Tallahassee :
Florida lawmakers have a new vision for the tourism industry.
Forget Mickey Mouse and the beaches. Their goal is to make Florida an international destination for people seeking top-notch medical care.
Proposals in the state House and Senate seek to pump $5 million into efforts to promote Florida’s health care industry to potential patients worldwide.
That’s welcome news to providers like Broward Health, a public health system that already sees thousands of so-called medical tourists each year.
“It will only enhance the activities that have already been going on at our hospital, as well as others around the state,” said Abbe Bendell, vice president of Broward Health International.
Also standing to benefit: hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions near hospitals and clinics.
The measure has bipartisan support in the Legislature and the backing of key leaders such as Senate President Don Gaetz.
But Renee-Marie Stephano, president of the Palm Beach County-based Medical Tourism Association, said it will take more than marketing dollars to make Florida a hot spot for medical tourism.
“Advertising is not enough,” Stephano said. “Some of those funds should be allocated to underlying service development, like helping (health care providers) understand the unique needs of international patients.”
Medical tourism isn’t a new concept for the Sunshine State.
“Medical tourism has existed in Florida since Ponce de Leon set out in search of the fountain of youth,” said Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, who is sponsoring the bill with Rep. Patrick Rooney Jr., R-West Palm Beach.
But as transportation and communications technology have improved, more people are seeking medical care outside of their immediate communities.
Experts say the global medical tourism market is valued somewhere between $10 billion and $60 billion annually. The size of the industry in Florida is not clear.
One thing is certain: Health care providers in the Sunshine State already are drawing patients from other states and countries.
International patients, in particular, can be a boon. Many pay cash.
Forty percent of patients at the Lung Institute, a private pulmonary practice in Tampa, come from outside Florida, director of operations Lynne Flaherty said.
“We see patients from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia,” Flaherty said. “They come from Canada, the United Kingdom, the Philippines and South Africa, too.”
The Lung Institute helps patients book hotels and secure transportation.
The bills moving through the Legislature (SB 1150 and HB 1223) would require the state’s tourism marketing organization to beef up its promotional efforts.
The legislative proposal are also are establish a matching grant program encouraging local and regional economic development organizations to create targeted medical tourism marketing initiatives.
The price tag: $5 million from the state’s general revenue account for each of the next four years.
Other proposals would work in concert with the medical tourism bill. For example, both chambers are considering a bill that would expand access to telemedicine.
source: http://www.theledger.com / The Ledger / Home> News / By Kathleen McGrory – Times / Herald / Thursday – April 10th, 2014
