Tag Archives: medical tourism

Medical Tourism ? Healthcare Facility Certification

Posted on August 19, 2011 | Comments Off on Medical Tourism ? Healthcare Facility Certification

People opting for medical tourism have to consider a lot of things before making their decision. Four of their major decisions to be taken are:

Which country to go to (India, Malaysia, Brazil, Hungary, Mexico, Bangkok etc.)
Which medical tourism facilitator to go with (if deciding to go with one in the first place)
Which Hospital to choose
Who is the right doctor for me

Today I am going to talk about the least discussed topic of them all – Which hospital to choose.

This is a very important decision so you don’t just want to leave this for Medical tourism facilitators or anyone else to decide. You need to do a lot of research on the healthcare facility that you are considering. One good measure is to check if the facility has International standards & certifications such as JCI (Joint Commission International). It’s not the end of the world if they don’t, but that’s a whole different topic in itself, which I will get into in my later blogs.

Today I wanted to clear a misconception that medical tourist have regarding certifications of healthcare facility. Because of the popularity of JCI, some medical tourists won’t consider any hospital without it. Though it’s a good idea to consider hospitals with international accreditations, know that JCI is not the only body in the world to have the highest standards for quality of healthcare.

Below, I have (1) a brief on some of the more common/popular accreditation organizations, (2) a list of other Accreditation organizations whose certifications are at par with them and (3) reasons why these other Accreditation organizations have equally good healthcare quality standards.

JCI (Joint Commission International)

JCI is the international arm of JACHO; a USA focused Accreditation for HealthCare Organizations. JCI is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides certification to hospitals, ambulatory care facilities, laboratories, and other health care organizations in the international community. Their main focus is to provide the highest quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction and have expertise in infection control, medication safety, facility safety, and accreditation standards compliance.

JCI is one of the most sort after accreditation by healthcare facilities internationally catering to Medical Tourists.

CCHSA or Accreditation Canada (Name changed in 2008)

Accreditation Canada is a not-for-profit organization in Canada that provides health organizations in Canada and Internationally with external peer review to assess the quality of their services based on standards of excellence.

ACHS International –

Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) in 2005 established ACHS International (ACHSI). ACHSI delivers accreditation and quality improvement programs for health care providers across the world..

Above are some of the organizations that many of the hospitals and clinics internationally are taking certifications from to prove that the facilities and standards provided by them are world class. In most of the countries where medical tourism is booming, hospitals and clinics are making sure they leave no stone unturned to attract international patients.

So why are healthcare facilities wanting certifications from only these organizations. What’s common among them?

Well they are all ISQua certified organizations. ISQua, The International Society for Quality in Health Care, is a non-profit, independent organization. ISQua works to provide services to guide health professionals, providers, researchers, agencies, policy makers and consumers, to achieve excellence in healthcare delivery to all people, and to continuously improve the quality and safety of care.

ISQua itself does not conduct surveys or give out certifications to healthcare facilities, but is an umbrella organization that accredits other organizations that provide certifications to healthcare facilities. ISQua standards are the highest in the industry and thereby making it the hardest to get. In fact worldwide there are currently only 17 organizations that are accredited by ISQua.

ISQua Accredited Organizations

American Association of Blood Banks, Accreditation and Quality Programme – AABB
Accreditation Canada
The Australian Council on Healthcare Standard – ACHS
Australian General Practice Accreditation Limited / Quality in Practice – QIP/AGPAL
Healthcare Accreditation Quality Unit, UK – CHKS-HAQU
Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa – COHSASA
Health Accreditation System of Instituto Colombiano de Normas Técnicas y Certificación, Co – ICONTEC
The Irish Health Service Accreditation Board – IHSAB
Joint Commission International, USA – JCI
Malaysian Society for Quality in Health – MSQH
Netherlands Institute for Accreditation in Healthcare – NIAZ
Quality Improvement Council and the QIC Accreditation Program, Australia – QIC
Taiwan Joint Commission on Healthcare Accreditation – TJCHA
Health and Disability Auditing New Zealand – HDANZ
Global-Mark Pty Ltd, Healthcare Certification Programme
Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency, Australia – ACSAA
Health Care Accreditation Council of Jordan – HCAC

Any healthcare facility having certifications from either of the organizations follows the highest international standards to cater to their patients.

