Wales .... the latest medical tourism destination for patients from the United States?

A recent news on CNN attracted my interest when presented a patient U.S. that traveled to Wales (United Kingdom) for breast surgery to save money. It was titled "' I can't afford surgery in the United States, ' says bargain shopper". Is an interesting story that shows how the media can sometimes put a viewpoint on a story to create news, but it does highlight some real opportunities for suppliers of medical tourism.

The story (see CNN video) tells us about Godfrey Davies, an American, who needed surgery of sinusitis. He tells how he "planned on a mission to find a surgeon accessible" and was shocked by the costs that he was going to incur in the United States. The story was picked up by a multitude of other web sites that took it at face value.

If you see the video, you get an impression. If you dig a little deeper, you really begin to understand the full story and where this patient fits within medical tourism market.

As a Brit, I found a bit strange when I viewed the video. My first impression? Here is a story about a guy American travel all the way to the Wales for surgery .... Why would he do this? And why Wales? But then I dug deeper. He was indeed a story about someone who started life as a "dude Welsh", became a guy "American" and went home for an operation. There is a track on your behalf (Davies ... is a Welsh surname) and your accent a little weird (is a Welsh accent). Godfrey comes from Wales. Is where your family lives. It is a United Kingdom and bearer of a U.S. passport. He married an American and became a u.s. citizen in 2002. He didn't have health insurance in the United States because he believes that the prize of $ 1000 per month in quotation marks is very large. He says that "with the relief and health, I would have to pay more in more than three and a half months than back home to Wales."

So what medical tourism companies learn from this story?

Firstly, don't take News at their nominal value. Sometimes there is a logic behind a news story that the media does not expose always fully. Can do less interesting news. In this case, it is understandable that a weight (as opposed to an American) can choose the Wales as a medical tourism destination.

Secondly, it highlights that one of the key factors in why people Select medical tourism destinations. Godfrey Davies chose Wales because it is an excellent game cultural, there is no problem of language for him and he feels 100% safe there. And it's cheap!

Godfrey went to the hospital in Bancyfelin Werndale IMC, Carmarthenshire. Is part of BMI Healthcare, a leading provider of independent healthcare with almost seventy hospitals and clinics throughout the country. To give another example, I myself had a total knee replacement in a hospital healthcare BMI near London, BMI Clementine Churchill Hospital. How much would it cost for the replacement of the knee in an American hospital? $ 50000. How much it cost me in the United Kingdom? £ 10000 all-in ($ 15000). The price of United Kingdom is cheaper than Korea ($ 17.800) and not far prices that Americans pay in countries such as Thailand ($ 12000) and Singapore ($ 10.800). Taking into account the cultural and language match and the lowest cost of travel, if you were an American destination would you choose?

Thirdly, it is a great example of the kind of American tourists doctors that some companies of medical tourism should be target .... people from their own country. Thus, the opportunity for a greater and more realistic u.s. Korea medical tourism providers based is more likely to be Korean Americans. Target the easy victory, if you want to succeed.

Fourthly, it supports the argument that the United Kingdom may actually be a medical attractive tourism destination for patients of the United States. Despite the different accent, there is no language barrier! There is a public health system that delivers excellent results. And there is a system of private hospital which already offers treatment for patients from all over the world who travel to the United Kingdom for access to quality health care and expertise. And. .... as demonstrated Godfrey Davies, you can save a huge amount of money on UK prices.

As the cost of special treatment in the United Kingdom?

In addition to treatment abroad, also we are UK several health information sites. One is Private Healthcare UK. He will tell you everything you need to know about the particular treatment in the United Kingdom.

If you want to know which particular treatment costs UK go to private hospital treatment-what does it cost? and select an operation.

And if you're an American (or weight) and intends to follow in the footsteps of Godfrey Davies, you can obtain a quotation for UK surgery by filling in the enquiry form for the treatment of private hospital, UK.

Marketing, recession of medical tourism

There are conflicting opinions about how the global financial crisis is affecting medical tourism. The views expressed by such organizations as the medical tourism association is the "....with the economy and the credit crisis, more people are waking up and paying attention (medical tourism). "

The harsh reality can be a little different. BusinessWeek reports that "... Read some medical tourism hotspots, formerly flourishing hospitals are seeing empty beds. " The MD of Parkway hospitals in Singapore, "hopes that the numbers of foreign patients to stabilize after dropping 10 per cent".

If the credit crisis encourages more people to consider that if travelling abroad for treatment remains to be seen. People are short of money, you can't lend and are delaying expenses with purchase of housing, cars and other large expenses. Healthcare is not immune to this. Although the last global recession, was less affected, the more likely it is that people who may have considered medical tourism may decide to postpone your expenses.

Areas most affected are those "non-urgent", discretionary treatments such as cosmetic surgery. In countries where medical tourism is influenced by waiting lists, patients can decide endure for free treatment on your own, instead of going for the treatment of paid for immediately available elsewhere. In the US, the story might be different, as the financial crisis puts pressure on health insurers and employers to find ways to cut growing health care costs.

The simple answer is that nobody knows yet how the financial crisis will affect medical tourism. But it is better to be prepared.

So, here are our recommendations for marketing in a recession medical tourism (... these and they also will pay all, if there is an increase of. follow).

And there are no excuses to give treatment services abroad a plug!

1. its activities to target
There are many hospitals, clinics and medical tourism operators out there that do not have a clearly defined service strategy. Which service I am selling, in which markets and what demographic data? Now is the time to think this through and clearly identify your niche market.

2. Maximize the return on marketing investment.
Measure the return on investment across all marketing activities. And invest in those that generate results:

Investing on the Web, because it is the only area of expenditure, where you can measure the profitability and easily track your marketing budget. Use (PR). Is a low-cost manner and effectively promote their services to patients in other countries. (Become a client of treatment abroad and we'll give you our free guide to generate coverage of PR)! Take advantage of free web promotion. Send your news articles for treatment Abroad, (is a feed for medical tourism – your news News Google approved will get indexed by Google in time, if published).

3. improve your conversion rate
Web surveys and Turn more prospects into paying patients and customers. If somebody bothered to complete an enquiry form for your service, then you probably did the same for some of its competitors. Respond faster and better respond with a reply informative, personalized and high quality. (Become a client of treatment abroad and we'll give you our free guide to managing IP)!

4. Generate referral business
Passed patients are one of the best sources of future patients. 20% of tourists who travel to medical treatment have been recommended by a friend or relative.

Give a voucher discount "recommend a friend" that their patients passed can give a friend or relative. Generate word of mouth recommendations, encourage patients to contribute to reviews sites such as medical tourism Ratings and analysis.

5. be brave!
Don't cut your marketing budget. In a recession, the strong survive. Use the opportunity to take market share from competitors who are less well equipped and poorly prepared to deal with a recession.

Do not cut their prices because you think it will bring you more business. Think about where you can add value to your service offering to give yourself a competitive advantage and focus on customer care and quality of service.

Placed above into practice. Then, if we see an increase or decrease sharply .... you'll be on the winning side!

How many medical tourists exist?

There has always been speculation about the true number of medical tourists traveling in the United Kingdom for treatment abroad.

We've just completed the first ever desk doctor search providers and came up with some interesting data about medical tourism market. The treatment abroad Medical tourism Survey 2007 (http://www.treatmentabroad.net/), reveals that more than 50000 people traveled abroad for treatment in the past year and spent $ 161 million in medical tourism. The number of medical tourists increased 25% during the 12 months and will continue to grow over the next 6-12 months.

Dentistry is the most popular service with dental treatments as crowns, dental implants, bridges and veneers leading the way. Over 20000 Brits travel abroad to teeth, spending around £ 2500 each, with an estimated market value of over £ 50 million per year.

Cosmetic surgery is a close second with about 14500 patients traveling outside the United Kingdom. Breast augmentation, liposuction, Tummy tuck and lifting are popular choices. patients spend approximately £ 3500 each, creating an estimated market size of 50 million pounds.

The most common types of elective surgery for patients travelling abroad are hip replacement, knee replacement, removal surgery and laser eye cataracts, with about 10000 patients spend $ 37 million in 2007.

Dental Tourism ...Let's work together

The Irish Dental Association is the body of medical professionals the latest to publish a "lifting" raising doubts about medical tourism.

In a recent press release from Irish dental Association, they claim that "3 of every 4 Irish dentists are sick of treatment for problems resulting from the treatment abroad. Let's take a look at the background for the search and examine some of the real concerns that are generated.

The Consumers ' Association of Ireland published research on the high costs of dental treatment in Ireland. The Irish Dental Association accepts that Irish dentists are not immune to the general economy and the result is that Ireland is an economy of high cost. As a result, a significant number of Irish travel dental patients and treatment to minimize the costs of treatment. Some of these are tourists dental borders. Many services carried out in Northern Ireland are between 25% and 45% cheaper than the same services in the Republic, according to the study published in the consumers ' Association of Ireland magazine Consumer choice. And of course, many Irish patients take advantage of low-cost treatment in countries such as Hungary and Poland. Various providers of dental treatment of Budapest have offices or representatives of the Republic of Ireland.

According to the Irish Dental Association survey, 76% of Irish dentists in private practice [more than 3 of 4] had to treat patients for problems related to dental treatment you received abroad.
First, we need to examine the basis for this claim.

