West Palm Beach, FL, January 26, 2012 –(PR.com)– As the leading regional destination for health care and the fifth medical tourism destination worldwide as recognized by the World Bank; this conference will host up to 400 academics, researchers, health care buyers, innovators and decision-makers working in areas such as: governments, health care, travel and embassies.

This Congress will provide a platform for sharing and learning about the wider issues of the future of medical tourism, quality assurance and accreditation, e-health, Jordan as a wellness destination and medical liability issues. The Congress will be held at the Kempinski-Ishtar Hotel Dead Sea- Jordan.

As part of this agreement, the MTA will take part in developing topic ideas, recommending speakers and inviting VIP buyers of health care among the contacts they have established.

“Many of the buyers we have worked with have shown a great deal of interest in exploring the areas of Jordan where medical tourism could thrive,” said Renée-Marie Stephano, president of the Medical Tourism Association™.

“For my company; this is a great opportunity to showcase a high specialty and diverse health and wellness destination, one that has exceptional health care combined with high patient satisfaction rates and a beautiful place to visit, which are all components the MTA advocates.”

In addition to working together on the Congress, the Guide to Jordan Healthcare will be the second book released in a series of the Destination Guides program, by the MTA.

As nearly 100 countries around the world embrace the medical tourism industry, the Medical Tourism Association™ has launched its Destination Guides program as a commitment to education, with a focus on consumer awareness.

The first guide was officially released at the 4th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress in October, The Las Vegas Destination Guide™.

The Jordan Destination Guide will provide:

· In depth analysis about what medical tourism is and considerations in receiving health care away from home
· Discover what makes Jordan a great medical tourism destination
· Medical procedures and treatments available in Jordan
· How to budget/plan for your Jordan medical trip
· Directory listing of health care providers, spas, hotels and entertainment

Known for years for its excellence in health care, Jordan has continually increased its value proposition by promoting quality and international standards.

At present, seven Jordanian private hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), with five others in the process of obtaining this accreditation. This ensures patients a quality health care experience, as well as highlights Jordan’s commitment to enhance all phases of the medical services sector.

In the past five years, Jordan has streamlined its efforts to become a medical tourism hub with sector revenues increasing to $1.3 billion by 2011. Revenues will likely increase even more in the coming years as additional Jordanian hospitals will gain Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation.

“Due to our belief that more efforts should be made by our association to attract and increase the number of patients who select Jordan as their medical and wellness destination, we have collaborated with the MTA in releasing the Jordan Destination Guide to promote Jordan as the destination of choice for wellness, medical services and to assist hospitals in entering new regional and international markets,” said Dr. Abdallah Hindawi, CEO of Private Hospitals Association.

Company Bios

Medical Tourism Association™

The Medical Tourism Association™ is the first membership based international non-profit trade association for the medical tourism and global healthcare industry made up of the top international hospitals, healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators, insurance companies, and other affiliated companies and members with the common goal of promoting the highest level of quality of healthcare to patients in a global environment.

The Association promotes the interests of its healthcare provider and medical tourism facilitator members. The MTA has three tenets: Transparency in Quality and Pricing, Communication and Education.

Private Hospitals Association

The Private Hospitals Association is non-profit organization founded in 1984, that aims to give Jordanians the ability to choose the best medical services available by creating awareness among the Jordanian society, and raise the competitiveness of the private hospitals locally and internationally while maintaining the interests of the private hospitals their owners and operators keeping the interaction with the members; to ensure the continuation an meeting up with the continuous changing needs of patients.

http://www.pr.com/press-release/386005

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Many people in the U.S. can’t get the medical treatment they need due to high costs. However, by getting on an airplane, they can travel to a country where medical standards are high, yet fees are low.

The safety and quality of offshore health care has now surpassed most of the US standards in many facilities. In fact, some are now setting standards for U.S. medical facilities.

Is such medical care worth the price of the air fare? Surveys have revealed that costs can be between 20%-70% less than the same procedure done in the U.S.

One of the keys to getting top quality care at the lowest price is working with a qualified company to put you in contact with the right doctors overseas.

Globalized Healthcare (http://www.globalizedhealthcare.com/) has developed a net work of qualified overseas doctors and they arrange every facet of care.

Globalized Healthcare can match you with qualified doctors in fields from dentistry to cosmetic surgery to stem cell or organ transplant. They also can point you in the right direction if you have cancer or cardiac issues that need treatment, as well as most any other medical condition.

Globalized Healthcare specializes in fertility issues as well, including In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Globalized Healthcare pioneered the concept of going abroad for Surrogacy. They also have a program for women wishing to be egg donors.