So next time you come across a hospital, which is not JCI certified by does have one of the above certification, just remember a single body has approved them all, so they all have equally high standards. All you need to verify is whether the certifying organization is ISQua certified.

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Posted in Healthcare Service Providers, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Others, Reports,Features, Statistics

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Surgical Tourism

Posted on August 11, 2011 | Comments Off on Surgical Tourism

Surgery isn’t the first or even the last thing that comes to mind when you think tourism and vice versa. As misnomered as it may sound, but surgical tourism is what is happening in the health care industry today. Surgical tourism, also known as medical tourism, medical travel, health travel and health tourism, is traveling abroad for surgery.

So why would someone choose to go overseas for surgery?

The number one reason is because they can get huge discounts when compared to the price tags on surgeries at home. Surgical tourists claim to have saved from 50% to over 90%. Another reason revolves around the long wait-lists in countries like Canada and UK with public health care system. Some go for elective surgeries not covered by insurance.

Does low cost mean poor quality?

Check out pictures of some of the international hospitals catering to foreign patients at https://www.healthbase.com/hb/pages/hospitals_pl.jsp and you will notice how immaculate their 5-star hotel type facilities are. Their accreditations include those like JCI, JCAHO and ISO. Patients vouch for the personalized service they get. It’s not uncommon to see world-renowned surgeons at these international hospitals playing finger-magic behind the latest billion-dollar robotic machines.

So exactly how is such a miracle possible?

Well, that’s because in some countries like India, Thailand, Singapore, Turkey, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and others, the cost of labor when compared to the US, UK or Canada is lower. Plus, administrative costs and malpractice costs are also lower. These are the countries that are hot surgical tourism destinations.

Some of the surgeries that patients go overseas for…

Range from breast augmentation to Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery, and from lap band to triple cardiac bypass surgery. And it’s not just surgeries that people seek. Some go for therapeutic treatments and others for cancer treatments. Restorative and reparative treatments like LASIK are common and so are preventive check-ups and simple dental fix-ups.

Where is tourism in the picture?

While the primary motivation for most surgical tourists is affordable surgery, the opportunity to visit exotic destinations is an additional draw for some. You can plan to have a holiday during your visit to the foreign country before the surgery if your health permits or after the surgery if your surgeon permits.

How do I go about arranging my surgery abroad?

Getting surgery overseas is not even closely related to getting surgery at your local hospital but it can save you a ton of money. However, it involves careful research and planning. Begin by collecting more information about the trend of surgical tourism. You may start here: http://www.healthbase.com/resources/medical-tourism/medical-tourism-information. Read what others are saying about it. Educate yourself about the surgery desired. Do your due diligence in researching the various international hospitals and surgeons at the surgical destination you are interested in. Compare quotes from various providers and finalize one.

Many people find it useful to work with a surgical tourism provider that helps them with all the logistics of surgical tourism. Surgical tourism providers like Healthbase (http://www.healthbase.com) connect you with the hospital of your choice while providing many other related valuable services like detailed information about various procedures, detailed hospital profiles and surgeon profiles, medical records transfer, free surgery quote, pre- and post-consultation with the overseas hospital, feedback and testimonials from previous patients, medical and dental loan financing, passport and visa, airport pick-up and drop-off, hospital escort, tickets, travel insurance, hotel booking, tourism services in the destination country, etc.

You can learn more about the growing trend of surgical tourism, international healthcare facilities and surgeons, and the details of the surgical tourism process by logging on to http://www.healthbase.com. Healthbase.com is a surgical tourism facilitator committed to providing low-cost high quality medical travel services to the global medical consumer.

The author works for Healthbase which is a medical tourism facilitator connecting patients to leading hospitals around the world for low cost high quality surgical care in various categories including bariatric, orthopedic, cardiac, spinal, dental, cosmetic, laparoscopic, etc. To learn more, call 1-888-691-4584, email info.hb@healthbase.com, or visit http://www.healthbase.com.