There are approximately 1700 dentists in private practice in Ireland at the moment. Dentists Irish 440 responded to the survey. 334 said they are treating problems resulting from the treatment abroad. Then .... actually 334 1700 said they were seeing problems that is 20%. Of course, this assumes that those who didn't bother aren't seeing problems.

When analyzing these surveys conducted by or on behalf of professional associations, we must bear in mind the following:

Sample inbuilt bias: Who sees a problem are more likely to respond to a survey on this issue, than those who don't. We've seen similar bias built in surveys conducted by a PR Agency on behalf of the British Association of plastic surgeons. Motivation: You must always remember that professional associations represent the interests of its members. Lose patients to Belfast or Budapest reaches the pockets of private dentists.

However, .... the Irish Dental Association has made some valid points. There are concerns for dental patients traveling to treatment? Yes. The problems are as great as the Irish Dental Association suggests. Not.

At the end of the day, the Irish Dental Association also has the best interests of the Irish dental patients at heart. Dr Donal Blackwell Irish dental Association says that one of the problems is that when one considers that moving abroad for dental treatment, patients tend to concentrate on short-term, aesthetic results instead of long-term quality of care they receive, and suggests that people who move abroad for dental treatment really don't know what they need when they find out about costs. He is certainly right in some cases.

So what is the solution and what is in the best interest of dentists and patients?

I'd like to see the following:

The Irish Dental Association have guidelines for dentists and patients to consider dental tourism. See Checklist dental tourism UK General dental Council concerning treatment abroad. Irish Dentists providing assessment and follow up of patients travelling abroad for treatment. Irish Dentists visiting some dentists abroad to gain an understanding of how they work and their clinical skills and quality. Irish Dentists, forming partnerships with dentists abroad, so that patients who require extensive treatment but can't afford treatment Irish have access to the treatment they need under the supervision of your dentist. Dentists abroad communicating with the patient's dentist Irish when a patient is in Budapest or Krakow-informing the patient's dentist Irish that work is to be undertaken and provide treatment of post reports about the work that was performed.

Common sense really. So let's work together!

What can learn medical tourism recessions?

How will the medical tourism sector fare in a global recession that affects everything from house prices for sales of cars for polar bears and dog ownership!

If unemployment in the Western world rises to record levels in the coming year, is this good news or bad news for the health sector?

Good news comes in a recent analysis of McKinsey. According to McKinsey in recessions, u.s. consumers changed their spending priorities instead of cutting all expenses across the Board. Discretionary expenditure in areas such as dining out, personal care products and charitable donations fell. But the cost of groceries, books, insurance, education and healthcare in fact rose.

See the analysis McKinsey-industry trends in recessions.

However .... in comparison with 1990/1991 and 2000/01 recession we face now could be much, much worse. In the United Kingdom, there are early indications that discretionary expenditure on private education and, more relevant, private self paid surgery is being affected.

It remains to be seen if those with less money in your Pocket will be attracted by the low cost of treatment abroad and, if the credit crisis stimulates new demand for medical tourism.

Cosmetic surgery abroad under fire from UK press

Medical tourism growth is to attract more attention to issues such as the quality of treatment, the accreditation of surgeons and dentists, hospitals and clinics.

The British Association of aesthetic plastic surgeons this week launched an attack "patched cosmetic work" undertaken by surgeons abroad, based on a "study" of 36 plastic surgeons in the UK who reported having to fix surgery carried out abroad. The "study" resulted in headlines like these:

Recently, dental tourism was also criticised, the British Dental Health Foundation, resulting in headlines like this:

Now .... you have to keep in mind the reasons of the British Association of aesthetic plastic surgeons and other professional associations in the disclosure of these issues. They and their PR agencies represent the interests of the United Kingdom surgeons, dentists and medical professionals. Is bad for your business if people start to travel for treatment!

Let's give the "story of dentist dishonest". The British dental Health Foundation reported that there was "a significant increase in calls to its line of support from people who have had bad experiences of dental tourism". In fact, they receive about 40 calls per month on medical tourism 3500 calls in total. Of 40 calls, 5 are reporting problems or who are unhappy with the treatment of patients. And, given the growth of medical tourism, you can expect an increase ....

The history of the British Association of aesthetic plastic surgeons is based on a study of 36 Members.

"Half surgeons who participated in a survey has seen at least" somewhat more "repair work than last year, while a third came to repair" much more "works as an increasing number of British opt for cheap surgery abroad"

Since the number of plastic surgery procedures in the UK increased by 40% last year and medical tourism based on cosmetic surgery probably increased by around 100%, you might expect there to be more visa problems?

In treatment abroad, we are pursuing several initiatives to combat such criticisms and promote the concept of medical tourism. Our current search medical tourism experiences of treatment abroad is one of these initiatives.

Another initiative is the development of a "code of practice for medical tourism." You can find out more about what we are trying to achieve on the page of the code of conduct for treatment abroad.

Prospects for medical tourism in 2010

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Before looking forward to 2010, let's look back and assess where medical tourism is now. So, was 2009 a good year for medical tourism? In 2009, we heard medical tourism “experts” across the world continue to talk up the potential for medical tourism without any sound basis in reality. It’s in the interests of some within the industry to boost the profile of medical tourism and frankly to exaggerate its potential. But whereas some industry pundits talk in tens or hundreds of thousands of patients, others talk in millions.

These over optimistic forecasts have in themselves created a burgeoning medical tourism industry and a flurry of market entrants who may find that the going gets tough in 2010. Much of the current medical tourism sector has been built on hype rather than solid foundations. “In the land of the blind, the one eyed man is King” said Erasmus, and this has certainly been true in medical tourism.

Reality bites.... in the UK
The medical tourism sector is (a) not immune to recession and (b) is not going to thrive in a recession. The argument that people are more likely to look for low cost treatment overseas if money is tight just doesn’t stack up. How has the recession affected self paid treatment in a mixed healthcare economy such as the UK? The number of patients paying cash for elective surgery such as hip and knee replacements and the discretionary spend on cosmetic surgery is down 20% over the last 12 months. And the missing 20% are not going abroad because it’s cheaper. They are hanging on to their money, delaying treatment or deciding to spend their money on more essential outgoings.

Reality bites.... in the USA
For many new entrants to the market, the USA is seen as the “golden goose” of medical tourism. It depends what you read and who you believe. Compare these predictions and numbers:

For 2008

For the future

“23 million Americans could be traveling for medical tourism in 2017.” (Medical Tourism Association – Sep 2009). Recession adjusted forecast: 1.62 million medical tourists in 2012. (Deloitte Medical Tourism Update – Oct 2009)

Is either of these future predictions anywhere near the mark? What might be the factors influencing an upward or downward trend:

Obama... the President who may change the way that the USA funds healthcare. And he’s making progress. Universal healthcare coverage in whatever final form it takes pushes medical tourism to the margins.... which is where it is in most developed countries. People do and will travel for treatment but it will always be a small minority wherever they are. Insurers, employers, HMOS’s..... We’re still a very long way from seeing funders of healthcare make a significant move towards using medical travel as a way of reducing healthcare costs. Will it happen? Yes... but slowly and at the margins. The recession isn’t over.... and it isn’t going away anytime soon. In both the US and Europe, unemployment levels hit 10% in December 2009. American workers have been unemployed an average of 29 weeks, the highest ever recorded since the data was tracked from 1948 onwards. Americans are visiting their physicians less, reducing the number of drugs they pay for. They are reducing their level of care. But as with the UK, large numbers are not offsetting this by pursuing lower cost options overseas.

According to a report in USA Today this month, medical tourism is number nine in the top ten travel trends for 2010 in the USA. According to USA Today, the three drivers are:

More coverage of overseas medical care by major U.S. insurers. An increase in individual insurance policies that typically carry a high deductible. A marketing push by companies that combine travel and medical services.

But will these drivers drive significant growth in the USA or elsewhere in the world?

Some, but only a few, insurers will provide coverage....but will patients actually want to travel? There may well be an increase in deductibles....but will patients be able to afford to “top up” their healthcare anywhere....in their home country or overseas. Companies may well increase their marketing spend and may increase public awareness a little....but what we don’t have in medical tourism is a “big player”, a company that’s prepared to risk hundreds of thousands of dollars/pounds/euros in bring medical tourism to the masses.

So... is it medical tourism boom or bust in 2010?

Neither. Medical tourism is not the Holy Grail that will save holiday destinations around the world who are already suffering from the “let’s stay at home” effect of the credit crunch? It’s not the easy win for hospitals and clinics who have been adopting the “if we build it, they will come” approach. The reality is that we will see growth in the long term.....growth where medical tourism makes sense and not at the exponential rates that some have predicted.

The good news (for medical tourism) from the economic downturn is that every Western government is going to be under pressure to cut public expenditure and that usually means cuts in healthcare provision. Let’s take the UK as an example. The UK government knows that it cannot afford to fund the healthcare system as it has in the past. The UK national debt in 2010 is 72% of Gross Domestic Product; ten years ago, it was 33% of GDP. In Ireland, the Irish government unveiled one of the most severe budgets in the Republic's history embracing cuts in public expenditure across the board.

In many countries, the pressure on public funding of healthcare will be greater than ever before. In the long term, an ageing population demanding more healthcare and pressure on healthcare budgets will mean more patients funding their own care and looking at overseas treatment as a serious option. And that means there’s an opportunity for medical tourism.