All of Globalized Healthcare staff have worked in the medical tourism industry as business managers, health care coordinators, medical directors, legal consultants or health care providers for over 5 years.

As a result, we feel an obligation to provide a service to the community which focuses on the education of medical services, and health care savings, in the spirit of honesty and compassion.

http://www.free-press-release.com/news-medical-tourism-key-to-affordable-healthcare-1327426999.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

Huge windows displayed panoramic East River views. And in the hush of her $2,400 suite, a man in a black vest and tie proffered an elaborate menu and told her, “I’ll be your butler.”

It was Greenberg 14 South, the elite wing on the new penthouse floor of NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell hospital. Pampering and décor to rival a grand hotel, if not a Downton Abbey, have long been the hallmark of such “amenities units,” often hidden behind closed doors at New York’s premier hospitals.

But the phenomenon is escalating here and around the country, health care design specialists say, part of an international competition for wealthy patients willing to pay extra, even as the federal government cuts back…

It’s more common than you think:

Many American hospitals offer a V.I.P. amenities floor with a dedicated chef and lavish services, from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, which promises “the ultimate in pampering” in its $3,784 maternity suites.

The rise of medical tourism to glittering hospitals in places like Singapore and Thailand has turned coddling and elegance into marketing necessities, designers say…

But it’s all hush-hush:

NewYork-Presbyterian, which once opposed amenities units, would not answer questions about its shift, and declined a reporter’s request for a tour…

And definitely not for the masses:

In space-starved New York, many regular hospital rooms are still double-occupancy, though singles are now the national standard for infection control and quicker recovery…

The customer (oops) patient is always right:

“We pride ourselves on getting anything the patient wants. If they have a craving for lobster tails and we don’t have them on the menu, we’ll go out and get them,” [said] William Duffy, Mount Sinai Medical Center’s director of hospitality…

Avoiding the interns:

“I’m perfectly at home here — totally private, totally catered,” [Nancy Hemenway, a senior financial services executive] added. “I have a primary-care physician who also acts as ringmaster for all my other doctors. And I see no people in training — only the best of the best.” …

Serving the merely well-off:

Beth Israel Medical Center’s…green-carpeted lobby may be more Radisson than Ritz, but its 12 single rooms starting at $450 feature Bose stereos and flat-screen TVs, and chef-prepared kosher food is served on china…

And hospital administrators are apologetic:

Wayne Keathley, Mount Sinai’s president, minimized the unit’s role… “It is not nearly as large or elaborate as some others,” Mr. Keathley said. He called the money it brought in “a rounding error in my budget,” and said that patients came for the clinical care, not the amenities…

Gail Donovan, the chief operating officer of Continuum Partners, which includes Beth Israel and St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital [said] “Our mission is really to be the safety net hospitals of our communities.” …

http://healthblog.ncpa.org/medical-tourism-has-come-to-the-u-s-a/

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http://www.usaycompare.co.uk/health-insurance-news/article/medical-insurance-news—dogs-pose-lyme-disease-risk-801274439

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Frank’s 20 plus years of experience, include working in health insurance, business sales and real estate development as well as drafting healthcare and business development legislation.

Frank has in-depth knowledge of the U.S. medical delivery system, insurance law, medical tourism, and the ever-changing health insurance industry.

As a result of his longtime involvement with these issues, Frank aims to inform the public and provide solutions to today’s growing tension between private and public sector interests and various industry issues.

Frank’s wide scope of experience has given him a deep understanding of self-motivation, motivating others, managing people, positively handling adversity, creating win-win relationships, and maximizing personal and organizational potential.

Early in his career, Frank successfully sold business long distance services and fully integrated manufacturing computer systems. He has worked in management for a large health insurance company with over a billion dollars in revenues and with an international heavy equipment manufacturer. Frank currently serves in the Wisconsin State Senate.

Frank is happily married to Amy Joy Lasee, a public speaker in her own right. Together they are raising six wonderful daughters, ranging in age from 7 to 16.

Frank graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Frank is an avid lifelong learner and is passionate about public speaking, public policy, instructing, informing, and mentoring.

http://www.medicaltourismcongress.com/en/bio/frank-lasee_498.html

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They won’t be looking for Mayan ruins or ancient Buddhist temples, but something a bit more practical: affordable medical care. These medical tourists will be getting root canals, knee surgeries, and hip replacements at foreign hospitals.

If health-care costs in the U.S. keep rising—and especially if Obamacare is overturned by the Supreme Court—more of us may soon be joining them.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield has started a company called Companion Global Healthcare, which connects patients with hospitals around the world. Political events could also quickly make medical tourism considerably more attractive. If Obamacare is overturned, forty million Americans without insurance will stay that way.

