Domestic Medical Tourism

Posted on 8 May 2012 in Uncategorized by admin

Domestic Medical Tourism: It seems counter intutive to pay for an employee or covered family member to travel to another locale in order to have a less expensive medical treatment.

This travel often includes the transportation and lodging costs of a companion caregiver, such as a spouse or other adult relative to accompany the member. However, many large companies often include a domestic medical tourism option within their health care plans.

While financial savings is one of the objectives, in other cases those procedures which are most likely to have the highest positive outcomes may only be available in another city or state.

Furthermore, it is often the case were both financial savings and positive outcomes come together for the benefit of the plan sponsor as well as the member.

Domestic medical travel is frequently associated with medical centers of excellence which specialize in a limited range of disease conditions, yet employ leading edge treatment modalities.

These centers are generally located in metropolitan areas throughout the nation, sometimes in conjunction with research and teaching hospitals.

Facilities such as the Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and MD Anderson Cancer Center are among the several institutions touted as being recognized for their frontline treatment procedures for diagnosing and treating especially difficult medical conditions.

While expenses associated with travel, transportation, and lodging do not make financial sense for routine and uncomplicated medical conditions; treatment for unusual and rarely seen illnesses may confound local providers, even if they are a specialist.

Misdiagnoses, unnecessary care, repeated or incorrect procedures may only exasperate the medical situation, resulting in lost productivity, wasted dollars, time, as well as ageist on the part of the member and family.

Negative outcomes could result in long term or permanent disability and/or even untimely and avoidable death.

Organizational policies connected to domestic medical travel must be clearly and comprehensively documented within carrier contracts, Schedule of Benefits, Summary Plan Descriptions, as well as general and specific documents and policies addressing paid, unpaid, and FMLA leaves.

Unless the organization retains internal or external medical expertise, it is best to rely on the recommendations of the member’s specialty care provider(s) in consult with the carrier as to whether or not domestic medical travel is warranted.

Special attention should be paid as to who is permitted to travel with the member as a companion caregiver; this could include a spouse, domestic partner or an adult relative.

Non-adult children should be excluded. In the absence of a related or domestic partner companion, an organization may want to consider the use of a medical or home health aide to assist the member before, during, and after the travel period.

Again, it is best to rely on the recommendations of the member’s specialty care provider(s) when it comes to what type of companion would be required.

If the organization retains an EAP, it may be appropriate to make the member aware of and provide information about such services as requested.

The EAP is in the proper entity to provide assistance with legal and other services to address issues dealing with durable power of attorney, advanced living directives, wills, and living wills.

http://total-employee-rewards.blogspot.com/2012/01/domestic-medical-tourism.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

Dental Vacations – Newest Form of Medical Tourism

Posted on 24 December 2011 in Uncategorized by admin

It’s a new world out there in 2011. Previously you bought your car only locally and on top of that medical or dental care was in your city or at the worst a specialist’s referral to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota or perhaps Phoenix. The case was solidly that that “foreigners” would travel to high tech America or Britain for advanced, modern and hygienic medical care. Not so today. Now it’s often the case of reverse. Americans, Canadians and Europeans are going offshore for medical care.

Perhaps the rationale for this “Medical Tourism” it’s to “jump the queue”, perhaps it for a cost savings. Or sometimes it’s just to get a vacation. Effectively for the cost of medical and dental care back at home you can also have the procedures and get a restive vacation in Asia or Mexico to boot. Recently its not only regular doctor’s medical care that people/patients are seeking, but also dental care. It’s known in the dental trade as “Dental Tourism”.

The “hospitality” & tourism industries at the present is constantly growing and branching out. Dental tourism is an emerging new growth area and trend in the tourism and travel industries nowadays. It would surprise you that “ordinary people “are seriously contemplating one of the “dental vacations” where this would not of even been a consideration what so ever 10 years ago. Again apart from getting the dental care they need, dental tourism also gives them the opportunity to visit a new place, meet new people, be exposed to new culture and customs and have a great vacation while taking a trip for their dental care appointment. For the most part, due to the reduced costs of the medical or dental procedures the far away trip or vacation is “free”.

In Cancun Mexico,for example, competent, well trained and hygienic dentists openly advertise that the professional fees for their services are 70 % less than American or Canadian dental association tariff rates. Voila consider your vacation or recuperative time in paradise is more than subsidized and offset by the cost of air travel, ground transport and reasonable lodgings. While there are a myriad of places around the world to obtain competent and safe medical and dental procedures it often boils down to proximity to reduce travel and time off work costs. For Europeans India is often the first pick. Others in more eastern European countries or Israel and the Middle East choose Turkey or Cyprus. For North Americans – both Canadians and Americans – it can be South or Central America or close by to home, and a short vacation flight – standard holiday vacation charter discount vacation flights.

Despite the low cost oral care, there can also be complications when it comes to traveling abroad for dental care for some facilities and clinics may be uneducated about the different policies including basic hygiene in the workplace. With this, it is the responsibility of the traveler to first know the information about their selected clinic before traveling so that they can avoid having a trip to a un-hygienic clinic that may offer low cost oral work but totally unsafe. Also make allowances both in terms of time and money if complications arise. If you have chosen your medical practitioner, clinic or hospital wisely and with care, this need not be a major issue. Still just like at home complications can occur no matter the care and attention to detail as well as hygiene. Hence make allowances in your mind, both in terms of funding and costs should this unfortunately arise. If your medical insurance plan is funding the trip – ensure that extra stays and costs due to complicating events are covered as part of the coverage. It might surprise many that established medical insurers are recommending to their clients offshore medical procedures as a means of controlling costs and outlays on their end.