Regional healthcare not global healthcare
In truth, there has never been a global healthcare market, and it’s unlikely that there will be one in the near future....unless, of course we:

Invent an aircraft that can cut flight times by several hundred percent without increasing flight costs and global warming! Unlikely. Convince disparate healthcare systems worldwide to standardize the way they treat patients. It isn't going to happen. Get doctors in different countries to work together in providing continuous care for an individual patient (or at least talk to each other!). Some hope here, perhaps....

Where does medical travel really work...and happen? Across borders....from one neighbouring country to enough....within rather than between continents. However in need of treatment they are, and however desperate they are to save money, the number of patients who are prepared to board a plane and fly for eight hours plus to a different country with a different language and culture is minimal. It’s medical tourism at the margins. And it’s medical tourism that puts patients at risk through combining surgical procedures with long flights.

Patient flows in medical tourism follow low cost airline routes with short flight times or cross border land routes. Americans flying or driving South for surgery, Brits traveling to Budapest for dental treatment, the Japanese heading West to Korea for cosmetic surgery, the Indonesians travelling to Malaysia and Singapore, Central Africans heading for South Africa and so on.

The competition is going to get hotter
With medical tourism numbers failing to live up to the inflated predictions, we may now be faced with too few patients for too many providers. Those who have come to the market in the last twelve months are going to wonder where all the promised patients are. The simple laws of supply and demand mean increased competition. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that prices will plummet. Only the foolish will drop prices to attract patients. Consumers don’t opt for the cheapest when it comes to making healthcare decisions. Yes, they want to save money, but cheapest implies low, quality, risk...all those things that medical tourists are trying to avoid. Added value, customer service, creating new business from existing or past customers will all become important in differentiating your business, and attracting new patients.

New models for medical tourism?
The credit crunch, increasing competition, the slow growth in patient numbers (if we see any growth at all in the near future) will encourage new approaches to medical tourism. We’ve seen the Hungarian “dental tent” come to the UK, and we hear that cruise ship medical tourism is on the agenda of the European Medical Travel Conference. And perhaps in 2010, we may see the serious adoption and exploitation of telehealth and e-medicine in the medical tourism sector.

In a recession....find a niche
So, what can those pursuing the Holy Grail of medical tourism learn from all this?

One key to success in a recession is to find a niche and ideally one that is a recession proof niche - one that people spend their hard earned cash on when money is tight. Whereas many healthcare providers try to be all things to all patients, those that succeed will select their niche and focus their efforts.

There are some niche areas of healthcare that are relatively recession proof and may prove attractive. Infertility treatment is a good example:

Public funding of infertility treatment is under pressure in many countries. The need is high and people aren’t prepared to delay treatment too long. Money may be tight, but having children is the one thing that they may spend money on rather than anything else. It’s high value.

There are others...get your thinking cap on and go out and find them.

In summary
2010 may be the year in which we see some rational thinking and some rationalisation in the medical tourism world. Perhaps the recession will bring some of the “blue sky” thinkers down to earth. New market entrants are going to feel the pinch; the long established players will maintain their reputation, improve their services and continue to thrive.

Long term, the medical tourism sector is here to stay.

Stay with it.... businesses that ride out the recession will come out of it in better shape. It’s still an attractive market sector and the business is there for those who take the long term view.

Practice makes perfect ... a message to medical tourism providers and patients

In the largest ever study of hospital mortality rates published in the United Kingdom, "mortality rates for emergency patients 6 percent jump when newly qualified doctors begin working. In the health service Journal reports that "the traditional first day for NHS doctors is the first Wednesday in August. The researchers found that patients introduced in hospital in the week before were more likely to survive .... researchers could not find a definitive reason for the higher mortality rate, but the beginning of August said was known as a "period insecure" in hospitals because of the influx of new doctors "

Now, what can we conclude from this?

I might suggest that doctors with more experience are better than those with less experience? Needless to say, really.

So, how this can help the tourist physician who is trying to make a decision about which doctor or specialist overseas to choose for your operation? The problem of the choice of patients in healthcare is a choice of a surgeon abroad or a surgeon in the internal market is the "How do I know that he is good?"issue. In the United Kingdom, we're probably ahead of the game in enabling patients to make informed choices about treatment. The NHS is site has been renamed "NHS Choices" and in recent years there has been a drive to expose data on clinical outcomes and hospital and the surgeon performance and make it freely available to patients.

One of the strengths of the UK health care system (and one of its weaknesses!) are that the large proportion of health care is provided by a health service provider-the NHS. This means that data about processes, results, performance and patient satisfaction enough are normalized, allowing for valid comparisons to be made between a hospital and another, between one and another expert.

Let's imagine that I need a knee replacement. Under the NHS, I can choose to go to any hospital in the United Kingdom, not just my local hospital. But suppose I want to stay quite location. Here are some things that I can access on my local hospitals through the NHS Choices. For each "quality factor", highlighted the best result.

Impressed? Which hospital you choose? Or which hospital would rule out of the question? The table above just scratches the surface of the data that is now being made available to patients. I also could compare the quality of the food, service levels, and so on. And I can also start making comparisons between individual surgeons.

Where does that leave the tourist physician? The reality is that there are few countries where this type of comparative information is available for the patient. And the reality is that different health systems often measure things in different ways, so that the comparison of results data of a hospital in Thailand with the data from the result of a hospital in India can be very difficult.

Thus, the tourist doctor probably need to do some basic questions about the hospital and the expert. One is a key measure of "How do I know that he is good?" He has "how many times have you done this before?" "Practice makes perfect" as the recent study demonstrates. Choose a surgeon with experience in exactly what you need. If you're looking for a replacement of the knee, choose an orthopaedic surgeon that knee replacements and almost nothing else. Do not choose an orthopaedic surgeon general ", which makes" everything under the Sun "-knees, shoulders, hips, feet, etc.

And ask the guy "how many you have done this year?"

Transparency and fraud in health tourism

One of the criticisms of purchasing services via the Web is that you can't always be sure with whom you're dealing with really. This is especially true in the field of health and medical tourism. When you visit a site about medical tourism:

How do you know who is behind the site? How can you say what they really know about the health tourism and healthcare in General? How do you know if you can trust them? How do you know where the patient's money is going?

Next month, I am speaking at the annual Conference of European health Fraud & corruption Network (EHFCN) in Edinburgh. The theme of the Conference is "Cross-Border health in Europe: a gateway to fraud and corruption?".

The European health Fraud & corruption Network (EHFCN) is the only European organization dedicated to the fight against fraud and corruption in the health sector across Europe. The network represents 23 federations in ten countries, which provide health care services to millions of people in Europe.

Second EHFCN, "the health sector seems to be particularly vulnerable to corruption. The large amounts of money involved and the complexities of many health systems play a role as well as the fact that there are many processes with high risks of bribery "
And now he is turning his attention to the health tourism.

As a Web publishing company in the health sector, it is important that the treatment abroad is transparent and that when we are publishing health advice in our various Internet sites, is to ensure that the information is written by qualified medical professionals. We are confident that all our sites undergo certification process of the Health On the Net Foundation. (Recommend that all sites health go through this process). And our company has a Medical Director to oversee what we do-Dr Nick Plowman of St. Bartholomew's hospital in London.

But in the world of medical tourism, there is a problem with the lack of transparency and there is significant potential for fraud?

While researching my presentation in the EHFCN Conference, I took a look at transparency in medical tourism. I did the usual searches on Google and came across health-tourism.com first: she says that it is "a medical tourism guide, bringing you reliable and objective and useful information that will help you plan your trip medical".

While I was browsing the site, I came across this:

Transparency Award of medical tourism-"we created the transparency of medical tourism. This is a emblem assigned to sites of medical tourism suppliers whose information site meet the criteria below ".

Now, let's be clear, individuals in health-tourism.com can be honest and decent people, with the best medical travellers ' interests at heart. But it was his "medical tourism transparency Award" that caught my attention. Health-tourism.com says that "the objective of the prize is to encourage providers to provide the necessary information on their Web sites – making it easy for you to make an informed decision.

Then I put Health-tourism.com through a test of "transparency".

I looked around the site ....

He says that it is executed by Global locate Care. I can't tell who they are or what their qualifications. This disclaimer long says "the contents of this website has not been reviewed or prepared by medical professionals. And he says that the "relationship between the user/visitor and FGC is governed by the laws of Cyprus". Why Cyprus? I can't find all names at all. I can't find out who is the owner of the site or enterprise. I can find an address-1B, Pinetree Boulevard, old bridge, New Jersey.

I'm a curious person ....

I did some digging for information on locating global service. But all I could find ... was another website-half relies on www.findglobalcare.com WikiCompany and an entry with no information about the company.

So I thought I'd pay a visit to 1 Pine Blvd, old bridge, NJ 08857, United States, using Google Maps Streetview. (Not the web is a wonderful thing?). I'm not an expert on U.S. arrchitecture, but judging by the Real Estate sigh out there and the building, this looks like an apartment building. But those who live there? And who is behind the business? And what he or she knows about health tourism?

Then I checked out the domain name. It is registered for Udi Shomer, Illinois. Maybe he is behind the business? Who is he? I do not know. But it is not a common name, and the Web may have some information about it?

There are only ten results of a search for "Udi Shomer" on Google. (Hey, that is close to being a Googlewhack!). Let's take a look at Shomers UDI on the Web:

There is a Udi Shomer that has an entry in the Lonely Planet Guide to Thailand. There is a page listing of Tai Chi in Thailand. And there are some references on Israeli job sites (I think). And that's it.

