Medical Tourism: Tips To Start Your Journey

This morning, I was lucky enough to be a guest on a radio show, hosted by Wisebread's Linsey Knerl and part of the discussion included the ever so popular concept of "medical tourism."

I discussed a few tips on where to start if you are interested in possibly taking your healthcare journey out of the country so I thougt I'd jot some ideas down here as well for Healthcare Hacks readers.

First let me say, medical tourism is not for everyone. It only makes sense in some situations:

If there is access to a type or quality of medical care that you can only get outside of your country
If the benefit of traveling out of the country lessens the financial burden for you or your family (and it is safe enough for you to travel)
If you and/or your doctor feel the treatment or procedure is safe and you've researched it properly (obviously saving money is not the most important reason)

So, once you've made a decision, where do you start?

There are two ways to begin your medical tourism search.

1. Do it on your own. Hit the internet hard and research medical facilities, patient recommendations, forums, etc.

Depending on what type of procedure or treatment you need, different countries may be more advanced than others. For instance, Costa Rica is well-known for its impressive plastic surgeons while India is knows for excellence in cardiac care. That doesn't mean that there aren't great plastic surgeons in India and cardiologists in Costa Rica, but it will help narrow down your potential destinations to look into this type of thing.

Quality standards. You wil need to research quality standards for hospitals and treatment facilities in the country you choose. They need to be graded by some other agency than themselves for safety, cleanliness, etc. For example, hospitals may recieve a comprehensive inspection and certification by the ISO (International Organization For Standardization). The ISO was founded in 1947, as a worldwide standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. ISO is non-governmental organization that has the ability to set standards that often become law.

Cost effectiveness. You have to research accommodations and other costs as well as how much the actual procedure or treatment will cost in another country. For instance, a cardiac surgery may be much cheaper somewhere outside of your country, but will you end up making up that cost in vaccinations, flights, accommodations, and food?

Aftercare considerations. The hospital or treatment center will surely be equipped to deal with whatever you have come there for (because you will be researching this thoroughly before you go). However, in case there is an emergency, do they have a bigger or more advanced hospital close by you could be transfered to?

Network with others who have been through this and find referrals for treatment centers where you are going. Often times, you can find this information online. Sometimes, the facility themselves will have patients who might be willing to share their experiences with you, so always ask the patient liasion or coordinator.

2. Find a medical tourism company or service.

If the task of doing it all yourself seems overwhelming, you can opt to contact a company that specializes in this kind of thing. They do everything from help you source out the best facility for your healthcare needs, to booking your travel for you. Each one operates a bit differently as far as the services they provide.

A good company should have done all the background checking you would have otherwise had to do. They should be prepared to tell you about the facility and its certifications, biographies on the physicians, and even possibly refer you to patients who have gone through their company that are willing to speak to others.

Some medical tourism companies offer services for a specific country only; while others are contracted with facilities all over the world. Even though one that contracts with facilities all over the world might seem better at first, always consider that if they focus on just one country, they may be more familiar with cultural difference, language barriers (if there are any), the hospitals and staff on a personal basis, etc. If they are actually operating from the country, they may be able to handle things more efficiently too. These are not steadfast rules but just something to think about.

Quotes for procedures and treatments. Medical tourism companies will be able to get you quotes from many different facilites and for different procedures much more easily than you can. This is because they are contracted with certain facilites to provide this type of service; and have either standard rates for certain things, or access to the staff at the facility who can provide them with the information quickly. It would take you a lot longer to call around, run comparisons, etc.

No direct cost to you. All of the medical tourism companies I have seen, receive their compensation from the hospitals they are contracted with, and not the patients/clients. The hospital will usually give the medical tourism company a percentage of the procedure or treatment as a fee for organizing the care. So, the patient does not pay out of pocket for these services.

As far as I know, there is not necessarily any organization that regulates medical tourism companies. So, you are going to have to research very carefully to find one. The best way to do this is by searching online and finding others who have been happy with the company they used.