If Medicaid and Medicare are cut sharply, the cost of American health care will eventually become prohibitive to many senior citizens. And if health-care costs keep soaring fewer employers will offer health insurance.

That doesn’t mean that Americans are soon going to jet halfway around the world for an ingrown toenail, but it’s easy to envisage regional systems becoming common, with Americans heading to places like Costa Rica and Mexico, and Western Europeans going to places like Hungary and Turkey.

If more Americans sought care abroad, it wouldn’t just save them money; it could also help control medical costs at home. Medical tourism can be considered a kind of import: instead of the product coming to the consumer, as it does with cars or sneakers, the consumer is going to the product.

More medical tourism would increase free trade in medical services, something there has not been much of in the past. The U.S. has been religious about breaking down barriers to free trade, especially in manufacturing and service industries, exposing ordinary workers to foreign competition. But health care has been insulated from the forces of globalization.

This has been great for hospitals and doctors, but less good for consumers. It’s one reason that the cost of health care has risen so much faster than that of almost everything else.

http://shiracoffee.tumblr.com/post/20844628976/medical-tourism-affordable-health-care-in-thailand-and

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New research looking at cosmetic surgery tourism shows that different destinations are targeting potential customers in different ways with different messages.

Whether this is intentional segmentation or is because the destination believes all of its customers come from a particular segment is up for discussion.

At the British Sociological Association’s annual conference, the researchers from the Leeds’ Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies and the University of Leicester in the UK and the Sydney University and the University of Technology, Sydney in Australia presented an analysis of cosmetic surgery tourism websites, the first of its kind, and found that marketing strategy “seems to betray class preferences.”

Spain… cosmetic surgery for the working class?

According to the research team, Spanish cosmetic surgery sites are marketing themselves to working-class Britons by showing images of obvious wealth such as photos of yachts, while Czech sites are appealing to the middle-classes by being more understated.

For instance, the images of yachts on Spanish sites “could be taken as rather clunky signifiers of status and luxury” which “serve to connect cosmetic surgery with beauty and success, specifically in the form of wealth.” This would appeal especially to people who were not wealthy.

The researchers found that the Spanish sites treated women “primarily as body parts” with photos of breasts, thighs, stomachs, buttocks and faces but none of the complete body. They also equated women’s high self-esteem with their looks.

Czech Republic….. cosmetic surgery for the discerning patient?

By contrast, Czech websites “depart markedly from those of their Spanish counterparts” and “emphasise skill, hygiene and regulation. This practical, information-led and sterile approach is fundamentally different from the exotic, evocative and eroticised version of cosmetic surgery offered by Spanish websites.

There is very little emphasis on body parts or before and after pictures, foregrounding instead waiting and consultation rooms, theatres and equipment.

“Tourists to the Prague clinics are addressed as largely gender neutral, highly informed clients who are able to talk over the possible risks of their surgery with their local GP.

They are assumed to be astute and demanding consumers who have high levels of cultural capital.

No reference to self-esteem is made, instead clients might undertake surgery for reasons including wanting a ‘younger, fresher look’ or ‘relief from back pain’ or ‘getting your body back in shape after child birth’.

In sharp contrast to the Spanish sites, Czech clinics represent both patients and surgeons as women and men.”This new research is part of a larger investigation by the team into cosmetic surgery abroad.

Market segmentation in medical tourism…. by intent or by accident?

The research team has drawn some interesting conclusions. But do these reflect a conscious decision by clinics in Spain and Czech Republic to target different segments of the cosmetic surgery market? Or are they a reflection of how cosmetic surgery is viewed within these two countries?

Given the immaturity of the industry, it is not surprising that the concept of market segmentation in medical tourism is underdeveloped and rarely applied effectively.

Different consumers in different countries do indeed require a different communications strategy and different promotional messages to maximise the success of medical tourism marketing.

In most cases, medical tourism marketing is still about being all things to all men and women of all classes. Time to move forward….

http://www.imtj.com/articles/2012/blog-cosmetic-surgery-tourism-40173/

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The Philippines’ government envisions the country as the “new hub of wellness and medical care” as it is the home to some best hospitals and standalone specialty clinics in the region.

According to a new research report by RNCOS, the nation is planning to introduce special medical visas for foreigners, with a view to grabbing a sizeable share in Asia’s booming health tourism industry.

It is anticipated that on back of such initiatives and developments, Philippines’ medical tourism market will expand at a CAGR of over 25% during 2010-2013.

The research report, “Asian Medical Tourism Analysis (2008-2012)”, says that the Asian medical tourism industry has been growing at a rapid pace for the last few years, and has become a key attraction for the foreign medical tourists.

