medicaltourism.com .... go, go away?

What is a domain name worth? Especially in the business of medical tourism growth.

The medical tourism Association (of which my company is a member) recently announced that it is handling the sale of domain name medicaltourism.com, on a Commission basis. A reserve price of around $ 100000 has been put up for sale.

That raises the question of how you consider a domain name and what is a Valley really worth?

The domain medicaltourism.com was originally belonging to Sparrow Mahoney, who ventured into the medical tourism after experiencing low cost surgery in Croatia after a car accident. Now the Sparrow flew medical tourism roost. The domain has been purchased by a third party looking to make a fast buck.

Here are some prices recent domain sales in the health sector:

healthstore.com 27.500 $ healthcaresolutions.com $ 10.700 healthinsurer.com 4.595 $ healthglobal.com $ 2700

So, would you pay $ 100000 by medicaltourism.com?

There are certainly some value the words of domain name within a domain name can influence your Google rankings, but it certainly is not an important factor. There is value in a domain name if it was associated with a strong brand or an existing Web presence.

The medicaltourism.com:

Bidding will take place in the World of medical tourism and World Health Congress in San Francisco in September.

All offerings?

Light at the end of the tunnel of medical tourism?

After my desabafos on "perspectives for medical tourism in 2010," I am pleased to say that I have received some positive feedback (always a good thing .... I'll keep on blogging!). And some assurance that I'm not alone in my point of view of the world medical tourism.

In particular, one of the long established medical tourism facilitators told me "as he was" in 2009 and how they think he could be in 2010. It's refreshing to hear someone being open and upfront about their experiences in medical tourism business and the challenges facing people in business.

I'd like to share some of these comments with other people of the world medical tourism. Here's what he was really like in 2009 to the business of a medical tourism, a business that is well established, well executed, and is not a shoe "a man and his dog". I'll respect your confidentiality and not the name of the undertaking concerned.

The view on the market
Here is our medical tourism facilitator had to say about 2009:

"Having dabbled in elective surgery market and came to the same conclusions as you .... that continue to this sector which would need to consolidate and concentrate on niche or a little more specialised sectors. Otherwise, we're finding it become a "Jack of all trades and master of none".

Last year was a very bad year. We were very busy with requests for information, but our conversion rate was disappointing and for those who convert, average spending was down. We put the conversion issues down to a 50/50 mixture of:

Recession-people don't pass, or when they are traveling for treatment, they are spending less. Competition-it seems that in the past 18 months that all people in Europe, with a fourth vague and who knows a dentist, jumped on the bandwagon of medical tourism.

Another factor that helped isn't the pound sterling against other currencies, especially the euro; This meant a 20% increase in costs and prices. This only apply to the cost of treatment but stay of patients while they are away. (Hotel rates are more expensive, eating out is more expensive etc). The effect has been significant. Our patient numbers fell by 30% in 2009 and the average spend per patient decreased by 25%. "

Thus, a difficult time for this business of medical tourism. But is not exclusive. Some dental clinics in Europe have been related to similar experiences. An implant Center in Budapest reported numbers of patients abroad down by over 20% and 25% similar fall on average spend per patient.

These experiences reflect the reality of medical tourism business in a recession?

Lies, damn lies and statistics?
The United Kingdom is a country where we can count things. We have a National Institute of statistics and employing about 4000 civil servants who count things ... including medical travelers. In treatment abroad, we can do our part to keep public employees in jobs, buying the data they produce – more specifically, the international Passenger Survey (IPS), a survey of a random sample of passengers entering and leaving the United Kingdom by air, sea or the channel tunnel. IPS attempts to identify the number of people traveling both inside and outside the United Kingdom United Kingdom where the main reason for the trip is the medical treatment (unlike business or vacation).

Now ... you need to take these statistics with a pinch of salt too large. Statistics contain statistical errors and the smaller the sample, the greater the risk of error.

Here is a graph of data showing medical travellers IPS of United Kingdom emerged from 2002 to 2009 (projected third quarter statistics). The sample size is small-these data about 50 to 100 the number of real travellers interviewed in each quarter, who stated that their main reason for the trip was a doctor. Thus, there is space for large variations in data!

But, it may well be that a reflection of the actual medical tourism trends in the UK and for 2009, in fact, it may reflect the experiences of many on the market that saw the number of tourists doctors in decline over the past 18 months or so, since the credit crunch hit.

