| 5 Points To Consider Before Starting Medical Tourism And Medical Travel |
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| Written by Bit Williams |
| Tuesday, 09 November 2010 16:17 |
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Have you ever considered traveling to another country for medical treatment? More and more people are doing this. It is commonly called medical tourism or travel. Americans often do this to find cheaper treatment outside of the United States. People in some poorer countries will travel to a richer country for some treatment that they can't get at home. Also, some countries with a nationalized health care system have long wait times for elective procedures. One can often get faster treatment in a different country. Here are five things you should know before planning medical travel and tourism.
Have you ever considered traveling to another country for medical treatment? More and more people are doing this. It is commonly called medical tourism or travel. Americans often do this to find cheaper treatment outside of the United States. People in some poorer countries will travel to a richer country for some treatment that they can't get at home. Also, some countries with a nationalized health care system have long wait times for elective procedures. One can often get faster treatment in a different country. Here are five things you should know before planning medical travel and tourism. The first is that residents of the United States, and possibly of other countries with high medical costs, can achieve huge cost reductions by having medical procedures done in a low cost country. For example, surgery in Thailand, South Africa, or many other countries, may only cost about a tenth of what it would cost in the United States. This can generate incredible cost savings, particularly for those who have inadequate or no health insurance. The second is that many American health insurance companies provide incentives for their customers to have certain procedures performed in lower cost countries. This is done of course because the costs to the insurance company may be greatly reduced. Insurance companies may cover the costs of travel and lodging in another country, and may even pay cash rebates. Third, if you are concerned about the quality of care in a foreign country, there is some help available. Several agencies, including the Joint Commission International, study health care facilities and hospitals around the world. They will grant accreditation when it is deserved. Quality of care is a very complicated issue and may vary a lot within a country or between countries. Accreditation provides at least some comfort in knowing there is a lower bound on the quality of an accredited facility. Point four is that compensation for malpractice may either not exist or be very constrained. Some countries don't have anything like the malpractice suits you have heard about. It may also be that a malpractice suit can be filed but it can be practically impossible to collect if you win. Hopefully this wouldn't come up for you, but it is important to realize that these differences exist. Fifth, there are some risks associated with medical tourism. The patient may be exposed to exotic diseases that are rare or nonexistent in their home country. Fighting a contagious disease while recovering from surgery is not a good combination. Fortunately, local doctors will tend to be familiar with diagnosing and treating local diseases. The travel itself may pose some additional risks. Any long airplane flight with little or no opportunity to move around creates a risk of blood clots in the legs, sometimes called economy class syndrome. Patients recuperating from some forms of surgery may have elevated risk of this occurring. This factor should be considered when considering or planning medical tourism. Medical tourism may be a good choice for many people, for non-emergency treatments of course. It is frequently used for joint replacement or cosmetic surgery. Dental treatment is another possibility. There are medical tourism providers who could help you sort things out. They can inform you about the options available in many countries. They can even function much like a travel agency and set everything up for you, almost like a guided tour. DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice. When ever considering Medical Travel or Medical Tourism it is always essential to perform your research. Their are many articles to choose from. The links I have provided will give you some factual information to make well educated decisions on your trip. |