Healthy Outlook Blog

But with today’s increasing medical costs and the problem of unavailable insurance or under-insurance, “traveling for one’s health” has taken on a new twist. Increasingly, people are crossing international borders for medical care.

According to David G. Vequist IV, PhD., Director of the Center for Medical Tourism Research, medical tourism is experiencing double digit growth, despite, or perhaps because of, the recession. “More than 1.1 million Americans travelled abroad in 2009 for some form of medical tourism. Leading procedures were dental treatments, surgical operations, and cosmetic procedures. Other reasons include pharmaceuticals, medical devices, implantables, executive checkups, and some types of health and wellness or spa procedures.”

The rise of medical tourism occurs at a time when the quality of medical education and care in international-standard hospitals in developing nations has increased.

According to the journal Health Affairs, foreign-trained doctors practicing in America were rated more highly than their American-trained counterparts.

At the same time, costs remain much lower than in western countries.

How much lower? According to the Medical Tourism Association, which comprises international hospitals, healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators, and insurance companies, knee replacement surgery costing $50,000 in the U.S. costs $6,000 in India. A heart valve replacement costing $170,000 in the U.S. would cost $5,500 in India. IVF (a fertility treatment not usually covered by insurance) costing $14,500 in the U.S. costs $3,500 in India. And liposuction (another surgery not usually covered by insurance) costing $9,000 in the U.S costs $2,800 in India.

Interestingly, Vequist says, “Price is not always the reason that people travel for medical care. People may travel to receive treatments, pharmaceuticals, and procedures that are not available in their home country. For example, some Korean facilities report some of the best outcomes in the world in the treatment of stomach cancer — even better than the best U.S. facilities.”

At the same time, the flow of medical tourism goes both ways for patients able to afford the cost of top-rated American programs. American hospitals may even have special facilities for wealthy international patients. The patient information material about John Hopkins’s ultra-luxury wing, the Marburg Pavilion, reads more like a five-star hotel than a hospital, with descriptions of fine wood furniture, private baths, entertainment centers, and in-room fax-machines.

Often, international patients travel for specific top-rated programs; examples include the Center for Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy in Little Rock Arkansas, which maintains a patient map, showing that patients come from every U.S. state and more than 50 foreign countries for their top-rated treatments.

Similarly, the Cleveland Clinic’s renowned cardiac clinic attracts international patients as well as what Vequist calls intraregional or domestic medical tourists (also a burgeoning movement). “The biggest corporate example is Lowes, the large home improvement retailer, which sends employees and dependents who need cardiac care to the Cleveland Clinic.”

Medical tourism is not without risks. Vequist names antibiotic-resistant superbugs, along with cultural differences, as potential issues. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, patients should consider:

* Physician qualifications

* Safety of the medical facility and equipment

* Potential risks and side effects for the procedure regardless of where performed

* Time required for in-country post-operative care

* Insurance issues (Expenses occurred on a trip intended for medical treatment are often excluded. Read the fine print.)

* Travel plans, as long flights increase the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism or blood clots

“Information is ultimately the key to making to making better healthcare decisions,” says Vequist, “Whether you are staying in your local area, travelling across state lines or even around the world.”

CONNECT THE DOTS

The Medical Tourism Association offers resources for travelers contemplating surgery abroad. The American Association of Plastic Surgeons lists ASPS Member Surgeons who operate in accredited facilities. A study published by the Open Medical Informatics Journal discusses finding and evaluating information about medical tourism resources on the Internet.