There is a clear message to tourists doctors who use the Internet to research health services.

Look (carefully) before you leap!

And if anyone knows who manages health-tourism.com, ask them to contact you, so I can fill the gaps.

Medical tourism: the answer to the problem of global health?

A recent article from McKinsey International highlights the magnitude of the challenge that the leaders of the Governments of developed countries will have to deal with sooner or later. The article analyzes the growing proportion of the wealth of a country that will be dedicated to the health of its citizens in future years.

In Europe currently around 9% of GDP is spent on health care. in the USA is higher, more close to 16% of GDP. Over the past fifty years, the increase in expenditure in OECD countries Healthcare has been above 2% of GDP ... which means that healthcare is taking an increasing share of national wealth. But what happens if this continue? McKinsey says that "If current trends continue to 2050, most OECD countries will spend one fifth of GDP on health care. By 2080, Switzerland and United States will dedicate himself more than half of GDP for him and until 2100 most other OECD countries will reach this level of spending. "

These are quite startling statistics! There is a decent article analysis, outlining the factors of supply and demand that drive growth and offer some arguments why this trend won't or can't continue at this rate. However, the harsh reality is that whatever the Governments and their citizens, they will be confronted by the weight of ever increasing health care costs.

And that is why health care is becoming global, medical tourism is being talked about as one of the solutions. Increasingly, Governments will not be able to provide and consumers will not be able to afford health care they need. The global market in healthcare expands to meet the growing demand of consumers and Governments to low-cost treatment abroad. And this is where enter the medical tourism.

Reference: healthcare Costs: a market-based view: International McKinsey

Driving expense High UK dental patients abroad

In recent World health tourism Congress in Cyprus, it was announced the launch of the International Association of medical travel (TAG E RAG).

The TAG E RAG seeks to represent the interests of medical travellers and the medical travel industry, including health care providers and medical travel facilitators. The Association currently has 26 registered members worldwide. Dr. Steven Tucker, Medical Director of Clinical Cancer Center West Excellence in Singapor, is President of TAG E RAG.

How successful will be the organization in developing internationally accepted standards and codes of conduct for medical tourism. ... who knows?

The medical tourism market is very fragmented, consisting of many smaller players such as doctors, dentists and individual clinics and diverse groups of hospital and medical tourism facilitators. Still, there's a company tried to take a very significant proportion of the market. It is likely that those who take the lead in this rapidly emerging market will be the standard setters that others will follow.

European Union directive gets the nod of Lords of medical travel

The EU directive on Cross Border Healthcare is making its way through the maze of the British Government. Slow progress, but it is progress towards a European market in healthcare.

The EU Committee of the House of Lords have welcomed the proposal for a directive of the European Commission on the rights of patients to healthcare. The Commission demanded improvements and warned that due to the impact of the provisions of Directive unpredictable, it must be carefully monitored in the implementation.

The Commission agreed with the Commission that, as the right of EU citizens to travel to another Member State to receive healthcare was confirmed by the European Court of Justice over the last ten years, it is essential to put in place a legal framework to replace the current ad hoc arrangements.

The Committee also considers whether patients seeking healthcare in other European, Member States shall pay the costs of treatment and then claim a refund later. They have concerns that this would prevent those without adequate financial means to take advantage of their right to health care. The Commission's report recommends that a health service provider of the patient must pay the fees directly to the supplier in another Member State and suggests that this could be related to the process of securing authorisation before the trip, which it considers necessary to protect the financial resources of health systems and to allow patients to make informed decisions about your treatment.

The report also urges Member States to ensure that patients are aware of their rights under the directive and are informed about the quality of care they can expect, any potential barriers of language and how to complain that should be necessary. Member States should provide information about health care abroad for its own citizens and shall prepare a description of your own health care system to guide the other Member States. Recognizing that it can fall for doctors, such as doctors and dentists, really provide the information to patients, the Committee argues that the directive should avoid imposing an administrative burden for health professionals.

The Commission has also called for greater clarity on systems repair when patients are unhappy with, or harmed by healthcare provided in another Member State.
The Committee welcomes the provision of the directive that a Member State would be able to refuse to accept a patient from another Member State if, for example, this would increase the waiting time for treatment. However, they recommend that this part of the directive would benefit from some reinforcement.

Finally, the Committee noted that the impact of the directive will only be clear after it was implemented and then recommend that it be reviewed within three years instead of five, as proposed by the Commission.

 

A code of conduct for medical tourism

In treatment abroad, we introduced the first medical tourism code of practice for health care providers. The "code of practice for medical tourism" aims to encourage best practices of medical tourism through commitment to health care providers outside a voluntary code of practice.

Business practice standards and customer service in medical tourism indutry are variables. That said, but ....they are probably much higher than many critics of the industry. (In our recent survey of 650 medical tourists, 97 percent of patients find that they would be willing to travel abroad for treatment again).

The code is an opportunity for agencies and health care providers to reassure patients in treatment abroad they are adopting best practices to consider.

If the medical tourism industry continues to grow, it needs to adopt some common standards and practices. Therefore, the code of conduct for medical tourism. Health care providers and agencies who register in the code will be identified as a "recommended practice for medical tourism" and will be recognized at http://www.treatmentabroad.com/.

In addition to the vendors that are approved will be capable of displaying the accreditation mark treatment abroad on your site and patients will be able to access details of accreditation online.

To receive the accreditation, organizations are invited to demonstrate best practices in several areas that covers the provision of information, the patient experience and contractual terms, conditions and guarantees. The request shall be examined by an independent consultant.

We believe that this is a positive step forward for the industry and provides an opportunity for suppliers to demonstrate its commitment to best practices in dealing with patients from abroad.

More information about the code of practice for medical tourism are available at: www.treatmentabroad.com/medical-tourism/code-of-practice

The war of words .... Is medical tourism or medical travel?

I just read Constantine Constantinides latest missive about medical tourism and informative. Constantine runs Healthcare Cybernetics and is one of the heads "wise men" of medical tourism.
Constantine says:

"I'm getting fed up with industry newcomers (" Johnny-come-latelys "), and the auto industry strange upstarts who take issue with the word desk – arguing that isn't" big "enough to be associated with. They propose replacing it with the word" trip ". Some suggest we drop everything and start talking of Global Health (as if health care has not been global for ages) .... I don't like the word "tourism" – but also do not like the various alternatives suggested "

He makes some interesting points:

"The word that is derived from tourism Tour-tur Anglo-French, turning tourn, circuit – a journey there and back .travel cannot include a" back ".

So, here is my two pennyworth (English idiom!).

Let's start with vista from Google. Why? Because Google reflects the way that people use words.

I did a Google search for multiple terms: UK

A survey of medical tourism generated 19,700 000 results. (Our treatment abroad and related Web sites to protect three of the ten best positions. A pat on the back by our team of search engine optimisation)! A search for the course doctor generated 73,300 000 results. A search for health tourism generated 36.600.000 results.(Treatment abroad is not 2 for this search. Another Pat on the back to SEO.) A search for travel health generated 250,000 000 results. A global health survey generated 133,000, 000 results.

But we probably need to be a bit more specific. Putting the phrase in quotation marks, for example, "medical tourism", Google only returns results for the exact phrase:

"medical tourism" generated 5,290 000 results. "medical travel" generated 443000 results. "health tourism" generated 798.000 results. "health travel" generated 505.000 results. "global health" generated 3,220 000 results

The previous analysis tells you which words and phrases are used most often on sites indexed by Google. But what terms people use when searching? Here is another analysis. This time we look at the monthly average search volume on Google around the world:

travel medical tourism-90.500 searches per month of health tourism-if searches per month health-165000 searches per month global health-135000 searches per month

And the winner is?

Medical tourism Is probably ....

Why? Why is the phrase that is common to use, whether we like it or not. Is what the media uses when they write about the industry. Is what the man on the Clapham omnibus would probably say. Is the best phrase to use? Probably not.

I prefer medical travel!

Health tourism increases the EU directive on cross border healthcare

After a delay of six months, was finally released the EU proposal for directive on patients ' rights in cross border healthcare. It provides an additional stimulus to the already growing number of medical tourists who seek hospital treatment in other EU countries. Its aim is to create a formal framework for crossing the border healthcare and remove obstacles that patients face if they wish to travel for treatment in other EU countries.

I'll try to answer some of the questions people are asking about this new directive and its impact.

Why do we need a directive on cross border health care?
The directive arose from a desire to create a European market in healthcare and in part as a result of the judgments of the European Court that have upheld the rights of patients to obtain reimbursement for treatment in other countries where they were subjected to "delay" in their own country.

What does it cover?
The directive proposes a series of events in cross border healthcare, including reimbursement of medical tourists, patient safety and quality issues, European cooperation on health, evaluation of new medical technologies and standards for health and patient information transfer between Member States.

How will it affect the UK NHS patients?
In April this year, was extended to choice of NHS patients in the United Kingdom, giving patients the right to opt for treatment anywhere in the United Kingdom. Directive, with effect, extends this patient choice anywhere in the EU, provided that the processing is available at a cost that is equal to or less than the NHS cost.

Under the directive, the NHS will be asked to establish a system for direct payment or reimbursement. This means that patients will not have to finance the treatment and then claim the cost of NHS. They will have to finance their travel and accommodation expenses. Without prior approval is required from NHS Trust or primary health care of the patient.

