Medical Tourism Wikipedia
Medical tourism or medical travel, is the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental, and surgical care. The term was initially coined by travel agencies and the media as a catchall phrase to describe a rapidly growing industry where pe
Asking what is the best choice for medical tourism and medical travel is similar to asking ten people what is the best flavour of ice cream . Some of course is personal presence and preference / preferences . Other considerations are budget , location , time available to travel. Next is what is the procedure – some countries and hospitals / medical clinics / facilitates may be better suited or have more expertise , or chosen expertise in a given area of medicine and procedures.
As with most things in life – there is no one best answer .
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Myringotomy Ear Surgery in India at Jaslok Health Group through Medical Tourism Myringotomy Ear Surgery in India is done at Jaslok Health Group under skilled surgeons who have acquired certification from best medical institution through out the world. Surgeons and physicians have served in overseas and are qualified in their precise field...
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Posted on 19 September 2008 in Uncategorized by admin
What is interesting to note is that even the medical insurance industry has now stepped into the act of evaluation , promotion and use of medical tourism both as a cost saving and queue shortening procedure..
Some will say that the basic tactic and reputation of insurance companies is to gladly accept insurance premiums while trying to shirk or avoid payouts. While this is not true, it is true that as if with any business profitability is key. Thus any cost savings or reductions are highly powered for any insurance provider or company due to its very powerful effect on the bottom line. Any cost savings are money earned for the firm. The one major concern to medical insurance providers who utilize medical tourism in an effort to save costs is prevention of any additional costs – whether it is for additional therapy when the patient returns home and has problems, or even of lawsuits. For patients themselves it can be a nightmare. The foreign medical care may be protected first by actual geographic and cost logistics, their legal and / or medical system and the costs of conducting legal actions in the far away foreign country. As a result the first actions of unhappy or ill treated medical tourists who have been sent for far away medical care by their health care insurance company is to seek redress from their insurance provider.
As a result health care insurance companies have shied away from using medical tourism and medical tourist facilities – at least until the cost structure more than justified it.
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Posted on 14 September 2008 in Uncategorized by admin
To many overseas , or even in Canada , the concept of not being provided with medical care – uninsured or not insured , or not being able to afford medical care may sound unlikely or even preposterous. Yet it is the sad fact for many in the United States. On top of that health care costs themselves in the U.S. compared to other places are relatively much higher. This is said to be the result of many causes – not one in themeselves. It costs money to run a business – especially in the states. Doctors not only have to be paid relatively large pay scales compared to the U.K., Europe and Canada and yet their costs are not small . Doctors have to pay substantial costs for health care insurance due to the plague or almost an industry of lawsuits against them. It is said that having 2 lawyers in a town increases the total costs of legal services and total services used immensely . Imagine a whole industry based on seeking lawsuits against medical practitioners. Its defensive medical system at its finest. On top of that add other costs – costs of modern equipment , running a hospital often with unionized staff . On more point is the cost of administration – both in the medical insurance plans and companies for administration and non payment and collection of bills to doctors.
What is interesting is that even though patients and health care consumers in other countries with socialized or public health care believe all in all that their healthcare is “free” even though they may be subsidizing it greatly with tax dollars either specifically collected for that purpose or from general tax accounts – from say gasoline taxes or income taxes.
Even though these citizens may be astounded that someone in America will gladly pay for medical treatment in their countries the actual consumer may see it as a tremendous bargain and value when all costs are counted up. Its similar to a Canadian citizen making a special trip to farwaway Texas or Florida to purchase a automobile to bring it back to Canada. Even though the car may be manufactured in Canada under free trade Nafta rules when it is all said and done they may be greatly ahead in the bargain – even when including travel as well as other costs. To boot they even get a sort of vacation away from home during the cold Canadian winter. The Canadian car industry may not like it , however you cannot “have your cake and it too”. If these local north american industries wish to benefit from the economies of scale that a free larger market provides for , they cannot pick and choose what rules and procedures they wish to follow and which they don’t. The only people in the equation who may be perplexed may well be the customs officers at the Canadian border who when finding that even when the rules are followed , they cannot stop the process. It is all perfectly legal and proper. If the customs agent was not suave enough to use those same rules – and even contacts to obtain a similar bargain that is their issue and not one of the thorough and determined modern consumer.
