MMedsolution – Medical Dental Tourism Resource On-line

Constellation Communications & Events, an Indian arm of Lifeline Healthcare, Dubai is organizing a Two Day Certificate Program for medical tourism professionals at the Hotel Holiday Inn in Mumbai on June 1-2, 2012.

Constellation Communications & Events has roped in speaker, trainer, and chartered consultant Dr Prem Jagyasi to conduct this workshop.

The timings for the workshop will be from 10 AM – 5 PM and the fee for the workshop is Rs 10,000,

This Course aims to provide numerous benefits for the tourism sector including an opportunity to understand,the connecting thread between Tourism & Medical Tourism industry.

Marketing and branding tips for organisations among the right audiences, learning key strategies while making marketing plan for better business development through international patients travelling to India.

An pportunity to meet hospitals and medical tourism companies to understand the feasibility of joint venture with them, gain insights on legal & ethical issues involved in Medical Tourism as well as learn how to overcome the challenges involved in business development while dealing with international patients.

http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/dr-prem-jagyasi-to-conduct-twoday-certificate-workshop-on-medical-tourism-in-june-2012-16499

Medical Tourism Resource Online

Local promoters have talked for a decade about creating a medical tourism industry, but have little to show for it beyond talk.

Yet another panel discussion on the topic on Tuesday night gave the concept’s backers hope that tangible progress might finally be near.

“What we did was get all the right people in the room at the same time discussing it and showing interest,” said Doug Geinzer, the CEO of the Southern Nevada Medical Industry Coalition, which sponsored the event.

However, the approximately 100 medical professionals still have widely differing ideas about what will bring out-of-town patients to Las Vegas:

An extension of a big-name institution or something homegrown, a broad-based practice or individual specialties, marketing just Las Vegas or the entire state, or focusing more on Americans or foreigners.

Since becoming the dean of the University of Nevada School of Medicine in July, Dr. Thomas Schwenk noted the that the local doctors display a “certain sense of individualism and passion and a tendency to head in 20 different directions at the same time.”

Moreover, the meeting included only a handful of people from the tourism industry. In the past, they have looked at medical treatment as another avenue to fill hotel rooms and restaurants, while medical professionals view tourism as taking a back seat to their work.

Without a unified agenda, said state Sen. Valerie Wiener, D-Las Vegas, securing help from the Legislature next year would be unlikely.

One step toward medical tourism was unveiled in the form of the Las Vegas Health & Wellness Guide, co-produced by Medical Tourism Magazine and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

Although it carries a $15.95 price, it will largely be handed out at conventions and meetings with 21 pages of clinical listings at 65 pages of hotels and attractions.

But broadcast executive Jim Rogers noted, “Tourism cannot be most of what we are going to do. It’s got to be the quality of medicine.”

He, along with some others who have looked at the issue, believe that a comprehensive medical institution is the biggest draw. People travel to places they would otherwise shun, such as Rochester, Minn., Cleveland and Baltimore to check into the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic and Johns Hopkins.

If a procedure or a checkup discovers something unexpected, the right specialist is close by; the patient doesn’t have to be sent to another side of a city.

Based on the infighting he saw during his five years as the chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, he said,

“I have great doubts about the ability to put a system together. We don’t have any great large medical groups here and that doesn’t sell.”

The university and University Medical Center of Southern Nevada have started down the path of closer collaboration, but that will take time.

Some individual practices have said they have been able to draw patients from elsewhere, such as the local office of the Sher Institutes for Reproductive Medicine. Others have run into trouble, such as the Nevada Cancer Institute.

Once touted as a major medical tourism draw, it financially collapsed and has become a branch of the University of California, San Diego Health System.

But enough elements are in place to make the medical tourism work, Geinzer said.

“We have great health care in this town,” he said. “But we don’t do a great job of marketing it.”

http://www.lvrj.com/business/hope-rekindled-for-medical-tourism-industry-138551974.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

In a recent Tribune article, heart specialist Dr Conville Brown complained about Bahamians spending millions of dollars in the US for medical care that could easily be obtained at home.

