FEATURE HEALTHCARE TRAVEL
not afraid to travel. In fact, as many as 750,000 Americans travelled abroad for medical care in 2009, according to calculations from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, and that number is expected to increase to six million over the next few years. While medical travel once focused
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solely on aesthetic procedures, a recent Gallup Poll finds that up to 29% of
Americans would consider travelling abroad for medical procedures such as heart bypass surgery, hip or knee replacement, plastic surgery, cancer diagnosis and treatment, or alternative medical care, even though all are routinely done in the United States. The economic slow-down worldwide
doesn’t appear to be impacting the industry: gross medical tourism revenue is projected to grow from $56 billion to $100 billion by the end of 2012 according to experts. These numbers reflect the need
for options - to remain in the United States and still access more cost- effective, quality care, or travel outside our borders and take advantage of incredible cost savings at some of the finest hospitals in the world. The globalization of healthcare is all about patient choice, and right now many are looking for cost savings without compromising quality. Separating hype from hope, many
companies have set out to build international hospital-and physician networks – but few have been able to develop networks that reflect both US and non-US providers.
AN INTERNATIONAL FOOTPRINT The quality of healthcare abroad can be high, with many non-US hospitals actively courting business in the United States by catering to American tastes and expectations. Average total fees at well-regarded hospitals in India, for example, are 60-90% lower than those of the average American hospital. Non-US healthcare providers often
have physicians with internationally respected credentials, many of them with training in the United States,
hen it comes to accessing quality healthcare at the best price, Americans are
«Up to 29% of Americans would consider travelling abroad for medical procedures such as heart bypass surgery or hip/knee replacements»
Australia, Canada, or Europe. Some non-US hospitals are owned, managed, or affiliated with prestigious American universities or healthcare systems. Several companies are building and operating hospitals that meet American standards in Mexico and Central America, largely for American patients (as well as wealthy citizens of those nations). One of the key quality benchmarks is
accreditation by the Joint Commission International (JCI) or others as described below. These carry the most appeal because of their rigorous standards for credentialing and accrediting facilities outside the country. JCI, based in the United States,
is a division of Joint Commission Resources (JCR) and a subsidiary of the Joint Commission designed to improve and regulate the quality and safety of healthcare services. JCI has operated since 1991 and is specifically organized to continuously improve the safety and quality of medical care in the international community. JCI recently formed a partnership with the World Health Organization to develop international standards for patient safety so hospitals and doctors across borders would have uniform standards to be judged on. According to the JCI, there are over 200 hospitals that are currently accredited, with more underway. Additional, respected accreditation
bodies include: Trent Accreditation Scheme, or TRENT (based in UK, Europe and Hong Kong) Australian Council for Healthcare Standards International, or ACHSI Canadian Council on Health Services Regulation, or CCHSA International Society for Quality in Health Care, or ISQua is a non-profit, independent organization with members in over 70 countries. In addition to the discreet formal
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accreditation, additional criteria are important to acknowledge in assessing hospitals and facilities. Criteria can include: Reputation for quality Indicated experience in selected procedures Accreditation status Ability to provide clinical data Participating in our quality assurance and reporting programme Customer service orientation Excellent nurse to patient ratio Choice of geographic location Familiarity with the needs of international patients International standards in clinical delivery and patients’ rooms World-class medical infrastructure and equipment With more Americans reaching
beyond our domestic borders to the international community for more
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