Light at the end of the tunnel?
Our medical tourism facilitator cited above has a more positive outlook for the future:

"We have seen an increase in numbers of reservation of Dentistry in 2010. January is already up 100% in January 2009 (and almost the same number as in 2008, so something is starting to change.

With a good economic news on the horizon in the United Kingdom, we may be seeing an increase in consumer confidence. House prices increase and saw a return to economic growth, although not as good as many would have expected. Let's wait to see what the effect can be about unemployment. But, like many industries, medical tourism follows the trends of economy as a whole. Medical tourism is not immune to recession and certainly not thrives on it.

The way forward focus and think niche
Back to our facilitator of medical tourism, which is planning strategy for 2010:

"Our progress for 2010 will expand further dentistry and focus more on cosmetic surgery. We had taken a step in plastic surgery in 2009 due to the difficult climate and similar to your points (Keith Pollard) on offer too, we recognize that rather than being a "Jack of all trades ....", we need to have a separate Department. Having the same team alternating between the two products (Dentistry and cosmetic surgery) actually works. "

And our medical tourism facilitator concludes with a message to everyone in the industry:

"Totally agree with the conclusions of the article and recognize that this medical tourism industry is not as simple and as great as people have done. Only companies that maintain the adaptation and recognize the importance of focus and having the right resources to manage a specific sector of the industry will survive or commercially viable. "

Do concerns about MRSA and hospital infection per unit patients abroad?

Medical tourists travelling abroad for treatment, simply don't do it to save money. In our soon to be published "Survey medical tourism", 56% of respondents who went to elective surgery abroad said that cares about the risk of MRSA infection/hospital NHS hospitals were a factor "very important" or "very important".

According to latest data from the health protection agency, there was a drop of 18 percent in cases of MRSA in England from July to September, compared to the previous quarter (April to June). This is a drop of about 230 cases per quarter. However, there was still 1072 cases reported in England in July and September 2007.

The latest figures c. difficile show that there were 10.734 cases in patients aged 65 years and over in England, reported in the third quarter of 2007. This is a reduction of 21% in the previous quarter. In patients between 2 and 64 years old, 2.496 c. difficile cases were reported in the third quarter of 2007.

Then .... There is some indication that the NHS is having some success in improving their bad reputation hospital infection. But there's an awfully long way to go. The United Kingdom is way behind countries such as Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain in control of MRSA infection rates and hospital. (See statistics MRSA in United Kingdom and Europe).

Until the NHS can reduce hospital infection rates for a minimum level, the concerns of patients will continue to be a factor in which people choose treatment in private hospitals in the United Kingdom or treatment abroad.

Medical tourism ... lessons from the California gold rush

In 1848, gold was discovered in California by John Sutter, a German immigrant. Find news spread rapidly and thousands arrived in search of their fortune. Prospectors lighthouses came through the United States, Hawaii, Mexico, Chile, Peru and China. Had begun to the California gold rush. Output of California gold rose from $ 5 million in 1848, $ 40 million in 1849 and $ 55 million in 1851. But there wasn't enough gold to go around .... only a minority of garimpeiros made much money of California Gold Rush ... the best equipped and better informed, better organised and resourced.

Others also made money. salon owners (and holders of brothel!) that kept the Prospectors entertained earned a profit healthy, and so did entrepreneurs and storeowners who provided the material and tools that Surveyors needed (often the exorbitant prices).

There are some similarities and some lessons here for those involved in the gold rush of medical tourism?

The discovery of gold of medical tourism ....
While the concept of traveling for treatment has been around for centuries, was probably around 2005 when the gold rush medical tourism took off. He still continues until today and shows little sign of abating. News appeared around the world about an outbreak in medical tourism – patients travelling to save money on treatment costs (as opposed to seeking medical services and the quality of health care that was not available in your country). The first prospectors lighthouses appeared-agents and medical tourism facilitators and overseas of hospitals and clinics, seeking their fortune in the world of medical tourism.

Word spreads, prospectors lighthouses chase the dream of gold of medical tourism ....
The tales of medical tourism gold began to multiply. Estimates of the number of tourists doctors were in hundreds of thousands, millions and then tens of millions. Some medical tourism prospectors lighthouses questioned the validity of these claims of discovery of a rich vein of income or whether it was sustainable.

Involved the early gold rush exaggerated their successes, claiming that is massive (for example, "a million tourists doctors to ....), encouraging others to join agitation. Health care providers throughout the world entered the race-Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, Jordan, the Philippines, Tunisia, Turkey, Eastern Europe, many of them supported by their advice desk, health departments and governmental initiatives that saw medical tourism as a rich source of foreign exchange.