This does not mean that patients in the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the European Union can choose to treatments abroad that are not covered by the NHS. Thus, if a new drug or a new procedure is available in another country, the patient cannot obtain payment for it.

How many patients will choose treatment abroad?
Who knows? Patients may decide to travel abroad because:

Surgeons and hospitals with the best results for your treatment may be available elsewhere in Europe. Hospital infection rates may be smaller in other European countries. Faster Treatment may be available elsewhere.

It is important to note that:

There is no requirement for the patient suffer "delay" in treatment. The patient will have a reference from a GP. Patients cannot skip waiting list in other countries .... which is one reason why don't we see large numbers of travelling to the United Kingdom for the treatment of patients. They will join the end of the existing UK patients queue. And since the United Kingdom is one of health care providers more expensive in Europe, this will also discourage an inflow of patients from countries with lower costs.

How will it affect the NHS?
Depends on how many patients UK opt for treatment abroad. If the NHS can prove that the number could be so great that could affect planning and financing of health care facilities in the United Kingdom, then it can make an application to set up a system of "prior approval" means that a patient would have to apply for treatment abroad. This is unlikely, I believe. Is an admission of failure of the Government that the NHS cannot compete in a competitive European market.

In general the directive has to be a good thing for NHS patients and United Kingdom. He could reduce burdens on NHS waiting lists and offer economy where the cheapest treatment is available in other EU countries. This would also mean that hospitals NHS would face increasing competition and would improve its performance relative to other health care providers in Europe.

What else is covered by the Directive?
In addition to clarify the position on medical tourism within the EU, the directive also covers:

The establishment of common principles in terms of ensuring patient safety and ensuring the quality and continuity of care. Stimulate greater European cooperation on healthcare including creating "Reference networks" that would create a concentration of knowledge, training and resources for specific diseases and health problems. Establishment of a European network for the assessment of new medical technology. Setting standards of health, in particular the transfer of information and treatment of patients between Member States.

When it comes into force?
Is a draft directive, therefore, has to pass through EU mechanisms to be officially adopted as policy. But it is a part of a consultation process that has been going on for three years, so it is likely to become reality.

Good news or bad news for the medical tourism industry?
Undoubtedly good news! It will add the credibility of medical tourism and will mean that people become more familiar with and confident traveling for treatment. It will also reinforce the need for an improvement in the standards and business practices in the industry. (See code of practice for medical tourism abroad of treatment).

Ultimately, it will result in a greater choice of patients and more people will choose to travel for treatment abroad.

For patients seeking treatment, now that can't wait until the directive enters into force, can download tab in treatment outside of medical tourism or visit the treatment abroad.

Helping patients make the right choice of medical tourism

More and more people are using online assessments to make decisions about the products and services that they purchase. Consumers across the world want to hear from "people like me" before making a decision about which product or service to buy. TripAdvisor became the first place that many people visit when they are planning a vacation or book a hotel.

Therefore, tourists doctors would benefit from hearing about the experiences of others who traveled abroad for treatment? Undoubtedly, Yes!.

The Web is now the first place people look for clinics and hospitals research online before deciding where to go. Choose a doctor, hospital, or operation is a big decision and the views more that a patient can collect, the more secure, they feel with your final choice.

The philosophy of our business online is "helping patients make the right choice." That's why we launched just treatment abroad Ratings and analysis to provide patients with the "word of mouth" that will help them make the right choice of service desk doctor, hospital or clinic. We know from other areas of industry:

63% of consumers are more likely to purchase a vendor, if you have ratings and reviews.
77% of online shoppers use reviews and ratings when buying.
82% of people who read reviews said that their purchasing decisions are directly influenced by those reviews.

But how much confidence they can place people in reviews of these services? An agency desk doctor, hospital or clinic, physician or dentist may be tempted to anyone:

Create a fake review to promote your own service.
Create a fake review damage the reputation of a competitor.

We chose BazaarVoice as partner to our system of ratings and comments because of its ability to identify false reviews through algorithms that run review submissions, trace IP addresses of the reviewers, validation of email addresses and the experience of BazaarVoice moderator thousands of reviews for large customers each month.

We also warned customers and health care providers that any attempt to influence our reviews will result in immediate removal of reviewing all content.

Let's see how treatment abroad Ratings and analysis develops over the next few months. But we're sure will help potential tourists doctors to differentiate between the good and bad in terms of providers of services of medical tourism.

UK media gives a favourable press-medical tourism

The British press continues to provide plenty of coverage for medical tourism, the vast majority of which is extremely positive. Whereas the media are usually quick to find the story of "bad news", it certainly was not the case of medical tourism. The recent exception was this story "As my smile was ruined by a dentist dishonest" in the Daily Mail.

However, the UK media is generally giving medical tourism: a favourable press

Recent increases in UK patients traveling abroad are becoming a bit of a enbarrassment a Labour Government that has invested significantly in the NHS in recent years. The conservative party saw an opportunity:

"Andrew Lansley, shadow Health Secretary, said that the numbers were a" terrible indictment "of government policies that were undermining the efforts of NHS staff to provide quality services."

Waiting times of operations, the lack of access to new treatments and fears of nosocomial infections and MRSA are significant problems in UK NHS.

And they all factors that will encourage more people to travel abroad for treatment ....

Resources
You can see a list of news desk doctor regularly in treatment abroad.

The proposals of the EU promise to boost medical tourism

European Commission's proposals, to be released next week will increase patient mobility in the European Union and NHS patients access to hospitals across the continent; patients in other EU countries will also have access to NHS hospitals.

The proposals will confirm the judgment of the Court of Justice in treatment abroad for waiting list patients suffering "delay". Yvonne Watts, a British patient, who was on a waiting list for hip replacement paid go to a French hospital to their exploitation hip. She then went to court to reclaim the costs of the operation of the NHS. The Court confirmed the legal right of patients to seek treatment in another EU State, if they have to suffer "delay" in your country of residence.

The new proposals could result in a boom in tourism health service NHS sponsored. Patients would pay the costs of travel and accommodation, but the NHS would foot the Bill for the treatment.

Details of the new proposals should be made available this week.

Health and medical tourism-a growing business

Health and medical tourism is a growing business. Increasingly UK patients are opting to go as far as Brazil, South Africa and Malaysia for cosmetic surgery. But growth is not restricted to "o" pinch no tuck holiday ". According to the annual survey of Norwich Union healthcare index health Nation, nearly half of patients travelling to another country for treatment are doing it for large operations, such as cardiac surgery and hip replacement.

An estimated 50000 British travel abroad for surgery private annually (International Passenger surgery 2005). But what is the attraction? Why are people willing to put his health into the hands of surgeons from another country?

The main driver is obviously cost. By traveling to Belgium for treatment, a patient can save 40% on the cost of going in particular in the United Kingdom: choosing to South Africa, a savings of 50% is possible. and, by choosing to countries like Croatia, Poland and India, saving more than 60% can be expected.

For cosmetic surgery, low cost, the ability to combine recovery with relaxing holiday and perhaps have surgery hung to friends made popular holiday destinations such as Spain and Tunisia are attracting patients UK.

For elective surgery, there are other factors play a role. There is no doubt that real or perceived risks of MRSA and hospital acquired infection in the United Kingdom, some patients have convinced that they will be "safer" in a hospital abroad. Data published by the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System2 show that the proportion of resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria is certainly top pair in the United Kingdom (44.5% in 2002) than in countries such as Belgium (19.2%), Czech Republic (6.2%) and Netherlands (1.0%). But that does not show that the incidence of hospital acquired MRSA infection.

A significant trend is growing part of medical tourism market to be taken by health care providers "in development". Dental tourism is growing in Hungary with people moving to dental implants in 25% of the costs of UK. Countries like Croatia, Poland and the Czech Republic are actively market their services to patients UK and India can become a major supplier of medical tourism. A study of the Confederation of Indian industry and McKinsey estimated medical tourism could be worth £ 1.21bn until 2012. The Indian Government has created a system for fast-track visas Indian doctors and hospital groups see a huge potential market for their services. Year 150000 patients from abroad visited India for the treatment and the number is increasing by 15% per year.

The internet has played a key role in expanding treatment options for private patients in the United Kingdom. Similarly that the British Internet shop for consumer products, "applicants treatment" are using the Internet to research treatment options to compare the costs of the United Kingdom and abroad. Developed in response to patients who want more information about the options abroad and overseas suppliers wishing to promote their services to the United Kingdom public dedicated web sites, such as treatment Abroad (http://www.treatmentabroad.net/).

Opportunities for Korea on medical tourism

South Korea is a country that arrived late to the game of medical tourism, but in the long term be one of the winners. Perhaps initially attracted by predictions inflated that lauded around medical tourism industry by "industry experts" and commentators, Korea but took a more realistic vision of where your success may lie.

In the recent Busan medical tourism Convention provided a vision of how Korea are thinking about the opportunities offered by medical tourism. In 2010, Korea is hoping to attract tourists doctors about 60000 and the target is to attract 140000 in 2015. This is not a reasonable goal and is much more realistic than some of the numbers we see appearing of governmental and tourism in other countries. The strategy of "highest quality, lowest cost" is not that which Korea want to proceed or indeed should exercise. Research of Korea existing medical travellers shows that factors of quality, convenience and confidence outweigh the cost drivers. In terms of costs related to health services, Korea is significantly cheaper than the United States (but then each country is), but it is not as competitive price as countries like India, Singapore or Thailand. In fact, something like a knee or hip replacement would cost a similar amount in Korea at the cost of treatment especially in United Kingdom.