He was arguing in favour of local healthcare providers building a large-scale medical tourism industry here.

“The same things that all tourists do,” he said, “the medical tourist has to do. (And) if the ownership is Bahamian, then the economy really wins because those funds will stay here.”

But at the same time he felt constrained to point out that Bahamians were offsetting the income from foreigners by flying off to get treatment in the US.

“We boost their economy big time. We are reverse medical tourists. Several hospitals in South Florida say their biggest international clientele is from the Bahamas.”

Medical tourism is a multi-billion-dollar growth industry that hospitals, doctors and tourism marketers around the world are eager to tap into.

By some accounts, more than half a million Americans travel to other countries for medical treatment – partly for cost reasons and partly to take advantage of procedures not yet approved in the US.

There can be no disagreement with Dr Brown’s position in terms of the Bahamian economy. And for patients, the benefits are equally obvious and compelling.

If Bahamians obtained their medical treatment at home they would significantly reduce the logistics, expense and stress of being treated abroad.

Why then, do so many of us spend so much money overseas for treatments that are available right here at home? We can answer that question fairly confidently – given a choice, patients will seek medical care from the doctors, hospitals and clinics they trust the most.

This is a personal decision, and it is usually an informed decision. Patients must feel assured that the doctors and facilities they choose are both accountable and able to provide the best quality care they can afford. So what processes do we have in place to convey such assurances to Bahamians?

Well, there are three statutory bodies that are capable of providing quality assurance and oversight to the Bahamian healthcare sector.

The Public Health Authority has managed government hospitals and clinics since 1999, under the direction of the Minister of Health.

As an independent public body, the Authority is responsible for planning, policy, monitoring, evaluation, and management, as well as programme development and oversight.

However, the PHA’s legislation has no provision for the investigation of complaints about the healthcare facilities managed by the Authority.

Instead, PHA patients are advised to contact the “patient representative” to discuss any concerns they may have.

The Hospital and Health Care Facilities Board was created by Parliament in 1998 to license private hospitals and clinics. This legislation does include a specific mandate to investigate complaints into the “diagnosis, management and treatment” of any patient.

Physicians are the primary providers of healthcare, whether in the public or private sector, and since 1974 they have been licensed and regulated by the Medical Council.

According to its website, the Council was established “to regulate the medical profession, to upgrade doctors through continuing education requirements, and to safeguard the public through receiving and disposing of complaints.”

However, despite the fact that it represents one of the richest professions, the Council is made up of a handful of volunteers with virtually no administrative staff. Their website, for example, includes dead and departed physicians on its registry.

So do the records of these three bodies help to inspire confidence and trust in the delivery of healthcare services in the Bahamas?

Well, It would be useful to know how many complaints have been processed by the PHA’s “patient representative” and how they were resolved, but unfortunately that information is not publicly available.

As for the Hospital Board and the Medical Council, a summary of the case history of one complaint to these bodies over the past decade is instructive.

In 2004 a complaint was made to the Hospital Board concerning the treatment of a 42-year-old man who unexpectedly died in 2002 in a licensed Bahamian healthcare facility.

The Board initially refused to deal with the complaint. But after several Board members were replaced in 2005 by then Health Minister Dr. Marcus Bethel, he ordered that the complaint be investigated. This order by Dr. Bethel more than six years ago is the high-point of the case.

The 2005 Board met with the complainant’s legal and medical representatives in 2006. Afterwards, the Board chairman advised that ”since the patient was dead, the file should be closed.”

The Board did, however, reconsider, and an investigatory panel was to be formed. However, the government changed before this happened.

The new government reinstated the 2004 Board chairman, and other members. This chairman reported to a Rotary Club meeting in 2008 that the Board didn’t want to investigate any complaints, or “be involved in that detailed level of work.”

The Board said it would seek to have its enabling legislation amended, to remove the investigative requirements, and also to remove the requirement for licensed facilities to report deaths occurring on their premises – a legal mandate never complied with, and never enforced, over the Board’s entire lifetime.

