the creation of a sustainable business model, 2)global healthcare IT connectivity and integration, 3) a physician generated global healthcare referral network, 4) a global regulatory, legal and socioeconomic ecosystem, and 5) patient awareness and acceptance.

The creation of a sustainable business model
Industry players including payors, providers, partners and facilitators are still looking for the the most successful way to make a profit and scale the business. With an eye towards what happened when Expedia disrupted the travel agency business, participants understand that margins for travel arrangement services are thin and that there is high price elasticity for global medical care. Few have found the magic key that fits the lock that opens the doors to profits. Payors and employers are hesitant to accept the value proposition without a better way to reduce their risk and demonstrate tangible, meaningful cost savings to their insureds and employees.

Global healthcare IT connectivity and integration

The US national healthcare information architecture is evolving. Eventually, the network will be a portal to the world and will allow for seemless, secure, confidential transfer of personal health information thus assuring some continuity of care and quality improvement. Similarly, it will take a while for health information systems to evolve in host countries that can talk to non-host systems. Short term solutions, like personal health records or mobile health applications, might fill the void temporarily.

A physician generated global healthcare referral network

Most medical tourism models connect patients to healthcare facilities, bypassing doctors in the initial stages. Doctors will get in the game when the model feels better, and they have the resources and ability to make referrals to consultants directly, like they do now. Since MedVoy was founded by an American doctor, MedVoy connects patients directly to doctors which is unlike other facilitators. Given the rise of international members, professional medical societies should be more proactive in building global referral networks, rather than seeing them as threats to existing domestic members.

A global regulatory, legal and socioeconomic ecosystem

The barriers to adoption and penetration of medical travel are many and include liability, reimbursement, quality assurance and impediments to continuity of care. As healthcare goes global, so will the rules and regulations that facilitate or obstruct its use. How about a World Trade Organization Treaty on Medical Travel?

Patient awareness and acceptance

According to the most recent polls, 50% of consumers understand the meaning of the term “medical tourism”, leaving home for care. Social network buzz and media stories find the medical travel story sexy, particularly given all the noise about escalating healthcare costs and consumers, employers and payors are hungry for more information. Moving patients from awareness to intention to decision to action, however, will take more time and use innovative marketing approaches directed towards granular market segments.

Global medical travel is projected to be a $1B industry by 2012. While the bones are in place, it will take more time to add the flesh. Until then, to quote Karl Mauldin, people won’t leave home without it.

Phenomenal academic guidance team that operates under cheap custom essay writing services for international pupils.

Healthcare Open Enrollment Period

Leave a reply

It’s that time of year again… open enrollment for your health benefit plans. Most Americans are frustrated because their healthcare care bill is increasing… yet again… and this is exacerbated by the global recession and the confusion surrounding healthcare reform. Colorado is projected to see a healthcare increase of 14.4% in 2010 – slightly higher than other states due to the large number of small businesses in the state.

Large employers with 100 or more employees will often receive utilization and cost data and are in a much better position to manage their health care cost through aggressive plan management strategies and tactics. Small employers (and individuals) generally do not receive utilization and cost data plus often rely on the pooling of risk since they have a higher probability of costing the system more than the dollars they contribute through premium payments – since “everybody pays for a few”.

The misperception in healthcare is that cost and pricing for the same clinical procedure is relatively the same from provider to provider yet clinical costs vary significantly from zip code to zip code, state to state, and country to country.

Domestic and international medical tourism introduces transparency and helps to lower healthcare cost. There are scores of articles on lowering your out-of-pocket healthcare cost in 2011 that may help marginally. However, MedVoy is in a position to help individuals, employers and employees save real money on healthcare – contact us for details.

Brilliant scribblers stick around for you in the indicated educational site www.homeworkhelper.net/, which saves worldwide scholars.
These men here at https://order-essay-online.net/ scribble awesome dissertations on line.

Testimonials in Global Healthcare

Leave a reply

A few months ago, we blogged about finding a reputable medical tourism facilitator in How do I find the best medical tourism company?

Another important factor is… a patient testimonial. Does the medical tourism facilitator have reference from past customers who were delighted by both the service provided by the company AND the doctor?

If not, you may want to think twice….

Anne Marie from Virginia

Looking in the mirror I saw sagging cheeks and droopy eyelids and I knew it was time to do something to reverse the “old” look. I also knew I wanted to find a surgeon who was the best with no regard to where he or she was located.

After searching the world, I was lucky enough to find, with the help of MedVoy, Dr. Edmond Khoury. He specializes in only faces so I knew he was performing the kind of face procedures I needed daily, not monthly. My experience with Dr. Khoury was incredible. Minimum pain, little downtime, totally natural look and, best of all, no one knows I had anything done! Friends and family just know I look great. Thanks to MedVoy for helping me find this fine surgeon.