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Posted in Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Medical Treatment/Health Treatment Subject By Speciality, Reports,Features, Statistics, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas

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Medical Tourism Packages

Posted on August 8, 2011 | Comments Off on Medical Tourism Packages

Whether the matters of health are pressing or not, one requires quality care in either of the situation. And, that quality needs to delivered fast so as to save the person from more frustration and possibly impending threat to life. Every living soul on planet earth is entitled to receiving the medical care that they might need without delays and having to shell out heavily for the treatment in question. But, many have and continue to go through these circumstances thus making it a rather disappointing affair. There’s a solution to everything and a definite one to this situation. The phenomenon of medical tourism has rescued millions of people from the hands of long standing illnesses, equally prolonging waiting times and the most important factor, huge medical bills. You might have traveled to various vacation destinations around the world. This time, travel for your health’s sake. The act of undertaking an overseas journey for medical purposes has been termed as health tourism Not a novel trend, the phenomenon has seen a gradual rise in the past few years as more and more are coming to terms with its advantages.

 

Staying in the US or UK, you would be paying ten times the cost for a medical procedure, but availing the same at a medical tourism hub saves you loads of money, literally. Powered by growing economies, technological advancements, scientific breakthrough and an overall improved standards of hygiene, various private hospitals are catering to the global medical tourist. It is not uncommon to find world-class infrastructure, state-of-the-art medical equipment, internationally-qualified and highly experienced professionals, well-trained nursing staff, luxury accommodation facilities, and an efficient administration. If you are contemplating undertaking international travel for medical purposes, it shouldn’t be a daunting task for you. Helping the same cause, there are many agencies and companies that bridge the gap between you and the hospital by providing necessary information, and even offering medical tourism packages The best way to go about medical tourism, speak to the local agency, get to know about the various possibilities, do a thorough research, make a background check for the medical center you intend to choose and satisfy yourself before you embark on the journey. Doing this exercise helps even the terribly skeptical people find satisfaction about their ultimate destination. Hospitals that are in the field of medical tourism are duly certified and have accreditation from Joint Commission International. Be it a simple consultation or complete treatment including hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, you may choose and pay for only what you have availed.

 

The medically uninsured or underinsured also find medical tourism to be a big boon. Imagine having to bear out-of-pocket expenses despite a decent insurance cover. There are many treatments that are not only super-expensive but are not covered by your insurance provider. For instance, anything related to the field of cosmetic services is never really covered by an insurance policy. Medical tourism lets you avail any medical service, be it elective or urgent, through afford able means. Here, you don’t need to specially set aside big savings for a treatment.

 

Medical tourism search engine offering users the ability to compare  cosmetic surgery and medical procedure costs and reputation from clinics and hospitals worldwide.

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Posted in Healthcare Service Providers, Medical Treatment/Health Treatment Subject By Speciality, Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas

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Healing Holidays – Medical Tourism at its best

Posted on August 6, 2011 | Comments Off on Healing Holidays – Medical Tourism at its best

For centuries, people have been traveling far and wide to be healed and yet today with all the information available at the fingertips, patients are still wary of trusting their health in the hands of a doctor thousands of miles away. However with the numbers of uninsured pegged at 47 million and the numbers of those not covered by dental insurance at 120 million, the medical scenario in US is grim with no end in sight.

Increasing medical costs and decreasing health benefits, is taking a heavy toll on those with either no insurance or a limited cover. At an age when health benefits are most sought, people struggle to stay healthy instead, for fear of rising medical bills. More often than not, the decision to stay healthy is taken right out of their hands and lands them in emergency rooms, where they are taken care of for the moment, but a lifetime of medical bills choke them to death. Even for those who live under a false security blanket that they are insured, having paid fat premiums all their productive years on the assurance that they will be provided quality health care when they need it the most, were in for a rude shock when news broke out that California Blue Cross, the state’s largest health insurance providers has been found guilty of systematically dropping policy holders, when they become sick or pregnant.

In a scenario like this, most often they are forced to seek out alternatives and one of the most attractive on the horizon in traveling to other countries, which promise the same medical attention if not better at 1/10th of the costs as in a hospital in the US. What however finally clinches the deal for the patient, to board the plane and travel 10,000 miles for the very first time in their lives, is a promise of a holiday in an exotic locale thrown in as part of the healing process.

The promise of a world class medical treatment at any of the Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals in India, China, Thailand, Philippines and others, an extended comfortable stay for the patient and a family member in hospital rooms which offer the luxuries of a five-star hotel room and the availability of a 24 hour registered nurse beats the odds out of treatments here. Besides the crippling costs, the hospitals budgeting needs here means shorter and shorter post-operative stays, which does not bode well with the elderly and the pregnant women.