The industry has gained grounds due to the rising healthcare costs in the developed world, long waiting time, and in some cases, the unavailability of quality healthcare (as in the Middle East).

It is estimated that the market will grow at double-digit rate in near future. Besides, six countries– Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines – are expected to be the most potential medical tourism destinations in Asia in the coming years.

The study provides comprehensive research and unbiased analysis of the industry’s current performance and future outlook of the key Asian medical tourism markets.

It acknowledges the fact that the six Asian markets covered in the report – Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, South Korea, and the Philippines – have vast differences in terms of cost, infrastructure, human resources, patient perceptions, competencies, and level of government support.

Each destination has been thoroughly studied in the report that provides valuable information to clients who are looking to venture into these markets, and helps them devise sound strategies.

RNCOS specializes in Industry intelligence and creative solutions for contemporary business segments. Our professionals analyze the industry and its various components, with a comprehensive study of the changing market behavior.

Our accuracy and data precision proves beneficial in terms of pricing and time management that assist the intending consultants in meeting their objectives in a cost-effective and timely manner.

http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/sbwire-135839.htm

Medical Tourism Resource Online

The idea of combining high quality medical care with a relaxing vacation is highly appealing to people in countries such as USA and UK, where top quality medical care is very expensive.

The trend of travelling to countries such as Thailand, Mexico and India to get expensive medical treatment at cheaper rates is on the rise. Here are a few reasons why medical tourism has become so popular.

Affordable Medical Treatment and Medicines

Medical tourism helps people with existing medical problems save plenty of money.

Insurance plans do not cover certain medical conditions and getting treated for these conditions in one’s home country can turn out to be very expensive, owing to which getting treated for the same in a foreign country will prove to be a lot cheaper.

For instance, undergoing a surgery in the UK or the USA will be costlier than undergoing the same surgery in a country like India or Thailand.

Top Quality Medical Treatment

Countries that have boosted their medical tourism industry have invested a lot into it to ensure that proper, top quality medical treatment is made available to tourists at affordable rates.

Most of the doctors have obtained their medical degrees in countries such as UK and USA.

If medical tourists research their medical tourism destinations and hospitals well, they can put themselves in the way to receiving high quality medical treatment at affordable rates, something that is impossible back at home.

Convalesce and Have a Vacation

The medical treatment, usually involving a major surgery, is followed by a relaxing weeks-long or months-long vacation in delightful surroundings.

Depending on their destination, medical tourists can spend some time recovering at beach or mountain resorts or just stay at a luxury hotel.

The mountain or coastal air can be a great way to rebuild ones confidence and general health, with gentle walks on the beach not the worst way to recuperate.

You Can Get Insurance Coverage

Although insurance companies do not, as a rule, provide cover for medical treatment taken abroad, many of them are mulling over the idea of covering medical treatment in foreign countries.

If customers do a bit of research, they will find insurance companies that cover medical treatment particularly if it is done abroad. Besides this, fabulous vacation packages are available, often at a discount, for those who wish to undergo medical treatment abroad, enabling tourists to travel with loved ones, get the best medical care and stay in luxury hotels.

Considerations of Medical Tourism Abroad

The benefits of medical tourism abroad are clear, given the chance of a cheap holiday and cheap medical care in countries such as Thailand. DO though also be aware of the risks and do perhaps consider asking your local doctor for advice.

There can be potential risks given that the attention to certain procedures and ways of doing things, may be different abroad, to what you are used to. Research carefully the country and hospital you plan to use and do consider all options carefully.

Where will you stand for example if you need further surgery or if something went wrong. Will your standard travel insurance policy cover you for this type of trip? Plan carefully!

http://www.travelinsurancedeal.co.uk/medical-tourism-abroad/

Medical Tourism Resource Online

Qingjiao Ciji Temple, also called East Palace, has become the Mecca for followers of Wu Ben, a medical saint who devoted his whole life to saving people in China and Southeast Asia especially in Fujian and Taiwan.

The festival themed with “Health, Mercy and Harmony” is expected to attract about 6,000 believers from the two sides.

Apart from the opening ceremony and worship ceremony, a series of supporting activities will be held including a launch ceremony of TV series Legend of Medical Saint, Haicang Economy and Tourism Promotion Conference, The First Ciji Culture Photography Competition, Free Medical Service Activity and Ciji Culture Creative Products Exhibition.

In addition, the First Xiamen (Haicang) Shopping Festival and the First Haicang Bike Carnival will be also held to turn Haicang District into an ideal place for shopping and exercising. The supporting activities will last about a month, according to the organizing committee.

http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/event2686.html

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