(It should also be noted that over the past 14 years the Board has issued only two “annual” reports to Parliament, something which it is required to do by law every year. And even obtaining copies of those two reports presents enormous challenges.)

At a public meeting in 2008, Health Minister Dr Hubert Minnis also promised to investigate the 2004 complaint. But it is now 2012 and the Board has taken no action whatsoever. Neither has it ever responded to the complainant.

As for the Medical Council, it received a complaint about the same patient’s treatment and care in 2008. The disciplinary committee of the Medical Council met twice on the matter, and three years ago, then Council chairman Dr Duane Sands assured Tough Call that “There is no stonewalling.

We take this very, very seriously because we want to ensure that the public will be well-served at the end of the day by this groundbreaking precedent.”

He also told me that a revision of the medical act (something which has been stalled for almost a decade now) would strengthen the Council’s ability to deal with “a finite group of people who are discrediting the profession without any real repercussions – from charging extortionary fees to providing less than appropriate care.”

However, in December of last year the Medical Council’s disciplinary committee suspended the 2008 complaint investigation indefinitely.

The Council decided it could not proceed because of an ex-parte injunction granted by a Supreme Court judge against the disciplinary committee in 2009, on the application of a doctor concerned in the matter.

Since then, the Medical Council has taken no steps to have the injunction removed or to proceed with the investigation.

The injunction itself is a curious feature in this story. It is perhaps “the one and only” injunction to be granted by one Supreme Court judge against another Supreme Court judge (who sits in his judicial capacity as a member of the statutory disciplinary committee).

Kerzner’s branding of the Ocean Club as the “One and Only” has given a high profile to the Bahamas as an attractive destination, but the “one and only” injunction against a Supreme Court judge could have a converse effect on the Bahamas as a destination for medical tourism – quite apart from the collateral damage inflicted on the public oversight function of the Medical Council.

If doctors and politicians want to attract medical tourism to the Bahamas, they need first to inspire confidence in Bahamian medical services among Bahamians themselves.

Putting the legislation that already exists to work on behalf of the public interest by providing quality assurance and oversight of healthcare delivery is the obvious place to start.

http://www.bahamapundit.com/2012/01/medical-tourism-and-medical-oversight-in-the-bahamas.html

Medical Tourism Resource Online

The Medical Tourism Association™ (MTA) – has partnered with The Private Hospitals Association (PHA) to assist with organizing The International Medical Tourism, Wellness & Spa Congress that will be held in Dead Sea – Jordan March 18-20, 2012.

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

Medical Tourism Resource Online

Noida, UP — (SBWIRE) — 04/10/2012 — In Asia, Philippines has been emerging as an important medical tourism destination by leveraging factors, such as modern technology and world-class physicians.

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 concept of Medical Tourism abroad is becoming increasingly popular as people travel long distances to get the best and most cost-effective medical on offer.

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

There are many people who are crossing borders for cost-effective and specialized medical treatments. One of the places that many patients visit is Thailand.

The country has become one of the top medical tourism centers of the world. It is the leader of medical travel in Asia since it holds more than 40 percent market share of the Asian medical tourism industry.

The number of people visiting Thailand for treatment has been increasing rapidly since 2000 because the country not only offers low-cost medical services but also has an excellent tourism infrastructure.

The country is thus popular especially among travelers from North America and Europe for whom Thailand is easily accessible. Several airlines in UK for instance offer flights to Thailand from London at low prices making the medical trip all the more cost effective.

Another reason why people visit Thailand for treatment is because there are hundreds of hospitals in Thailand that offer high quality services to patients. Today, there are more than 15 hospitals in Thailand that are accredited by JCI.

Most medical tourists prefer local private hospitals because they have experienced and trained doctors and surgeons. Some of the most respected private hospitals in Thailand include Bumrungrad International Hospital, Bangkok Hospital Group (BHG) and Samitivej Hospitals.

Even though the private facilities in Thailand are expensive when compared to public hospitals, the price charged by them is much lower than the prices in hospitals in Western countries.

The total cost of a bypass surgery for instance in a good private hospital in Thailand is about $12,000. However, if the same surgery is done in United States the cost is more than $130,000.