Though over the last ten years, medical tourism in these countries is booming, thanks to half a million foreign patients to India alone till last year, there are still several millions who are hesitant to take the first step and research the information needed to put their mind and body at rest with the medical options available elsewhere. For those not so discerning patients, Global Health Care Facilitators have stepped in to find low cost, yet quality health care. One of the only three organizations promoting medical tourism here in the United States, Global HCF is just a click away from making a smooth transition to a hospital on foreign soil. The organization based in Cookeville and Nashville, Tennessee not only helps partner the patient with the right doctor, it also makes travel arrangements, takes care of accommodation and food with a consolidated bill at the end of a comfortable healing holiday.

To those cynics who believe in stories of botched surgeries floating around, Dr. Bill Thomas, the brain behind Global HCF, a seasoned traveler himself says that though life-saving medical procedures like heart surgeries, cancer treatment and elective surgeries like dental implants and cosmetic surgery cost as less at 1/10th of the costs of a procedure in the US, it is not because of a lack of expertise, rather a lack of malpractice suits and high administrative costs, which has crippled the health industry here. A surgery which would cost 50,000 dollars and above here in hospital charges alone can be performed for as less as 10,000 dollars all inclusive of medical costs and a holiday package, a realistic amount which can be put together with savings and loans. Global HCF takes care to see that they partner with JCI certified hospitals. In most cases the doctors have been trained in USA and in Europe and have impeccable career records, with less than one percent failure rates.

Countries like India which are actively promoting medical tourism are increasingly seeking JCI certification, to instill faith in the medical tourists coming to them, very well realizing that the publicity generated by one botched surgery could de-rail a burgeoning industry, expected to jump 30 percent every year. Besides the hospitals equipped with the latest medically advanced diagnostic equipments, Indian pharmaceutical companies too meet stringent requirements of the US Food and Drug administration. Medical advancements have meant that Indian doctors can now perform the hip re-surfacing surgery among others where the damaged bone is scraped away and replaced with chrome alloy, an operation which costs less and causes less post-operative trauma than the traditional hip replacement procedure done in the US.

To those who refuse to believe that anything could surpass the medical treatment available here in the US, there are statistics to show that the doctors in these developing countries, have far more expertise and a higher success rate in handling complicated life-saving surgeries, than the doctors here in the US, thanks just to the sheer volume of surgeries they handle on a daily basis. Besides in most cases, treatment here in the US is hardly an option for those with little or no insurance. In such a scenario, if traveling to an exotic destination would mean that they can be healed and lead a productive life post-surgery, instead of wasting away for want of expensive, medical care, then it certainly seems worth taking that one chance.

About the Author:


Vijaya Nadar freelance career started as soon as her daughter was born when going back to her full-time journalism career did not seem like a good option anymore. Ms. Nadar started writing for a syndicated agency in India, started by a retired journalist himself. Through that agency she has had articles published in several states in India, UK, Canada and the Middle-East.


Vijaya is presently contributing to newspapers here in the Unites States and community publications specializing in the medical field. In the last ten years of writing she has covered several issues including the medical field, legal issues, environmental issues, and women’s issues.


Vijaya now lives in the United States and has extensive ties to her community both here in the Unites States and in India.

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Posted in Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism

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How to choose a right destination for medical tourism

Posted on August 4, 2011 | Comments Off on How to choose a right destination for medical tourism

International health travelers planning medical travel abroad have to decide where to go for health care. There is a big deal of medical directories, different associations, societies and et cetera registered all over the world which are competing in helping to find the best place for treatment oversees and promoting particular countries, hospitals and providers.

 

The problem is that such helpers have as a rule no legal obligations, and approaches used are not always convincible, appropriate and efficient.

 

It remains a big challenge for medical traveler to find a trusted source for reliable online health information about the right destination for medical care including evidence-based medical information, quality reports, certification or accreditation, mortality data, infection rates, performance data and to protect himself from misleading health information.

