Tag Archives: travelling abroad

Medical Travel is Maturing but Patients are Still Confused

The medical travel industry is maturing. Researchers have created centers to study it, like the Center for Medical Tourism Research at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas (http://www.uistx.edu ) and doctors have created organizations to professionalize it , like the International Board of Medicine and Surgery (http://www.ibms.us ). Conferences, seminars and trade associations are sprouting up all over the world and medical travel bloggers litter the medical tourism landscape.

Despite it’s growth, I think patients are still confused about the multiple products and services that all seem to be the same. If you are considering offering medical travel benefits to your employees or are considering leaving home for care, here are three questions you should ask that might help you separate the wheat from the chaff.

Who do you get connected to?

The traditional referral model is your doctor, someone you trust, refers you to another doctor for specialty care or consultation. In most instances in medical tourism, however, a facilitator or other intermediary connects you to a hospital or ground agent partner in another country who connects you to a doctor on the medical staff of the overseas hospital. All those steps can be confusing, add middle-man costs, and create opportunities for errors.

How do you establish some kind of relationship with the consultant before leaving home?

Since it is impractical for you to see your foreign consultant preoperatively face to face, take advantage of facilitators, like Medvoy, that can help connect you to your doctor using telemedicine communications technologies.

What’s the difference between one facilitator and the other?

As the market matures, industry players are creating ways to differentiate themselves and break from the rest of the pack. In general, facilitators compete on price, access, service, experience and their product. Just as Hermes sells quality, Wal-Mart competes on price and Nordstrom’s is know for service. Decide what’s most important to you and pick a facilitator that will deliver.

Sly web association view portal that trumpets educational privilege!

Medical Tourism Evolution

Leave a reply

Medical tourism used to be tiny and only for the wealthy. Now it’s ‘Medical Travel’ and it’s growing, fast.

Leaving home for care is nothing new. People have been traveling around the world for treatment since the beginning of time. Now we call it medical tourism, and it is growing quickly.

Patients seek care away from home because it is cheaper, unavailable in their home location, can be accessed without waiting for a long time, can be combined with a travel experience and can be kept secret. Despite the talk of healthcare reform, patients and employers are paying more for care with no forseeable decreases and they are looking for safe, affordable alternatives to care in the US.

There are several serious barriers to adoption and penetration of the notion of leaving home for care. In fact, we’re not even sure what to call it these days. “Medical tourism” has morphed into global healthcare referral or medical travel, underlying the fact that we are talking about healthcare in a different place, not sipping Margueritas by the pool. The growth of the industry is being fueled by mostly medical outsiders who see the commercial potential of opportunities that have resulted from medical cost inflation, globalization and cheap information and communications technologies.

There are lots of opportunties for physicians in the medical travel industry. Substantial challenges to the traditional notions of face-to-face care, continuity of care, itinerant surgery and global healthcare information exchange are but a few of the issues that the medical provider establishment will have to confront as medical travel continues to grow around the world.

Try proceed here to find out more essay writing place that focuses at providing help for pupils.

American Culture in Global Healthcare

Leave a reply

American Culture in Global Healthcare

Global medical tourism exists because medicine transcends borders and doctors around the world genuinely care about patients. Apart from medicine, Americans have some unique commonalities that MedVoy’s providers and successful overseas healthcare providers already understand. As a reminder, here are some uniquely American cultural differences that are important to recognize:

English is our Only Language
Unlike other countries, Americans generally do not learn another language as part of their primary education. Since we only speak English, Americans are hesitant to speak other languages and tend to prefer to travel to countries where the language barrier is not an issue. While this trend is shifting, if you want to attract Americans, there needs to be an English speaking staff.

Privacy Please
It’s a fact – Americans like their personal space. This is noticeable in any restaurant where solo diners sit alone at a table for two rather than at a communal table with strangers. Our puritanical roots have also instilled a deep sense of modesty, especially when dealing with medical issues. The bottom line is understanding the need for personal space when considering your US guest. We prefer single hospital rooms and private waiting rooms, ideally with an international department allocated just for us.

Aesthetics Count
USA is a young country and as such there is a perception that new is better. It’s true that you cannot judge a book by its cover and that décor has nothing to do with medical outcomes. However, never underestimate your first impression. If Americans are heading overseas for medical care, we want to go to a modern facility – your photos and your facilities need to reflect this.

This list is certainly not exhaustive, what are others that should be listed?

They identified http://writemyessay4me.org custom academic writing group.

Asian Medical Tourism Sector Sees Growth in Spite of Recession

Leave a reply

According to the recent RNCOS report, Asian Medical Tourism Analysis (2008-2012), the Asian medical tourism sector has increased the number of visitors and revenues on an annual basis for the past few years. Fueling the demand is the cost effectiveness, well-skilled medical professional and tourism. India is a key destination and received 650,000 medical tourist and generated US $1160 Million in revenues in 2009. Other countries in the region , including Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore are also experiencing growth. This report projects that medial tourism numbers in Asia will increase by CAGR of around 16% during 2010-2012.

MedVoy already has partners in these countries and is also traveling to South Korea next month to visit hospitals. As always, we will keep you informed of what we learn in order to help you get the best access to global healthcare.

Marvelous club to consider check this source out for college benefit.