... .without thinking or understand what is really involved
New entrants chased the dream without really thinking through your strategy and approach to the market. Some were poorly equipped to market; Some have entered the market without realizing what it might cost to be successful; Some were looking for gold medical tourism in place completely wrong!

A community of medical tourism develops prospectors lighthouses
As the number of medical tourism grew, other prospectors lighthouses (guardians saloon) arrived quickly to profit from this growing community and storeowners and tool vendors appear guide the Surveyors in their quest for gold.

Salon owners arrived in the form of associations and medical tourism conferences that earn their money from membership fees and delegate rates. They provided a place where Prospectors could get together, but they also built on the hype, recount stories of the most recent discoveries and attract more people to the gold rush of medical tourism. Naturally, the more people in the gold rush, the more people there are in the saloon and more money there must be made by the owner of Salon.

Entrepreneurs and storeowners also arrived on the scene to provide the tools that the Surveyors needed the goldmine of medical tourism. Sites like our own (treatment Abroad) that connect patients with suppliers, systems companies like health Travel Technologies and e-Medsol that provide systems to manage patients and consultancies, strategists and advisors as Irving Stackpole and Vivek Shukla which help gold Prospectors find medical tourism came to exist. Are these entrepreneurs and owners of shops (including my own treatment Abroad "shop") leveraging prospectors lighthouses uninformed, providing products and services of poor quality and overloads for them. Or are they providing wisely quoted services and much needed tools that will bring long-term success for those who use them wisely? Only time will tell .... and it will be the success of the prospectors lighthouses that determine our success.

Gold runs out ... or is it more difficult to find and mines
As in the California gold rush, the reality was unable to meet the expectations of many prospectors. Clinics, hospitals and facilitators are finding it harder to acquire patients and there is a lot of competition out there. However, for many continues the mentality of gold rush.

After the gold rush?
So what is the likely outcome of all this? What can we expect in the next step of the gold rush of medical tourism? In my next blog post, I'll give some thought that will find gold and how will the industry to develop.

Change in the law of the United Kingdom can reduce infertility tourism

One factor that can affect any aspect of medical travel and medical tourism is that the industry can be a victim of its own success. Constantine Constantinides highlighted this previously in his article IMTJ "medical tourism and revenge of the West", arguing that in fact the success of medical travel is self-limiting.

How can this success be self-limiting?

In the case of treatment abroad becomes an attractive option for patients, domestic suppliers and Governments can respond to this trend, becoming more competitive (e.g. by reducing prices to local treatment) or removing the causes and the drivers for the medical travel (for example, changing the location regualtion treatment). Thus, more patients travelling abroad for treatment, the greater the reaction in the internal market and a "balance of trade".

An excellent example of this phenomenon is this week's announcement by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that intends to undertake a consultation on changes to the rules governing the donation of sperm and ova in the United Kingdom. There was a significant shortage of egg and sperm donors in the United Kingdom due to restrictions in respect of payments that can be made to donors. The compensation payment "maximum" £ 250 for donors of men and women made the search for donor eggs and sperm has far exceeded supply. Waiting lists can be as long as two or three years for these patients eligible for NHS treatment.

Removal of donor anonymity has also been a contributing factor to the donor reluctance to come forward. According to the latest HFEA statistics (2008), women only 1184 have donated eggs and only had 396 new sperm donors in 2008. About 2.000 babies per year are born in the United Kingdom using donated eggs, sperm and embryos. As a result, we have seen a growing number of UK couples seeking infertility treatment abroad; has been one of the fastest growing areas of medical tourism. (Background, see "new research paper provides an overview of infertility tourism"). The HFEA's response to the growing number of infertile couples going abroad is therefore consider how to reduce this .... by increase payments and incentives to egg and sperm donors and thus increase the supply of eggs and sperm. Payments may increase more than £ 1000.

It is unlikely that changes will have any immediate effect on the market sector. No decision will be made until the end of the public consultation HFEA next year. The three-month public consultation will not start until January 2011 and HFEA is expected to be included in Commission of Quality Care in the United Kingdom as a result of public spending cuts to UK. But there is a clear warning here for those involved in medical tourism and travel medicine sector. Don't put all eggs in one basket. Or, even worse, be aware that any segment of the market desk doctor may be limited by their own success when domestic suppliers and Governments seek to reverse the trend.

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!