Planned well and done wisely, medical / dental tourism offers a myriad of benefits of those who partake in its opportunity. Obviously it’s not for life threatening medical care which must be done on the spot and as well not for those who for reasons of poor health are unable to travel what so ever. Yet with some foresight, thought and planning those needing medical procedures and care can have their cake and eat it too, in terms of having the medical procedures done and enjoying a well beautiful vacation.

 

Medical Tourism Dentistry Vacation Resource On-line

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Political cost of plan for medical tourism is too high

Posted on 11 April 2010 in Uncategorized by admin

Idea of fast-tracking surgery for visitors from U.S. discriminates against Canadians in their own country

Some ideas are not as wacky as they seem. Health Minister Kevin Falcon’s suggestion that we look at ways to turn part of our health care system into a gold mine is not one of these ideas. On closer examination it is just as wacky as it appears at first blush.

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Is Medical Tourism Only Overseas Travel ?

Posted on 27 February 2009 in Uncategorized by admin

It is an interesting point or points of view or what might call perspectives.

Medical tourism or “medtravel”  or  “medical tourism / medtravel”  often is not most times refers to people , patients or their families traveling to far off , what were once backward third world places , to get medical treatment or medical treatments which they either cannot afford to get “back home”  or are too far down the list or que.

Medical tourism can now refer to medical treatment in the good old USA.

It is now accident that often the most wealthy and powerful come to the US for treatment.

The choice of oil rich sheiks , with no shortage of cash and money to burn , – ever,  used to be “private British ” health care clinic or private British hospitals.  It was closer and more familiar to the colonial past .  However , or in spite of this many of the wealthiest people in the world now routinely , as a matter of course , to American hospitals for their medical care – be it John Hopkins , the Mayo Clinic , Sloane-Kettering or a myriad of others.

In addition to that many who holiday in the US – say for warmer Florida in the winter are already there , so to speak.  Travel costs are already covered , as well as a stay away from home in nice surroundings.  Even friends or family can visit for a stay – and have minimal costs .  Hence these areas , Florida included , have incurred a resulting boom in medical care to those who are not their direct population and citizenry.

These too can be termed “medical tourism”  or medical tourism medtravel even home in the USA.

Medical Tourism: World-class Medical Care at Affordable Rates … – Well-trained and experienced doctors, state of art medical facilities and personalized care have helped India to register the fastest growth rate in this Industry. The number of patients seeking treatment in India has gone up from 10000 …

Florida’s Tourism Addiction | Newgeography.com – Growth in medical research is already happening with the arrival of the Nemours Center for Pediatric Research. Both of these are happening because of internal decisions, windows of opportunity, and with mostly private, …

Kerala Medical Tourism – The government’s initiative to combine tourism along with medical practices at a cost which is comparatively very low as compared to U.S. or U. K , has contributed to the rapid growth of medical tourism in the state. …

Medtour Medical Tourism

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Valid Concerns and Issues Involving Medical Tourism

Posted on 28 February 2008 in Uncategorized by admin

There are a number of valid concerns regarding medical tourism that should be addressed before medical and procedure as well as travel plans are put into place.

In many cases the reasons for choosing medical tourism and having a medical or surgical assessment or procedure done outside your home catchment area involve questions of cost and economy. In other cases its to get the procedure done more rapidly ( to jump the que) . In the cases of a business person they can often more than justify costs spent in terms of return on their income – not being disabled or inconvenienced by a surgically repairable illness or to linger with a given medical condition. In other cases the procedure may be done away from home for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.

Remember that in the end its your health and life that is on the line. Unless standards and what one might call”workmanship”- in both technical expertise of the medical staff – including doctors , specialists , nursing and hospital staff etc, is not up to “snuff” , then the whole exercise will be a wasted effort , false economy. Potentially it can even be a tragic or even lethal result for yourself or members of your family.

First of all remember that traveling abroad to get medical care goes both ways. The door swings in both manners. When among the most wealthy in the world , say for example oil sheiks , need medical care , the choice , more often than not , are prestigous American medical and hospital facilities such as the Mayo Clinic or Rochestor Minnesota , or John Hopkins in Baltimore Maryland. The United States and its medical system is a very common and standard destination for people of means and wealth who seek what they perceive and regard as the very best care in the world for particular health problems and concerns. Indeed for these people of wealth and/or power , money is of no object – its the highest level of health care that they seek.

Medical tourism is not new. While the term “medical tourism ” may be of recent origin the whole idea of traveling abroad to seek less expensive or more rapidly available medical care is not. Some can even trace the original concepts and practices of what we now regard with the standard term of “medical tourism” all the way back in history to the ancient Greeks.

It all sounds great . Medical tourism seems on the surface to be a win-win situation for those patients and customers who wish to avail themselves of these services. The patient gets served and serviced. They get their medical needs taken of at less cost , or quicker. In the process they both save money , have their procedures completed. On top of that they may have a “free” enjoyable vacation and may reside in hospitals with decor , food and service levels akin to that of a 5 star hotel.

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