Designing a Perfect Smile in Costa Rica

Leave a reply

The world looks brighter behind a smile, yet for many people smiling can be a challenge. Medical tourism has made restorative and cosmetic dentistry more accessible and affordable for everyone. Housed in clean and modern facilities, next to partner CIMA Hospital, Dental Cosmetics Costa Rica specializes in cosmetic dentistry to help patients attain the bright, radiant teeth that transform their smiles and helps them regain their self-confidence.

Founders Dr. Alejandro Lasso and Dr. Andres Fernandez Rodriguez are highly experienced and board certified – including certification by the American Association of Cosmetic Dentistry. Additionally, Dr. Rodriguez is recognized as one of the preeminent maxillofacial surgeons in the country and is a member of several international boards, including the International Asociación of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, American Academy of Implant Dentistry, American Association of Cosmetic Surgery and American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

To learn more click here.

Dental Cosmetics Costa Rica Doctors

Accept a sincere high school recognition from pop over there on any occasion thing gets to speech.

Five things will need to happen before medical travel gets real

Leave a reply

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.

Three Things to Know about your Doctor

Leave a reply

A recent Deloitte report on medical tourism predicted that outbound medical travel from the US could reach upwards of 1.6 million patients by 2012, with sustainable annual growth of 35 percent. If you are one of the many potential patients seeking high quality, affordable care outside of the US, you should know three things about your provider before boarding the plane: who they are, how and where they practice, and what are their results and outcomes.
The first question, who they are, probes the provider’s education, qualifications, experience and reputation. Most of this information is usually accessible on the doctor’s website and can be verified on accreditation organization websites or professional association resources. Check to see whether the practitioner is board certified by a reputable US or foreign specialty board and if they are a member of the national specialty society or association.

Secondly, ask how and where they practice. For example, plastic surgeons and dentists are likely to practice and operate in private clinics or ambulatory surgery facilities removed from a hospital setting. Some may even own the clinic and they should divulge that information to you. If something goes wrong during a procedure, make sure you understand how and where you would get emergency care, how you would be transported there, and who would pay for it. In addition, unlike more and more hospital facilities that are being accredited by the Joint Commission International, (click for a list of accredited hospitals) the organization responsible for making sure hospitals adhere to acceptable practices and procedures, independent, free-standing facilities frequently are not similarly examined or accredited.

Finally, and perhaps the most difficult information to find, is the outcome and results of a given procedure. Ask ” How many of these operations do you do in a week, a month or a year ?” Also, inquire about the number of cases that result in complications, the need for revision surgery or significant morbidity i.e. something that unexpectedly doesn’t work the way it should after surgery, or postoperative death. Most doctors, including those in the US, will be unable to give you an accurate answer because they don’t keep good records or have an unreliable system to keep track of results. Sometimes the best you can do is to talk to someone who has had a similar procedure.

Getting information about a doctor and his or her results in not easy, wherever they practice. The more information you know, however, the better you can determine whether surgery away from home makes sense.

The cool view to acquire home assignment over here allows students to buy essay online for their personal use.

Weekend Medicine

Leave a reply

Researchers and doctors know that weekend hospitalizations are dangerous to your health. There are fewer staff, access to procedures are limited and oversight is less. In fact,one study in 2007 found, for example, that for every 1,000 patients suffering heart attacks who were admitted to a hospital on a weekend, there were 9 to 10 more deaths than in a comparable group of patients admitted on a weekday.

On the other hand, weekend surgery is a big opportunity for maximizing healthcare utilization and for accomodating those who want global healthcare services. By scheduling patients for care during periods of underutilized capacity, providers can reduce overhead costs and provide more personalized services

BOTTOM LINE: Healthcare is a 24/7/365 global industry. There will need to be significant changes in policy, procedures and incentives to staff if appropriately.

Get any paper written swiftly at https://www.customwriting-help.com

The next wave in medical tourism

Leave a reply

As anyone following this industry knows, medical tourism is evolving rapidly. Some of the biggest changes are:

1. Movement from an emphasis on “tourism” to “medical”, with some questioning whether the term “medical tourism”should be abandoned in favor of descriptors like “global and domestic healthcare facilitation or aggregation”
2. A shift from international travel to US domestic referral to an ever expanding base of “centers of excellence”
3. Domestic price and quality transparency leading to value comparisons
4. Global competition forcing US providers to lower their charges
5. An emphasis on regional referral networks rather than long distance networks
6. Increasing IT interconnectedness because of HITECH incentives in the US
7. Increasing telehealth and mobile health options
8. Industry consolidation and elimination of marginal players
9. Higher barriers to entry as companies develop difficult to build networks
10. Initial attempts at costing the true benefits of various business models.

BOTTOM LINE: Buckle your seats belts. We’re in for a rough ride.

Pursue an interest using linked correspondents that work at this website buyresearchpapers.net

Medical Tourism – Medical Continuity

Leave a reply

As this medical tourism space grows, one thing which most of them forget is the importance of medical continuity. You simply cannot take a patient from U.S healthcare or any country’s healthcare and put the patient in a different country and expect everything to be normal upon the patient’s return.

Some things that needs to be watched out before travelling abroad for medical treatment are

•Is your prescribed drugs available at your local pharmacist?
•Any post-complication protection?
•Any group of physcians who can provide followup visits locally?
•How about post-vital sign measurement services and reporting back to the hospital abroad?
•Do I have the data in a secure fashion so I can plug in to my physicians’ EMR system or hospital system?
The list is not limited to this but you get the point, good planning always helps

The first-rate though to www.homework-writer.com/ through the conscientious educational service.