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Patients can save as much as 80 percent on procedures done by medical professionals often educated and trained in the United States at hospitals increasingly accredited for meeting U.S.-like standards.

An estimated 150,000 people traveled abroad last year for medical treatment, and the number is expected to double by 2010, said Josef Woodman, author of “Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody’s Guide to Affordable, World-class Medical Tourism.” Nearly half had medically necessary surgeries, such as hip replacements or spinal work, heart surgeries, even cancer treatment.

The book, released in March, tells how patients can save 25 percent to 75 percent on anything from LASIK eye repair to neurosurgery by traveling outside the United States.

Health-industry representatives said U.S. healthcare costs more, in part, because of skyrocketing medical-malpractice insurance and the higher wages and benefits paid to hospital workers.

Costs are high, said Woodman in a telephone interview, “because Americans demand from cradle to grave the most expensive treatment, the most extensive testing.”

He said the American healthcare system is “stuck” because insurance companies are dictating what can and can’t be covered, and consumers are unable to negotiate direct payment to providers.
A longtime surgeon and clinical professor for UC San Francisco’s Fresno-based medical education program, said that while he has been all over the world and knows there is great medical care available, he advises caution.

He said there are also plenty of Third World countries with hospitals and doctors that don’t meet U.S. guidelines and restrictions but offer huge discounts. Hospitals here have to meet certain standards, he said.

Those who choose to go abroad? “I think it is probably dangerous, and you are probably taking a risk with your life. I think you should find a way to get it done at the good hospitals in town,” Parks said.

Woodman has traveled abroad for his own care. He went to Costa Rica for dental work — a root canal, implants and follow-up care — after looking at several other countries. He said he saved about $2,000.

The key to a good experience, he said, is to do your homework, find out about the doctors, try to interview them beforehand, and then ask about success rates and find out about the facility. “If they don’t speak English, then move on.”

Interest in traveling abroad for medical treatment has spawned a new industry: medical tourism. Companies are playing the role of travel agent and medical-care coordinator and linking American patients with overseas hospitals for a fee.

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