Since there is a big price difference, many people who cannot afford treatment in their country prefer visiting Thailand.

Most hospitals in Thailand strive to create comfortable atmosphere for foreign patients. Both private and public hospitals thus have translators who can speak several foreign languages.

Many doctors and surgeons receive their education and training in USA and Europe. Many of the medical centers also offer private transportation from hotel to the hospital, regular checks on patients who are recuperating from surgery and emergency medical assistance upon arrival and departure.

http://www.tourism-review.com/thailand-holding-40-of-asian-medical-tourism-market-news3202

Medical Tourism Resource Online

When U.S. Supreme Court justices question lawyers on the constitutionality of President Obama’s 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, there is at least one industry that won’t be feeling particularly nervous about the outcome: medical tourism companies.

That’s because, whatever happens, the companies—which arrange foreign surgeries or other medical procedures at top-rated facilities (along with the travel, accommodations and the occasional tourism itinerary) with savings of up to 70 to 80% of what they would cost in the U.S.—already have a strong and ever-growing clientele, most serving several thousand people a year.

“Obamacare is not going to affect us, because it doesn’t say what insurance companies can charge you,” says Geoff Moss of Planet Hospital, a 2002-founded company that sends people abroad for everything from tummy tucks and breast augmentations to hip replacements and kidney transplants.

“Let’s say you work flipping hamburgers and have a preexisting heart condition. Blue Cross can say, sure, that’ll be $1,000 a month.”

At the similarly structured Med Retreat, managing director Patrick Marsek (who also authored The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Medical Tourism) adds that, if Obamacare sticks, the remaining problem won’t even be just a cost issue, but one of access.

“You’re going to have 50 million people minimum coming into the healthcare system,” he says, “and when it comes to getting treatment, you’re going to have to wait in line.”

Enter medical tourism—where the world is your oyster, apparently, when it comes to getting all sorts of affordable, high-quality medical care.

“Cosmetic procedures seem to be what started the whole [medical tourism] industry,” Marsek says. “But, through the years, the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans started to grow, and now it’s orthopedic, cardiac and everything else.”

So where are the top destinations among Americans seeking affordable medical care? We worked with Moss and Marsek—two of the leaders in the field, who help guide thousands of Americans overseas each year for medical treatments—to come up with our list (which is not ranked, but in alphabetical order).

Singapore and Thailand are favorites. “Bumrungrad is the crown jewel of medical tourism,” Marsek says, referring to Bumrungrad International Hospital, just west of Bangkok, known for procedures including coronary artery bypass grafts, hip replacements and spinal fusions. In general, he adds, the best pricing will be found in Southeast Asia, including Singapore.

“They don’t have problems with malpractice, and the prices reflect that.” Costa Rica is a popular choice for being closer to home, as is Mexico—particularly for dental work and surgeries including knee and hip replacements.

Japan and Korea rank high for offering extremely advanced cancer treatments, plus top-notch orthopedic work. And India is always a low-cost, high-quality option—for oncology, cardio, neuro and orthopedic surgeries, as well as for fertility treatments and surrogacy.

The issue there, both Moss and Marsek agree, is that dealing with India is a huge culture shock for most Americans.

But the bottom line, according to Moss, is this: “There are over 52 million Americans without health insurance. So if you are one of those people and need a life-changing procedure, it could cost you $125,000, and you may have to sell everything you own to have surgery.

But if I told you there was a U.S. Board–certified, JCI-accredited hospital in India that could do it for $15,000, you’d probably be on the next flight out.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bethgreenfield/2012/03/25/top-spots-for-medical-tourism-no-matter-what-supreme-court-rules-on-obamacare/

Medical Tourism Resource Online

March 12, 2012: San Jose, Costa Rica: The Goodness Company, a full service medical tourism marketing agency with offices in Latin America and the US, has launched a new five minute video about the company’s medical tourism marketing services.

In 2006, company CEO Patrick Goodness uncovered research indicating that 35 to 40 million Americans live without health or medical insurance and 80% of Americans manage without any or insufficient dental insurance.