Thus, Korea won't win in the cost. Even this will attract large numbers of tourists doctors in Europe. Their prices are not sufficiently competitive and long flight times will deter potential European patients. The same can be applied to patients from the United States if the U.S. medical tourism boom very hyped begins to happen. A patient U.S., can be very similar to perception of quality healthcare destinations such as Korea, Singapore and Thailand. Thus, boils down to the cost factor, Korea will lose.

So where is Korea looking to attract their patients? The drivers of accessibility and cultural matching provide the answer:

Although the United States are the twelve hour flight away, cultural connections mean that the Korean Community within the United States has to be a target. About 1.2 million Korean Americans, many of whom are on the West Coast should provide a source of patients. Within an hour of a flight from Japan, Korea is already a source of many tourists from plastic surgery, and where health costs are rising quickly. And not much farther away is China that can provide an abundant supply of long-term medical tourists. Is interesting market, Korea and many countries are turning their attention to Russia. With the move towards a market economy in Russia, there is an upper class that is investing abroad, take a vacation abroad .... and seeking medical treatment abroad.

As Korea can create a competitive advantage in world medical tourism overcrowded? Perhaps not in Western medicine. Kang Dong hospital in Busan is a Korean hospital that combines Western medicine with Oriental medicine "traditional" and provides a model of care that is attractive to many in the far East.

Another opportunity is for Korea to leverage your existing strengths and the image that you created in world markets. Through the success of companies like Samsung and LG, Korea has created a high-tech modern image for you. Apply its technological know-how and skills in medical tourism sector could prove advantageous in creating an advantage over the competition. The unique technology company that I have found so far in a medical tourism Conference is Samsung.

It was said that the success of the Korea technology and such automotive industries manufacturings lies in its ability to copy what others are doing, learn from your mistakes, do it better and more difficult to work with it. If Korea applies the same philosophy of medical tourism, then some of the destinations most established will be looking over their shoulders

Budapest: the capital of Europe dental

A recent visit to Budapest, the "capital of Europe dental" made me consider the perception of medical travel. Many people think that if you are traveling abroad for treatment, because it is much cheaper, then the default services may in no way you'd expect on their domestic market. Dental treatment providers of Hungary offer a strong contradiction with this perception. I was talking in the lounge, business trip in Budapest in a session dedicated in dental tourism, organized by the Association of leading Hungarian Dental Clinics.

Aware of the number of new entrants on the market of dental dentist Hungarian tourism is eager to maintain its position as market leader. They also are keen that the Board of tourism and Hungarian Government to take note of your success and provides support for the dental tourism sector.

Hungary was one of the first countries to explore the health needs of neighbouring countries and encourage patients to cross borders for treatment. Became common in patients Germans and Austrians to travel to Hungary for dental treatment in particular and dental Hungarian thrived border towns and villages. When we launched treatment abroad five years ago, was to some extent, a response to requests for Hungarian dental clinics to increase your profile in the market of health services of the United Kingdom. Having succeeded in attracting large numbers of patients German and Austrian, Hungarian clinics have been spreading their wings and seeking to promote its expertise in other markets. Now, the Hungarian dental clinics and services represent the largest segment services in treatment abroad.

The Hungarian dentist tourism market is one of the notable successes medical tourism market worldwide. In Budapest, formed the Association of Leading Hungarian dental clinics. The Association represents the interests of seven significant players in the business tourism dental:

The Association has some clearly defined criteria for membership. For example:

The practice must employ a minimum of ten dentists/oral surgeons. The practice must be equipped with a minimum of 5 modern dental medical operating units. The practice must place a minimum of 1000 dental implants per year. The practice must provide x-ray intra-oral and digital. The practice must ensure that all the work of professionals in the industry recognized protocols, including clinical governance and undergo assessments and regular internal audits clinics.

See the full list of membership criteria ALHDC code of good practice.

The number of foreign patients who are going through these seven clinics is disconcerting. Members of the Association perform treatment sessions about 75000 per year. About 60% of them are for tourists dental. The implant Center alone inserts about 1800 dental implants annually. Each clinic has dedicated multilingual team and cars and drivers for the carriage of international patients.

Despite established markets such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and Scandinavia provide most patients, new opportunities are developing in France, Italy and Russia. Visited three plants-ImplantCenter, Kreativ Dental and Vital Europe. Each has a different approach for marketing their services. Whereas Europe Vital focuses on UK patients and provides the means of treatment in London and Manchester and consultation, Kreativ depends on their agents abroad to convince patients of its quality of service and flies direct patients to Budapest without prior consultation. Dental ImplantCenter also has offices in Dublin and London.

Expertise and the extension of dental services on each individual clinic is quite something. Each clinic has about eight to ten dentists employed by the clinic, some general dentists and some with specialty areas as implantology or orthodontics. All three clinics have extensive dental laboratories site, owned and operated by own clinics.

There are few private dental clinics in the United Kingdom that can match the set of plants thes dental in Budapest. The challenge for Hungary is how it maintains its lead in dental tourism sector. New competitors entering the market, such as Croatia, Czech Republic and Slovakia, some prices even lower than those in Hungary. The challenge for these new competitors dental tourism is how they match the standards of "dental capital of the world".

How are well written medical tourism sites?

For many travelers doctors, the first point of contact with a hospital or clinic is usually a web site (see the treatment abroad Medical tourism Survey 2008). And since many patients seek health care providers where communication is important in English, the site is an important factor in the choice of patients. A website written in poor English reflects badly on the service offered and discourages potential patients.

So. .. how well-written are travel medicine sites.

Unfortunately, many are written in a way that really discourages use patients of the hospital, clinic or medical tourism service. Most would benefit from being rewritten by a native speaker of English.

To help solve this problem, treatment abroad, launched a "perfect English" low-cost health care providers who want to improve the web sites oriented to USA and United Kingdom medical tourists and other English language speakers. The team of "Perfect Portuguese" provides a review of the English version of a site and gives you an English version rewritten in "perfect". The team has extensive experience of producing "perfect English"; they are based in Brussels, Belgium and support many EU politicians and officials with translation and improve the English versions of materials I.

If you want to know more about the treatment abroad Perfect English service, you can fill in the form of inquiry into treatment abroad.

What can Google tell us about medical tourism?

Who knows what is happening in the area of health? Who knows what conditions and disorders are causing people problems? Who knows what is happening on medical tourism?

Google!

Google is a treasure trove of information about how people are behaving and what issues are on them. Google records the activity online and search behavior of hundreds of millions of users. He knows what you and I do the web every day. He knows where you are, in most cases. And from the data that Google collects, he can draw conclusions. And so can you.

A recent example in the health sector is Google flu Trends. Google realised that some search terms are good indicators of activity of influenza. Aggregated Google search data Google Flu Trends uses to estimate the activity of influenza in a u.s. State until two weeks faster than the Federal Centers for disease control and prevention.

Outside the area of health, a British web Intelligence company was able to predict the winner of a TV talent show, based on the online activities of people who were watching the show and researching competitors online.

So what does Google know about medical tourism ....? Probably more than most people in business.

Let's take a simple example. Suppose I want to know what are the countries most popular for cosmetic surgery for UK patients traveling to treatment.

I can analyze the activity search UK Internet users, noting the relative number of searches for cosmetic surgery and plastic surgery that incorporate the location or names of countries.

I then combine all these data to create a search volume in the country related to cosmetic surgery related phrases. For each country, so I can calculate a portion of the total volume of searches. And we come to the table on the right.

Interesting things .... Now, he didn't tell me what countries people really go (the same way that Google Flu Trends doesn't really tell you that people have influenza), but I'm willing to bet it's not a bad indicator. And probably a much better indicator than the top of the head data that many "experts" toss around.

So, if your work on medical tourism marketing, you need to consult the new guru medical tourism-Google Inc.

THE NHS must extend NHS patient choice in hospitals abroad?

With the advent of "Choose and book" NHS patients now are offered a choice of providers at least four after your GP decided that a shipment is required. These providers may be NHS trusts, trusts of Foundation, treatment centres or hospitals. Will, at some point, this choice extended to include hospitals in Europe and farther?.

Health services of the United Kingdom are suffering with lack of qualified nursing and medical staff, and this is restricting NHS effectiveness in reducing waiting lists. One of the solutions has been the personal import from other countries, but the NHS patients will turn to export as a workaround? A pilot project managed the individual and St. Thomas Hospital already explored this approach. The project offered mainly elderly patients who were on the waiting list for more than 6 months, the orthopedic surgery option in Belgium. In total, approximately 500 patients UK traveled to the five Belgian hospitals selected for orthopedic surgery between June 2003 and April 2005. Patients were extremely positive about their experience and the quality of care they received.

Given the choice of an operation on a UK hospital in three or four months, or a week that comes in a cutting-edge hospital in Belgium, India or Poland, how many patients UK could choose the last?

India: a global destination for medical tourism

India is the target global top desk doctor, according to a new report from market research. A study on the Indian healthcare sector, conducted by RNCOS, revealed the medical tourism market of the country to be worth an additional $ 310 million, is expected to rise to $ 2 billion by 2012. Medical infrastructure and technology in India are accepted to be on a par with the United Kingdom and the United States and hospital expenses accessible services efficient and make it an attractive option for patients who seek treatment abroad. Figures show that 120 thousand patients overseas traveled to India in 2005 to receive private medical treatment and this should increase by 30%. The most common treatments that visitors are seeking cardiac surgery, knee surgery, cosmetic surgery and dental treatments, procedures that patients may not be eligible under the NHS and that generally have long waiting lists in the United Kingdom.