<p><a href=’http://www.pressreleasepoint.com/nip-and-tuck-solutions-take-price-medical-tourism-down-under’>Nip and Tuck Solutions take the price of Medical Tourism Down …</a> – This is the age of affordable international travel and with it has come the rise of medical tourism and healthcare. Nip and Tuck Solutions Australia has seen a dramatic increase in demand for Medical tourism services for Australian …</p> <p><a href=’http://www.groundreport.com/article.php?articleID=2872902&offset=2′>GroundReport | Malaysia | Medical Tourism an extra advantage to …</a> – As healthcare becomes increasingly expensive, savvy patients are now looking to Medical Tourism as a cost-effective alternative to receiving medical treatment and Malaysia stands out to be the best option available. …</p> <p><a href=’http://malaysiahotelnews.blogspot.com/2008/11/medical-tourism-feeling-slight-pain.html’>Malaysia Hotel News: Medical tourism feeling slight pain from turmoil</a> – Mahkota Medical Centre Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Francis Lim was of the view that Malacca could gain from the slowdown. “We may benefit as we still have price advantage over Singapore … unless Singapore adjusts their prices …</p> <p><a href=’http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-danger-of-medical-tourism.html’>The Danger of Medical Tourism!</a> – What can appear to be an attractive and relatively cheap prospect for those considering some form of plastic surgery, can often turn into an expensive nightmare. The perils of medical tourism. The Danger of Medical Tourism!.</p> <p><a href=’http://medicalnewstodayblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/wellpoint-pilot-program-will-provide.html’>Medical News Today: WellPoint Pilot Program Will Provide Coverage …</a> – “It allows the customers to have choice,” Hashmi said, adding, “Certainly the cost difference is striking enough for some procedures.” According to the Star, the proliferation of medical tourism programs like WellPoint’s could “create …</p> <p><a href=’http://indolac.wordpress.com/2008/11/25/medical-tourism-to-india-all-expenses-paid/’>Medical Tourism to India, All Expenses Paid</a> – In January, Serigraph Inc., a West Bend, Wis., manufacturer, will become the first US company of any size to embrace medical travel or medical tourism, offering employees the option of having certain nonemergency operations, …</p>
Global economic recession: A blessing for Indian medical tourism ... - According to Ankur Bharti, consultant, Technopak Health, cost-cutting would be the main growth driver for the country’s medical tourism this year. “Cost-cutting would be the main reason why more international patients would come to ...
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>The impacts of medical tourism – traveling long distances away from home to obtain medical care – which more and more is not about obtaining medical procedures that are not available at home , or seeking improved quality of medical care but in most cases either finding a way of economically “jumping the cue”orreducing the costs of treatment or therapy dramatically.
The cost differential of treatment abroad may only be a portion of the costs of the same procedures at home.To this end not only is it a case of cosmetic elective surgery but rather that insurance companies are coming up with the realization that even after travel costs they are far ahead inmost financial accountings.There are issues and other costs true – what of follow-ups in cases of complications and downright negligence true.
However if one is to look at the system in a cold hearted financial sense the insurance companies are still light years ahead – in terms of output costs.In addition these complications and mishaps can be reduced through basic research and inquiries into medical systems and procedures and using well known accredited institutions.
To this point some major health care insurance providers are actually promoting medical tourism to the customers – even to the point of setting up programs , marketing programs and departments to promote , market as well as facilitate the logistics and follow through to the customers and their providers of medical care.It would appear to be a win / win situation for all.
Yet this is not always the case.Medical care and medical care costs in the states and E.U. is driven by both demand and costs.True with medical tourism the demand for medical care and services back home may be reduced. Yet medical tourism at the moment is only scratching the surface. Even the most aggressive of medical insurers estimate that in the range of only 1 to 2 % of their procedures afforded are being serviced overseas via medical tourism.
Yet in the case of the American medical system this small group serves to subsidize the medical system as a whole – providing an essential source of funds to keep the system going and in effect subsidize the health care of those less fortunate, in financial terms, but very demanding overall on the health care system – the aged, the elderly and the poor.
In the end result the demand for health care – the demand side of the supply/demand model will not diminish much.But funding which both funds the system and provides for economies of scales in the health care system will.
Thus while some may benefit from medical tourism,and the insurance companies of health care may benefit from reduced costs – in the end the medical system as a whole as well as the quality of care afforded and provided for may well decrease as well as diminish.
- The Washington Post reports on the potential disadvantages of medical tourism. When things go badly after an overseas operation, a patient may be left facing a host of challenges: lack of access to follow-up care at home; ...
- Potential Disadvantages of Medical Tourism. Laws vary from country to country about liability for surgical mistakes. Some patients who experience problems when obtaining procedures in foreign countries report that the medical provider’s ...
- The practice of seeking medical treatment overseas is commonly known as medical tourism. To entice those to participate in medical tourism, insurance companies must reduce the risk of medical malpractice by ensuring these medical ...
- A big reduction in cost is one of the main reasons why US insurance companies are allowing their patients to receive medical care in countries such as Costa Rica, Singapore, and Australia. Of course there are obvious disadvantages such ...
- medical tourism may be defined as seeking healthcare outside one’s own country. this is becoming more common as people search for affordable healthcare. in the us, patients travel to countries that perform the procedure they need for a ...
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