Although I did not use a medical tourism company to plan my trip to India for embryonic stem cell therapy, I did however receive much support from a company in India who I have come to know well. One of the owners found this blog and wrote me a very nice note basically wishing me luck from their team, even though I had never used them. I was able to e-mail Don Wood with simple questions during my treatment and he was never anything but sincere and generous with his time and advice. If I ever needed a procedure or treatment that I was unfamiliar with, I would absolutely go to Americas Medical Solutions.

I know there are many of them out there so I am in no way recommending anyone in particular; just giving on overview of my experience. I did like how Americas Medical Solutions is run by three Americans but is based in India. I feel that is a very good model for this type of company. It allows them to relate to both the provider and the patient as well as gives them the advantage of being close by in case a need arises.

If you are searching for a medical tourism company, keep in mind that you will be in a different time zone (most likely) if you travel to another country for care, but the company is in your home country. Ask them if they have someone on call 24 hours a day in case you need something.

Medical tourism is an ever expanding field so we will definitely be seeing more avenues for our healthcare opening up.

Remember to research thoroughly and talk to others who have been through it.

Here's to good health, in every country!

About amybscher

With a passion for the little things in life, a former 'career' as a pioneering patient, and a sassy spirit with just enough sweetness to get me by, I live by my self-created motto: when life kicks your ass, kick back.amybscher's profile amybscher's blog

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Amy, thanks for a good primer on what we prefer to refer to as destination healthcare. This is one of the better overviews.

There is a critical distinction to be made when evaluating medical tourism companies. Many are former travel agencies displaced by the Internet and will treat your medical trip as a vacation with a hospital in lieu of a resort, though some even refer to "recovery resorts." Perhaps it's only me, but if there was a scalpel involved, avoiding sand in my incision or not getting my scar sunburned are among the least of my worries. You need to make sure the company knows medicine and is focused on getting you the best medical outcome possible.

You included a reference to ISO certification, but it's really important to understand that ISO addresses process quality, not safety or outcomes. There are international hospital accrediting agencies, like ISQua which accredits the accreditors, that serve a more focused role.

You correctly note that aftercare is vital, but it's more than emergency medicine upon an adverse situation. A premier destination healtcare company should be able to deliver your international doctor's follow up care program to your home physician, so he or she can assist you with your needs on your return home. If subsequent treatment is planned, they should also help transfer your records back and forth between doctors as needed.

You pointed out something critical that is too often overlooked; the importance of having someone in the destination to assist. We think having an onsite case manager is essential, rather than solely a phone number that will be answered a continent away. In our case, our program managers speak daily with patients and see them not less than every other day. That support makes a big difference.

Destination healthcare is a new concept for many people, so thank you for pointing it out and helping inform your readers.

I'm posting this for a friend and medical tourism patient who sent me these additional great tips. Thanks Louis!

Ask the doctor for samples of drugs. If he has them, you may get your Rx for free!

Drugs vs vitamins...doctor once prescribed something for me that was like 95% niacin. The Rx copay was higher than paying 100% for niacin.

Be careful when they add the word "medical" It raises the price. Is there a substitute in the normal world that's cheaper and still appropriate. Wheelchair tires cost $80 a pop. Bicycle tires, which are exactly the same, only cost $18.

If going overseas, you may need a visa to that country. Most are good for only 6 months. For a slightly higher fee, you can get one good for 5 or 10 years. That saves you from having to buy more visas for your return trips.

Out of pocket medical expenses above 7.5% of your Adjusted Gross Income are deductible on Schedule A of your tax return.

I'm so glad to see you are encouraging this and continuing to talk about it, Amy. It's such an important topic!

Thanks for your contribution to Take Charge of Your Health Care Carnival. This is important information for my readers. It is sad when people have to travel to foreign countries because they can't afford the high prices in the U.S. or certain alternative medical procedures are not available to them.

Thanks for the tips. They are very helpful. Medical tourism is the future and I'm glad that people have options. But it is important to do research before you decide to travel to another country.

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