RNCOS completed: "overview of the health sector shows that the medical infrastructure and technology [India] is on par with the United States, United Kingdom and Europe". India can vie with some of their best hospitals and treatment centres in the world and thus make it a favourable destination.

The giant afternoon course doctor?

Where do you think the international patient Center shown above is? Singapore? Thailand? Malaysia? India? Korea?

Read on to discover ...

International Travel Medical Journal this week covers a recent announcement by the Ministry of health, UK (see: UK liberated hospitals to attract tourists doctors) that you want to remove the lid on the proportion of income that NHS hospitals can earn from private surgery. NHS Hospitals are allowed to treat patients individuals (both national and international patients) in addition to their primary responsibility to meet the needs of United Kingdom public.

Many hospitals NHS patient wards have private or dedicated units benefiting its location near extensive clinical and medical technology resources that are available with an NHS General or teaching hospital. These are also supported by patients, but these units NHS has been limited in terms of their potential revenue; throughout the United Kingdom, NHS hospitals were not allowed to generate more than 2% of their income of paying private patients. Some individual hospitals were allowed to generate a much higher proportion, but still were limited in their revenue earning potential.

In medical tourism conferences around the world, the United Kingdom receives barely a mention. However he ranks in top 10 target countries in terms of numbers of medical tourism and, probably, the top 5 in terms of revenue generated (source: Team tourism consulting 2010). London continues to attract high-value medical travellers seeking expertise and quality instead of the lowest prices. The average cost of treatment for these patients is around 20000 € and for individual patients, can be a lot more. London also benefit significantly the costs of these medical travellers remains, for example, accommodation for friends and family during these patient extended.

Private Patients, leading London teaching hospitals as Moorfields Eye Hospital, Great Ormond Street children's Hospital, hospitals of Royal Brompton & Harefield, Kings College Hospital, Royal Marsden Hospital and Guy's & St Thomas ' hospital has always been attractive for international patients and who have to compete with other international centres of excellence in countries like the United States and Germany. In fact, these private installations of NHS patients gain over international private patients (medical tourists) than they do of UK private patients.

The International Center of patient Harris at Great Ormond Street (pictured above) is a good example. The Centre has 130 employees, working with more than 170 clinicians at Great Ormond Street children's Hospital. It is larger than most international patient departments serving "medical tourists" that you would find anywhere in the world. And he is too busy. But, until now, Great Ormond Street and similar NHS run international patients installations have been limited by the lid of the income of private patients.

That is about to change ... London "the giant afternoon travel medicine" may agree to some of the emerging opportunities presented by the international market of patients:

London hospitals above have a long and impressive history to attract international patients.
They were involved in medical tourism long before the term was invented.
And they are able to provide quality and prices that will be attractive to many emerging markets for medical travel. For example, if THE U.S. derived from medical tourism eventually take off and American patients can make significant savings by traveling to London for major surgery (not far short of those available in Singapore or Thailand), London would be an attractive option? Same language (... almost), the same culture (... almost).

This American who traveled to Wales for surgery can be the beginning of a growing trend ....

Medical tourism: survival of the fittest?

The underlying connection was closed: The connection that was expected to be kept alive was closed by the server.

In industry is immune from the global recession, and that has to be the case for the growing medical tourism industry. In past recessions, businesses in the healthcare sector have perhaps suffered less than others; in a recession, people still get ill, and it's often difficult to delay expenditure on healthcare. But there are some indicators that medical tourism is begining to feel the pinch.

According to a recent article in BusinessWeek, "Medical Tourism: Surviving the Global Recession," the Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok, one of the world's leading centres of medical tourism is seeing the fall in overseas patient revenues. Similarly, the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia is reducing its forecast of overseas patient revenues, and some Indian medical tourism providers are reporting that "medical tourism is on the wane." The situation is further complicated in India and Thailand by the recent terrorist incidents and political protests.

If we think back to 9/ll and the subsequent Iraq involvement, these events had a major impact on travel related businesses and medical tourism flows from the Arab States to the Western World. Countries such as the UK saw a significant drop in inbound medical tourism, and Arabic patients transferred their loyalty to countries such as Germany.

The counter argument is that in times of economic hardship, people are going to be more inclined to go overseas to avoid high costs in their own country. i.e. they look to buy cheaper, so this is good news for the medical tourism industry.

What's going to happen? Here are my thoughts:

The speed and size of this global recession is such that it must have a negative impact on medical tourism; people are going to hang on to their cash, and delay treatment whether that is treatment within their own country or overseas. It doesn't necessarily mean that less people are going to travel for treatment. It probably means that the growth in number of medical travellers which has been widely predicted is going to be much less than anticipated. Many of the "new-born" medical tourism facilitation companies that have appeared in recent months are going to find it tough going. Those businesses in the sector that have their marketing act together will do best. They'll focus on those marketing activities that deliver results, they'll have a clear idea of what their marketing and service strategy is, and they'll look to generate business and referrals from existing and past patients. See "Five Tips for Marketing in a Recession"

So. ... it's going to be survival of the fittest in the medical tourism sector. There's plenty of opportunities out there, but there will be fewer to go around. Which means that some businesses are going to find the going tough.

Medical tourism is safe?

A significant part of medical tourism and medical travel is driven by people who established and proven treatments in countries where the cost of treatment or operation is much smaller than in their country of origin. Within this market segment, the focus of patient safety is on top of hospital, clinic or doctor who is carrying out the treatment. The patient can be confident that the healthcare has the necessary knowledge and experience to perform the procedure? The question ... Not arise "this treatment really work?".

For proven treatments, hospitals, clinics and doctors (and medical tourism facilitators) can reassure the patient, providing proof of qualifications, accreditation; experience and so on ... and in some cases may be prepared to provide data on clinical outcomes. Unfortunately, this is all too often lack. Patients are often requested to have confidence in claims of health care provider, particularly in those countries that do not have national standards and data collection systems of comparative clinical results or independent review and analysis.  Even an international such as JCI Accreditation is not a guarantee of quality, nor indeed is an assessment of how good a hospital delivery of treatments are safe and successful.

Thus, in established areas of medical travel, such as cosmetic surgery, dental treatment and elective surgery there is still much work to be done to convince potential tourists medical treatment abroad is a safe choice (or at least as secure as within their country of origin.

A much larger question about security arises when we look at a different market segment. Patients traveling to treatment, because a treatment option is available on the outside, but not yet approved in their own country.

A controversial new treatment for multiple sclerosis is an exemplary case. Therapy of liberation is a procedure in which veins are opened in the neck with the aim of improving the blood circulation of the brain. Some doctors believe that liberation therapy for multiple sclerosis reduces the development of new MS attacks and in some cases can improve mobility but treatment is still being supported by an extensive clinical research and has not been approved for use by any major national health system. However, there have been successes. Ian Wilson, a patient of MS British concerns as therapy of liberation in Poland changed his life.

And also there were failures ....

Last month, the death of a patient Canadian who traveled to Costa Rica for therapy of release hit the headlines-death of MS patient fuels debate about the new treatment

"Doctors in Canada say that the death of Mr. Mostic is a cautionary tale for patients evaluate an unproven treatment and experimental. While the procedure still has to go through clinical trials in Canada, patients with multiple sclerosis has shelled out thousands of dollars for the procedure in countries like India and Poland. "

Much of the work of liberation therapy (for chronic insufficiency CCSVI-Venus Cerebo supraspinatus) has been conducted by Professor Paolo Zamboni in Italy. (Book research of Professor vista Zamboni on "Cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in patients with multiple sclerosis" in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry). In a workshop about CCSVI in April this year, professor Zamboni defended this strategy

"… We are still at the stage where we need to understand if this type of treatment makes sense, with whom and when, etc. ... We can't be like Cowboys and try new things in skins of other people before he was experienced with security, so I insisted that, if the treatment has to be done, shall be conducted by a group that has a program with your neurologist appropriate and with a Tory "

There are 2.5 million patients worldwide, a proportion of those who would travel and spend a significant amount of money to relieve their symptoms or slow the progress of the disease.  The cost of treatment is about $ 10000 (7500 euros). Let's imagine that only 500 2.5 million sufferers of decide worth spending $ 10000 about the chance of cure. This is a market for $ 5 million. Suppose, 5000 (0.2% of patients) take the plunge ... that is a market of US $ 50 million.

Not surprisingly, several CCSVI providers have appeared throughout the world to capitalize on the potential demand. Here are some examples:

And medical tourism facilitators have not been slow to pursue revenue opportunities or:

In the world of stem cell treatment, we see a similar picture. But is it safe? Is ethical? It is driven purely by potential returns of money?

And above all, is in the interest of the patient?

Dental tourism .... without going abroad?

This week sees the news that two development buy to let Property millionaires are planning to open a series of drive-in dental centers near motorway junctions around the United Kingdom. Having seen the dental tourism growth in the United Kingdom, they decided to bring dentists abroad for the British patient, offering prices for dental treatment that will be competitive with countries such as Poland and Hungary.

