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.