1. The person seeking medical treatment abroad contacts a medical tourism provider.
2. The provider usually requires the patient to provide a medical report, including the nature of ailment, local doctor’s opinion, medical history, and diagnosis, and may request additional information.
3. Certified medical doctors or consultants then advise on the medical treatment. The approximate expenditure, choice of hospitals and tourist destinations, and duration of stay, etc., is discussed.
4. After signing consent bonds and agreements, the patient is given recommendation letters for a medical visa, to be procured from the concerned embassy.
5. The patient travels to the destination country, where the medical tourism provider assigns a case executive, who takes care of the patient’s accommodation, treatment and any other form of care. Once the treatment is done, the patient can remain in the tourist destination or return home.

For more information, please visit wikipedia’s medical tourism section.

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There are numerous associated risks with any kind of surgery, even in the best hospitals in the United States. However, when it comes to making a decision to have medical treatments abroad, one must take careful consideration of specific risks. These are just some of the drawbacks/risks of having surgeries abroad:

1. A lack of standard regulations for professional licensing and certification, which is common in the United States and Canada. Make sure you check the credentials of any doctor you would like to work with and ask to review patient testimonies. Once in the country, make sure to have an tour of the hospital facilities. Here’s more on checking hospital credentials. 
2. Most foreign countries have little or no legal system for pursuing a lawsuit, should malpractice or other problems occur.
3. The risk of traveling too soon after the surgery can cause possible complications such as swelling, infections, blood clots, or pulmonary embolisms; it is recommended that you allow for at least 1-2 weeks post-surgery recovery time before flying back home.
4. It’s your responsibility to be persistent and diligent in receiving follow-up care (post-operative care) for your treatment once you return home, whether at your local hospital or to return to the hospital overseas. Check with your existing healthcare provider or physician about the costs of follow-up visits.
5. You are more prone to getting infections while abroad because your body lacks the immunity to bacteria and other diseases native to those areas   
6. It’s easy to get carried away in the festivities after your surgery and over enjoy your post-surgery/ vacation time by drinking, over exposure to the sun, and not resting enough. Be sure your recovery time is relaxing and don’t try to do too much sight-seeing.
7. Remember to give yourself more than adequate recovery time once you’re back at home. Even though you might think you’re feeling 100%, make sure you have a professional confirm the status of your health.

Despite some of the risks, many patients have very good experiences at hospitals overseas, see this article from the Chicago Tribune. However, if you’re seriously considering a medical vacation, it’s important you are completely aware of any possible risks. Even if the price tag seems right, do your homework and don’t be easily fooled. Ask for everything in writing and ask for an estimate upfront; avoid hidden fees that can be associated with your treatment. 

It’s your body and you know it best! 

Click here for a handy list of Medical Tourism Resources

Here’s a guide to help you to through this process of choosing an accredited hospital for your surgery, the Medical Tourism Industry Certifications Guide.

The Joint Commission International is a private, non-profit organization that provides the industry standard for these hospital certifications and accreditations. 

If you’re planning to take a medical vacation, make sure to do your due diligence well in advance and check the hospital track-records, certifications, and ask for patient testimonies. You want to limit yourself from as many potential risks as possible.

Because standards are important when it comes to health care, there are parallel issues around medical tourism, international healthcare accreditation, evidence-based medicine and quality assurance.

In the United States, the best known accreditation group is the Joint Commission International (JCI). They have been inspecting and accrediting health care facilities and hospitals outside of the United States since 1999 and are a trusted source for American medical tourists.  Many international hospitals today see obtaining JCI accreditation as a way to attract American patients.

In the UK and Hong Kong, the Trent International Accreditation Scheme is a key player. The different international healthcare accreditation schemes vary in quality, size, cost, intent and the skill and intensity of their marketing. They also vary in terms of cost to hospitals and healthcare institutions making use of them.  A forecast by Deloitte Consulting regarding medical tourism published in August 2008 noted the value of accreditation in ensuring quality of healthcare and specifically mentioned JCI, ISQUA and Trent.

Increasingly, some hospitals are looking towards dual international accreditation, perhaps having both JCI to cover potential US clientele and Trent for potential British and European clientele. As a result of competition between clinics for American medical tourists, there have been initiatives to rank hospitals based on patient-reported metrics.

Other organizations providing contributions to quality practices include:

• The Society for International Healthcare Accreditation (SOFIHA), a free-to-join group providing a forum for discussion and for the sharing of ideas and good practice by providers of international healthcare accreditation and users of the same. The primary role of this organisation is to promote a safe hospital environment for patients.

• HealthCare Tourism International, the first US-based non-profit to accredit the non-clinical aspects of health tourism, such as language issues, business practices, and false or misleading advertising prevention. The group provides accreditation for all major groups involved in the health tourism industry including hotels, recovery facilities, and medical tourism booking agencies.

• The United Kingdom Accreditation Forum (UKAF) is an established network of accreditation organisations with the intention of sharing experience good practice and new ideas around the methodology for accreditation programmes, covering issues such as developing healthcare quality standards, implementation of standards within healthcare organisations, assessment by peer review and exploration of the peer review techniques to include the recruitment, training, monitoring and evaluation of peer reviewers and the mechanisms for awards of accredited status to organisations.

• The International Medical Travel Association, (IMTA, based in Singapore), is a nonprofit association formed to help address quality standards, liability issues, continuity of care, and other issues.

• Medical Tourism Association (MTA) is a nonprofit association focusing on transparency in quality and pricing.

For more information and details on this article, please visit wikipedia Medical Tourism site.

Surgery                     USA               India            Singapore      Costa Rica     South Korea

Heart Bypass      $130,000     $10,000           $16,500         $24,00        $34,000

Hip Replacement   $43,000      $7,100            $9,200      $12,000          $11,400

Knee replacement   $40,000     $8,500          $11,100       $11,000         $24,100

For more information, here is a list of valuable resources on medical travel:

Health Tourism & Health Insurance

Medical Tourism Magazine

Medical Tourism Blog

Checkout this link.

For example, a heart bypass surgery in the United States costs about $130,000, but in India you can get  a similar surgery for less than $10,000. For the roughly 47 million uninsured Americans, getting a two for one deal on surgery and a trip around the world provides an added incentive. For more surgery examples and information, click here for a medical comparison chart.

The allure of medical outsourcing has indeed caught the attention of some major medical centers, institutions, and some employers, indicating a potential for medical tourism to be part of healthcare plans in the near future. Healthcare companies have yet to endorse it, but it is becoming a viable option for many. 

The Medical Tourism Association, a nonprofit organization, publishes a Medical Tourism Magazine and aims at bringing awareness to the issues of medical travel. I cannot vouch for what they actually do, but if you are considering any procedures abroad, make sure you to do your homework thoroughly, check-up on all the facilities and the background of the doctors.

Anywhere you go, these days its your responsibility to protect your body; there’s no promise or guarantees, but you might be able to save some big money in the process.

If you’re interested in finding out the latest in travel requirements and travel health, visit OneEasyVisa.

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