Medical Tourism 101

Medical Tourism 101: a Brief Introduction to one of the World’s Fastest Growing Industries 
 

No global travel Web site would be complete without at least some discussion of medical tourism.  But what exactly does this strange “buzzword” mean, and how can medical tourism both save you money and make you healthier in the long run?  

What Is Medical Tourism?

Different people define medical tourism in different ways, but for the purpose of this piece, let us call medical tourism the process of traveling abroad to receive quality health care at substantially reduced prices.   

While the concept of medical tourism dates back millennia, the actual “industry” is a relatively recent phenomenon.  Globalization, broadband Internet access, competitive airfares, and aggressive marketing have helped fuel the global medical tourism market quite substantially over the past decade.  And of course, insufficient health care options back home have helped make traveling abroad that much more appealing to Western patients. 

Recognizing the huge potential that foreign medical dollars could bring, countries like India, Thailand, and Singapore have invested huge amounts of money, time, and resources to bolster their health care infrastructure in order to attract savvy travelers and patients from abroad.   

Traditionally, this push for medical procedures has been with elective surgeries (cosmetic, plastic, LASIK, and certain types of dental treatments), and it’s not difficult to understand why.  Since most elective procedures aren’t covered by insurance, patients typically have to pay for everything out of pocket.  Why pay $15,000 to a face-lift surgeon in Los Angeles when you can pay $4,000 for the same procedure in Mumbai or Bangkok?  But increasingly, more conventional treatments have begun to take center stage in the growing industry.  Heart valve treatments, hip replacements, stem cell research, fertility clinics, spinal surgery, and even psychological analyses have begun flourishing in recent years thanks to aggressive marketing and heavy investments by popular medical tourism destinations.   

What Are Some of the Benefits of Medical Tourism?

We have already touched on the main benefit of medical tourism (namely price), but the potential advantages of this growing industry extend much further.  For whereas price is definitely one of the main draws for American patients who suffer under a bloated and prohibitively expensive health care system, countries with socialized medicine also have much to gain by going abroad.  In Canada and the UK, for example, most non-elective procedures are partially or fully covered under their respective national health plans.  The drawback, however, is that wait times for even the most straightforward of procedures can last months, if not years.  Contrast that with Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand were the average wait time for a walk-in patient is less than 20 minutes.  In most cases, reputable facilities that promote themselves as “medical tourism” hospitals and dental clinics do everything in their power to reduce wait times without sacrificing quality (which brings me to my next point). 

Because medical tourism destinations have a vested interest in keeping foreign dollars coming in, quality and service remain supremely important.  It’s not uncommon to hear medical tourists admit that they felt more like hotel guests rather than patients during their jaunts abroad.  High personnel-to-patient ratios certainly help to explain their experiences.  However, add to this the excellent certification and training that many doctors, surgeons, dentists, and nurses receive both in their home countries and abroad.   

While it’s true that there are some “medical tourism” facilities that are definitely worth avoiding, the majority of them hire only the most qualified healthcare professionals, most of whom speak English.  And for those of you who speak other languages, just know that translators and interpreters are usually on hand to assist you.  Bangkok Hospital Medical Center, for example, offers 26 languages (including Farsi).  That numerous medical tourism facilities have received Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation is only further testament to the quality, service, and safety one can enjoy by traveling abroad for treatment. 

So those are the basic benefits of the “medical” part of medical tourism.  But there is also the fact that you’re on a vacation in an exotic country.  If Thailand, Argentina, India, Malaysia, Hungary, Turkey, and Brazil weren’t already at the top of your list of dream destinations, perhaps medical tourism will prompt you to revise that list and plan your next vacation with healthcare and relaxation in mind.  Buenos Aires’s Parisian style boulevards, India’s ancient healing arts, Thailand’s tropical beaches, and Hungary’s rich architectural history are not things that you’ll want to miss out on if you can help it.  And thanks to favorable exchange rates and robust tourism outlets, it’s quite possible that you will actually spend less on your entire trip (airfare, hotels, medical treatments, shopping, food, car rentals, etc.) than you would if you had the lone procedure performed in your home country. 

What Are Some of the Disadvantages of Medical Tourism?

Although medical tourism clearly has much to offer those in need of treatment or a relaxing vacation, there are potential “disadvantages” of which everyone should be aware. 

Vetting Your Doctors

It takes a lot more research to properly vet medical facilities, doctors, and dentists abroad than it does at home.  You’ll have to rely mostly on email, Web sites, phone conversations, and common sense.  And unfortunately, it’s much cheaper to design a terrific Web site than it is to upgrade a medical facility.  So don’t be fooled by snazzy marketing, pretty pictures, and guarantees of good health.  As a general rule of thumb, the beaten path is where you want to stay when it comes to health care.  Leave the adventure and exploration to someone else and stick with reputable facilities that have proven track records, well deserved hype, and proper accreditation. 

Follow-Up Visits

For procedures that require numerous follow-up visits, medical tourism can pose some difficulties.  In most cases, you’ll have to coordinate with your foreign doctor, domestic doctor, insurance company, and legal advisor to design an optimal plan for subsequent treatments.   

Malpractice and Liability

One of the reasons why US healthcare is so expensive is because malpractice lawsuits and insurance drive up the price for even the most mundane treatments.  But in the event that your domestic dentist or physician makes a preventable error, there are numerous legal avenues at your disposal for correcting the situation and/or receiving proper compensation.  Once you travel outside of the familiar confines of your domestic healthcare network, however, some of those legal avenues become blurred.  This is not to say that you can’t sue for malpractice in Mumbai, but the exact steps are sometimes more difficult to navigate successfully. 

Is Medical Tourism Right for You?

Now that you have a better understanding of the pros and cons of medical terrorism, you might be wondering whether or not it’s the best option for you.  Well, no one can really answer that question for you.  Personally, I feel that medical tourism was the perfect option for me.  I required spinal surgery last fall and couldn’t afford to have it performed in my native Washington, DC.  When I discovered the Spine Centre at BNH Hospital in Bangkok, I realize that the $5,000 they wanted was infinitely more affordable than the $20,000, $40,000, and $60,000 that I had come across during my stateside research.   

It’s not my place to tell you that medical tourism it is or isn’t for you, but by answering the following questions, you can brainstorm a bit about your particular situation and come up with your own opinions: 

• Do you currently have health insurance in your home country?
• Is your health insurance sufficient for all of your medical needs (including dental)?
• Will your health insurance cover treatments performed abroad by board-certified physicians and dentists?
• If you are not covered by insurance, do you have the financial reserves to pay for the care that you need or desire?
• How responsive is your domestic healthcare provider, and can you receive treatments and procedures when necessary?
• Is the quality of domestic care in your country adequate?
• Do you enjoy travel, adventure, and exotic locales?

Follow this link for a more exhaustive list of questions to ask yourself. 

What’s the Next Step?

Assuming that you feel medical tourism is worth exploring, the next few steps are extremely important.  Because health is never something you want to gamble with, it is imperative that you conduct thorough research, ask the right types of questions, and familiarize yourself with all of the options, pitfalls, and opportunities out there.  The Health & Medical Tourism portal was specifically designed to assist first-time users as they begin exploring the larger industry.  The site has extensive forums, numerous articles, FAQs, travel guides, and countless tips to assist users with their research and questions.  At the end of the day, medical tourism is not something you want to rush into.  However, given all of the benefits and advantages available, it’s not something that you want to completely ignore either. 

Stay healthy and happy.  Until next time.