Sincerely,

Anne M.

To read more, please visit: http://mycommunity.in/medvoy/testimonials.php

Universal people that study commonly www.essaynara.com using on stream causes.
International students for the most part https://www.essayprofs.com/ out of plugged in origins.

Orthopedics and Medical Tourism

Leave a reply

Aside from elective procedures, such as plastic surgery, orthopedic surgeries are an increasingly popular option in global healthcare because patients may be un-insured, underinsured or somehow denied benefits. Cost savings are significant as the prices of procedures like total knee replacement and hip replacement surgery costs on average $35,000 and $50,000 respectively in the USA. The total costs of the orthopedic procedure are clearly lower in international medical tourism due to arbitrage, exchange rates and relative cost of living. However, even in the domestic medical tourism space there are significant discounts when the costs are calculated on cash versus insurance basis.

It is possible to live pain-free! For a list of providers: http://www.medvoy.com/procedure/orthopedic-knee-surgery

Cool essays service through http://www.essaydragon.com sincerely fantastic academic crew.

Vetting your Doctor

Leave a reply

The term medical tourism is a bit of a misnomer as it downplays the serious nature of choosing a doctor – whether in your home country or abroad. The questions below, while not exhaustive, give you some guidance on choosing your doctor wisely.

What are your academic credentials?

Look for specialized training in the chosen field, such as plastic surgery / cosmetic surgery, bariatrics, orthopedics, fertility training, prosthodontics, etc. Many doctors have international training in the US and Europe and may be American-board certified which helps to put US patients at ease. High-quality doctors collaborate internationally and regionally so also, think twice before underestimating a surgeon if they have graduated from a reputable medical school overseas. If you’re not sure – ask MedVoy!

Are you accredited?

International accreditation for providers include: Joint Commission International JCI, Trent Accreditation Scheme (TAS) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO), while the International Board of Medicine and Surgery (IBMS) certifies physicians. Furthermore, many countries also have stringent national standards that follow international guidelines. One example is Colombia, where hospitals follow international non-profit ICONTEC standards that are identical to ISQua standards. Hence, all accredited hospitals in Colombia are subsequently accredited by ISQua. Malaysia also has the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH) that acts as an independent, not-for-profit organization to ensure safety and quality.

How many of these surgeries have you performed?

Experience is one of the most important elements towards a successful outcome. Whether the doctor performs the surgery every day or a few times a year is significant! Do they specialize in a certain area? A cosmetic surgeon such as MedVoy’s partner Denver Cosmetic Surgery that specializes in the aging face is going to give you a better outcome than a dilettante. Find out how many of these surgeries the doctors has performed. Also, make sure that the actual surgeon will be performing the surgery and not a subordinate.

What materials do you use?

There is a wide range in quality in the materials used – so ask! Are they from a reputable company like Johnson and Johnson or Boston Scientific? Do they provide a guaranty? MedVoy’s partner Travel and Smile in Peru will uses German-made noble metal crowns and that are the standard in the US and Germany and gives a lifetime guarantee on quality. Make sure that you know this before you are actually there.

This list does not cover all the questions which is why it’s important to work with a well-established medical tourism company.

Check our mate organization http://domyhomework.guru for wired literacy.

Domestic medical tourism: Old wine in a new bottle?

Leave a reply

People are now calling referring patients to someone in the same country domestic medical tourism. Doctors call it an out-of-area referral. Whether the consulting physician is located in a place recognized for excellence in diagnosing or treating a particular illness, like National Jewish Hospital (Denver) for pulmonary care or MD Anderson Hospital (Houston) for cancer care, the usual model involves one provider referrring the patient to another provider. The referring provider takes responsiblity for sending the appropriate records and reassuming care for post treatment issues when the patient returns home.

Domestic medical tourism implies something different. First, patients armed with information provided by the Internet or medical tourism facilitators, are requesting care without necessarily seeking the referral or “permission” of their provider at home. Second, given improving price transparency, in part a response to the transparency of foreign providers, patients can shop for value, something their insurance providers are encouraging by covering some or all of the out of network charges. Finally, when patients return home, they may have trouble finding someone to care for them is they have had treatment, particularly sugery, somewhere else.

Domestic medical tourism will evolve as quality and outcomes data and prices become less opaque and as interstate insurance cooperatives or other insurance models make it easier for patients to go to the best place for care regardless of location.

Splendid article printing service guide precisely here that aches to benefit to as multiplied entities as desirable.