With dramatically rising healthcare prices in the US and a an alarming lack of access to certain medical procedures in Canada, Goodness recognized an opportunity to market high quality, low-cost medical procedures available in foreign countries to the North American marketplace.

“When we discovered that Americans could save 50% to 80% or even more on medical and dental procedures by traveling to foreign countries, we knew that the medical tourism industry was here to stay,” said Patrick Goodness.

“What the industry needed was a visionary medical tourism marketing agency to help foreign hospitals, medical centers, doctors and dentists communicate effectively with the lucrative North American market. The Goodness Company is now the most recognized global medical tourism marketing agency in the world.”

Recognizing that the internet would become the primary media to promote medical tourism, the Goodness Company has become leaders in web development, social media, online public relations, search engine optimization and more.

Cisco has predicted that by 2015, more than 80% of all internet traffic will be video-based. In a move to lead the medical tourism industry with video marketing services, The Goodness Company has launched a professionally developed 5 minute video about the company’s medical tourism marketing and public relations services.

“Video allows us to communicate with our clients in a very effective, meaningful way,” said Alejandro Chinchilla, General Director for The Goodness Company’s Latin American operations.

“Our video on medical tourism marketing demonstrates what sets The Goodness Company apart from our competitors, and underscores the importance of investing in online video marketing to reach the global internet audience,” said Chinchilla.

“We hope this video will help medical providers around the world see the incredible value of partnering with a pioneering medical tourism marketing agency like The Goodness Company.

Our proven methods are driving incredible levels of new business for our clients,” said Goodness. “When every dollar counts, you need an agency that can deliver results.

We work hard to deliver highly effective healthcare marketing solutions to companies of all shapes sizes from start-ups to large, globally recognized hospitals, medical centers and even medical tourism clusters.”

http://www.medicaltourismcity.com/profiles/blogs/the-goodness-company-launches-medical-tourism-marketing-video

 Medical Tourism Resource Online

Much has been written about medical tourism. And many myths have arisen around it. Millions of people flying from country A to country B for cheap medical treatment exponential growth in medical travel the solution to escalating healthcare costs in the developed economies and so on.

The new report , “Medical Tourism Research: Facts And Figures 2012”, separates fact from fiction.

According to report author, Ian Youngman, “Few of the oft quoted ‘facts’ are close to being accurate. Few of the countries regularly claimed as market leaders are the true leaders.

Some of the most successful countries are the least noisy, and often not dependent on claims of huge savings in healthcare costs. The reality is much more interesting.”

A summary and table of contents can be downloaded from IMTJ. Key conclusions from the report include:

In most cases, medical tourism is regional not international, and often within a country.
Many medical tourists do not seek out the cheapest destination.
The three most popular European destinations are also the most expensive ones.
The USA attracts as many inbound medical tourists as it generates outbound medical tourists.
Most medical tourism is for cosmetic, dental or fertility treatment.

The 2012 edition of Medical Tourism Facts and Figures has over 500 pages of updated information, including data from countries where no figures were previously available.

All figures are analysed for truth or fiction, and gaps in knowledge are highlighted. For each of the 137 listed countries, the report provides (where available) an overview, basic country facts, medical tourism numbers in and out, targets, destinations and sources, research reports, promotional bodies, plans and problems.

For anyone wanting the real picture of the vibrant and expanding medical tourism industry, or who wants to avoid the mistakes of others, the new report is a must read.

The report normally costs £900, but is available at a discounted rate of £800 until 31 March 2012 through International Medical Travel Journal.

About Ian Youngman
Ian Youngman is a writer and researcher specialising in medical tourism, healthcare and health insurance. He writes regularly for a variety of magazines, newsletters, and on-line services.

He publishes a range of market reports and undertakes research for companies. An ACII, with an honours degree in Economics from the University of Liverpool, Ian was a co-founder of The General Insurance Market Research Association.

He also has widespread experience within the insurance industry at management level, working for brokers, a bank and an insurance company.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9275834.htm

 Medical Tourism Resource Online