They intend to set a national chain charging the same or less than NHS clinics. Although service will consist of dentists from Eastern Europe who will receive free housing, but will only get salaries in line with what they would win again in Eastern Europe.

It remains to know if this idea will take off. They will be able to find dentists abroad who are willing to work on wage rates of Eastern Europe, where they are based in the United Kingdom? How they will attract the best dentists abroad to work on these charges? And how they will select the dentists?

If it works .... maybe we'll see the United Kingdom if dental tourist destination?

The U.S. reform of health and medical tourism

Caroline Ratner at IMTJ has just published a summary of the u.s. reaction to Obama's health reforms in the sector of medical tourism, then I suppose I'd better play my comments into the mix.

Firstly, I would like to stress that I'm not the world expert on reforms of the health of the u.s.! (A exist?) But I have been asked by the media UK recently for commenting on reforms and, in particular for comparisons with the health system of the United Kingdom. It has been interesting to watch from afar as a nation is having to deal with the rising costs of health care and demands for increased spending on health care.

It is recognized that the United States are one of the health care systems more expensive in the world, spending 15.3% of GDP of the country in health care (statistics from who). Compare with approximately 8.2% of GDP for the United Kingdom and similar to other European countries. Despite high costs, the USA Gets atrocious value for money with what it spends.

Take a look at these comparisons:

The United Kingdom spent less than half of the per capita value compared to the USA, but provides a similar number of doctors, nurses, more and more beds per 10 thousand people. Not bad Value for taxpayers ' money.

Despite these facts .... that the debate about health care reform in the United States, the NHS UK has been used as an example of "how not to do it" and at one point those who fight against the reforms launched a series of television ads using "tragic" stories from the national health service in Britain to challenge Barack Obama plans. The reality of UK NHS is something different ... it works pretty well most of the time and costs the nation, half of which the United States spends (as a percentage of GDP). If. .. .you were U.S. political and could wave a magic wand that would transform the US healthcare system during the night to a NHS system of universal health care, free (in most cases) at the time of delivery, And would cost the country half the money .... what would you do. It is a no-brainer. But there's no magic wands.

The perception of NHS abroad is very different from NHS experience within the United Kingdom here is a pair of recent quotes, typical of industry commentators about medical tourism and health reforms from the u.s.:

"People of the United Kingdom and Canada is (sic) which do not seek treatment outside their countries due to denied health insurance or financial constraints, is due to the high costs of care and long waiting times for elective surgery" (reforms) will also create potentially lengthy wait times for medical procedures that will create situations as in Canada and United Kingdom, where patients traveling outside their country because of long queues for major surgeries.

Note the references for the long lines and long waiting times in the United Kingdom. This type of comment uninformed and warns does little for the credibility of the medical tourism industry. Is political dogma.

Here are the facts about waiting lists from UK:

The average wait time reference to NHS treatment is about 8 weeks. It is often much shorter. Any person suspected of having cancer has the legal right to expect no more than 2 weeks to see a specialist that any person referred to elective procedures has the legal right to start treatment within 18 weeks if there is a significant waiting list in your area, you have the right to exercise the choice of patients and go to another hospital anywhere else in the country to avoid waiting. (internal medical tourism). You can also compare result data, infection rates and many other data online through NHS Choices, if you have severe and fatal problem, there is virtually no waiting list. That's why I always knew a patient from British heart surgery that went abroad for treatment. Nevertheless, I'm amazed regularly by overseas providers or ignore the consulting companies that call me to discuss your plans to attract British patients abroad for surgery, as the heart.

And some recent experience "real life here is".

The Manager of Web communications at my company recently celebrated the birth of their first child. Unfortunately, the birth was 27 weeks so it was not easy for him or his wife. The child stood in Pediatric ICU for a few weeks at a local hospital and was recently transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for cardiac surgery. He's happy with the care of NHS? .... Yes. It cost him a penny? .... Not. My wife has a recurring problem inflammatory on the back of the eye. She has regular reviews of local NHS eye unit and recently went to a minor procedure. Was urgent, so she doesn't have to wait. She went to the eye drive high-end NHS eye brandnew in Stoke Mandeville Hospital. How long she expect? .... a week or so. As she pays? .... Nothing?

British floods Are patients abroad for treatment due to "long lines" and "long waiting times"? Not. Most tourists doctors UK isn't patients requiring elective surgery that they cannot obtain or will not wait on the NHS. The reality of health care is that patients want treatment accessible (or free) close to home, or within your country. Before they even consider going abroad for treatment, they explore all avenues for treatment within their own country. The NHS has his faults, of course, but no system is perfect. And it would change our NHS for the current American model? No, I couldn't pay them ..... or as an individual or as an employer!

So, Obama's health reforms will lead to a massive rise of medical tourism, as some have suggested? Not.

Medical tourism will continue to grow as more patients become aware of the possibility of low-cost treatment abroad. But never forget that whatever each patient is affordable health care in their own door .... and traveling for treatment is for many a last resort.

Your guide to find out if your surgical instrument is oxidized or stained

Troubleshooting Stain Guide: Orange/Brown Stains - Most people think that when they see orange/brown stains that it's rust. When this stain color appears as a result of PH surface deposits, it is a result of any of the following: improper soaps and detergents, cold sterilization solution, possibly baked-on blood, soaking in saline or using laundry soap, Chlorhexidine usage,. Dark Brown/Black Stains - If it's a low PH usually under six, then its an acid stain. it may be caused by improper detergents and soaps and/or dried blood. Bluish Black Stains - When various metals are ultrasonically pushed together this is called reverse planting. What this means is when you have a stainless steel surgical instrument sets preced with chrome surgical instruments it will cause a stain color reaction. Exposure to saline, blood or potassium chloride will cause this bluish-black stain to occur. Multicolor Stains - Excessive heat by a localized "hot spot" in the processing cycle. Light and Dark Spots - When you allow forceps to air-dry. When the water that is left on the surgical instruments begins to air-dry then the minerals like sodium, calcium and magnesium are left on instrument's surface.

A boom in cosmetic surgery abroad?

Cosmetic surgery is becoming "acceptable" in the United Kingdom. The multiplicity of personal makeover and plastic surgery programs on UK television has helped a boom of aesthetic surgery of the fuel. Whereas five years ago, large healthcare providers of UK how BUPA and BMI Healthcare interested only on the market of plastic surgery, they now are taking the business very seriously and has seen the year on year growth of around 25% to 30%.

Sainsbury's Bank estimates that each day, approximately £ 1.8 million is spent on plastic surgery. He estimates that this year, in England, plus 5 million pounds will have been taken into personal loans for cosmetic surgery, and around one fifth of this will be in loans for men. The average size of loans for cosmetic surgery is about £ 6500. Mintel estimates a growth of 240% during the period 2001 to 2006 and predicts that by 2009 British adults will be making a trip to the surgeon at least a million times per year.

This is good news for medical tourism providers. The low cost of cosmetic surgery abroad will expand the market, providing a solution for those who could not afford another form of treatment.

Cosmetic surgery now represents approximately 50% of enquiries we receive treatment abroad.

You can relief from constipation probiotics?

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For most people, moving their bowels is just something that happens on a regular basis in the morning, and throughout the day depending on diet or activity. Most people don't give this part of the digestive process a second thought until something malfunctions and they begin to experience discomfort. If you've tried everything to relieve your digestive issues, it's important to know that probiotics constipation relief is possible. If you're interested in using probiotics for constipation, it's a good idea to learn more about what probiotics are, and how they will impact your overall health.

Understanding Probiotics and Constipation

Before you can effectively take advantage of probiotics constipation relief, it's important to know more about what probiotics actually are. It might sound strange, but probiotics are tiny, live microorganisms that live naturally in your stomach and digestive tract. Probiotics for constipation are beneficial bacteria, but there are also harmful bacteria that can throw your digestive system out of balance, causing irritable bowel conditions. Probiotics and constipation are inextricably linked because when you take probiotics for constipation, you're actually increasing the amount of beneficial bacteria and supporting your body's natural ability to absorb nutrients from food and expel waste from the system.

Benefits of Using Probiotics Constipation Supplements

Constipation is an uncomfortable bowel condition in which too much liquid is extracted from the food waste as it passes through the digestive system. This results in waste becoming lodged in the intestines causing gas or abdominal pain, or very painful bowel movements. Using probiotics constipation supplements can correct the bacteria imbalance that causes the digestive system to malfunction in this way. After a few weeks of using probiotics for constipation, most people notice:

- a healthier digestive system
- regular bowel movements that are passed without difficulty
- better digestion of certain foods, especially those that contain proteins and fats

Many people think that all they have to do to get some relief from constipation is to take an over the counter laxative or fiber supplement, but in most cases these treatments only serve to make the condition worse. Conventional laxatives are far more harsh than probiotics for constipation, an often result in temporary diarrhea, which returns to constipation almost immediately. If you really want probiotics constipation relief, you have to use a supplement like Nutraelle DigestiveCare that works effectively on a daily basis for constant healing.

Are There Risks Associated With Probiotics And Constipation?

Some people will try to tell you that it's not safe to use probiotics for constipation, and while this concern is important, it's far from valid. Because probiotics constipation supplements are considered to be an alternative natural option, they aren't regulated in the same way as conventional medications. While this does mean that there can be some variation in quality between brands, it also means that there are no hard chemical ingredients to further irritate your system. When talking about probiotics and constipation, it's important to point out that most negative side effects, like gas and bloating, are only temporary and usually very mild.