 

Recognizing that European citizens are avid consumers of health related information on the Internet and recognizing that the difficulties by evaluating of medical information available, the European Council at Feira on June 19-20 2000 supported an initiative within eEurope 2002 and as a result Quality Criteria for Health Related Websites were developed in widespread consultation with representatives of private and public eHealth websites and information providers, other industrial representatives, public officials, and representatives of government departments, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

These criteria consist of 6 major points and should be applied in addition to relevant Community law:

 

Transparency and Honesty Authority Privacy and data protection Updating of information Accountability Accessibility

 

Health On the Net Foundation from Swiss /www.hon.ch/, one of most respected not-for-profit portals to medical information on the Internet, established its code of ethical conduct which is based on Quality Criteria for Health Related Websites of the European Council.

 

We recognize the HONcode as a minimal requirement for any health related websites and websites dealing with medical tourism as well. Any patient looking for medical care abroad is advised to check the present of the the HONcode on the website of provider or facilitator of health services. It is the start but not enough for choosing a right destination.

 

That is why the Institute for Cross-Border Health Care (Homepage: www.meditravel-plus.com) established guidelines with the aim to help international health travelers to choose a right destination for medical travel and to assist individuals in making more informed health and healthcare decisions. These guidelines can be consistently used by international health travelers planning medical travel abroad.

 

Institute for Cross-Border Health Care guidelines on general principles of destination evaluation for medical care:

 

1. Not rely on advertising but critically analyze and check statistics, medical data bases and not at the least use your own common sense. 

 

2. Be aware of the fact that some destinations have not only price advantages but of course some disadvantages as well. The quality of overseas hospitals and providers remains the most important and controversial issue.

 

3. Be sure that a destination where you are going to medical treatment is able to fulfill and satisfy all requirements needed according to US and EU standards to health care.

 

4. Pay attention at the provision of healthcare, life expectancy and maternal mortality ratio according to Mortality Country Fact Sheet of WHO (World Health Organization) within the country advertising itself as an attractive destination for medical travel. 

 

5. Be aware of possibility of outbreak of pandemic as a result of poor hygiene conditions over the inhabitants

 

6. Consult health care data of a country in question and try to understand, whether or not it is worthy to go there and whether the services of the local medical provider could be trusted of. For more information it could be useful for medical tourists to visit the website of WHO: www.who.int/countries, which is available now in 6 international languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish.

 

7. Pay attention at the fact which total expenditure on health as % of Gross Domestic Product a destination country has and try to learn whether the destination country is able to provide health care for its own citizens, including doctors and medical stuff of the hospitals. 

 

8. Try to learn whether legal procedures, law medical standards comply with US and European law

 

9. Be informed of responsibility for clinical oversight with the country of treatment and check legal status of providers

 

10. Be certain that the transfer of your medical records to and from facilities outside your home country is consistent with USA and EU guidelines and local follow-up care could be coordinated

 

11. Be informed of your rights and legal recourse, complaint proceduresin the case of undesirable outcomes prior to agreeing to travel outside your country for medical care

 

12. Be certain that you could resort to the legal process and obtain remedies in case of complication and should anything go wrong. So you can avoid an increased risk and uncalculated spending

 

13. Inform yourself about general agenda as domestic security, terrorism and political instability  

 

14. Inform yourself about the prevalence of the corruption in Public and Other Institutions, which could infect local hospitals and health care in general. For more information about Bribe payer index and Global Corruption Barometer, please consult the website of Transparency International:www.transparency.org. The information about corruption is available in 7 international languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

 

15. Inform yourself about circulation of faked medication. Particularly in the developing world some countries praised in advertising as medical travel destinations are supposed and proved to be the centers of faked medication production.

 

16. Try to understand that a variety of different factors could result that the price you pay for affordable and chip surgery would be in the end very big. And it is not only about the money. In our globalized world it is difficult sometimes to compete well with chip prices. But chip medical services could always be not good nor has a good quality.

 

17. Be aware about differences in nutritional habits, religious practices, family interactions and other customs

 

18. Be informed aware of standards of clinical excellence, pre and post operative care, levels of English spoken and medical training, cultural and language barriers

 

 

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Posted in Health /Medical Treatment For Overseas Treatment, Healthcare Service Providers, Medical Tourism/Health Tourism, Top Tips (all), Travelling For Surgery Abroad / Medical Surgery Overseas

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