In this issue's SPOTLIGHT we speak with Sandeep Khemka, CEO of Makewell Medical Travel (http://www.make-well.com), an emerging global player in the medical tourism field. We spoke with Khemka about what inspired him to pursue medical travel and his company's approach to providing end-to-end facilitation to patients.

Medical Travel Today (MTT): Tell us a bit about why and how you got involved in global healthcare?

Sandeep Khemka (SK): The original idea came from a very personal experience when my brother needed a kidney transplant. My family was, of course, looking for the best hospital and provider to do the procedure. It wasn't easy. The information was out there, but there was a lot of searching and matching that needed to be done. So from this experience I recognized a need for a service that matched people with the right doctor or specialist and the right hospital for their specific need.

What makes us different from other agencies in India is that we only do medical travel. We don't do any pure pleasure travel arrangements. We're also a member of the Medical Travel Association, and I expect to be one of the first to receive ISO certification. We are just finishing up this process now.

MTT: Recognizing that you're a relatively young company, what services are you offering at this time?

SK: Our major focus is oncology, but many of our patients are seeking care for orthopedics, dental care, cosmetic surgery, ophthalmology, and cardiac disease. We anticipate that within six months we'll have established relationships with providers and facilities for all types of care and treatment. But we are being selective so some may take longer than others.

MTT: In terms of hospitals you refer to, are you working only in India? And where are most of your patients coming from?

SK: Our patients are really from around the world—the United States, Nepal, Canada, the U.K., and the Gulf Countries, just to name a few. We do work with many of the facilities in India like Fortis, Apollo Group, Wockhardt, Shroff Eye Hospital, and Lakeshore Hospital. We also work with SingHealth, Raffles, Parkways, and National Healthcare Group (NHG) in Singapore.

MTT: How does the experience of working with you typically go for the patient? What's the process?

SK: Usually a patient contacts us with their need. We then request their complete medical information and reports. We send this information to five or more of the best-suited facilities and physicians for consideration, depending on the condition.

The files are reviewed, and we get feedback within 48 hours from the facilities and providers on how they would handle it, who would be involved, and so forth. We then provide that information back to the patient.

From this point it's up to the patient to decide. We do not make recommendations. We just offer the options and information. The patients can then work with their personal physician and talk with their family to make the decision that they feel works best for them.

Once they've decided, we then set up an appointment with the specialist or physician and begin creating their itinerary, establishing accommodations, setting up the appropriate post-treatment care or facilities as needed, and so on. We take care of all medical and travel logistics, which can be intimidating and confusing to the consumer. We make it so they don't have to worry about having forgotten some piece of information the hospital or doctor might need. It's all taken care of. Plus, we make all the arrangements for a patient and a companion. Typically the companion gets to stay with the patient at the hospital, which is always comforting and helpful for everyone.

MTT: And what about follow-up after the patient has returned home?

SK: When it's appropriate, we set up post-treatment follow-ups with the patient and the care provider. We're also working on a system where we can maintain patient reports and the physician can review them online. That's still in development, but once it's done, it will make things even easier and thorough.

MTT: From what you told us earlier about your own family's past medical needs, how do you feel you're doing in terms of satisfying the needs you experienced?

SK: I think we're doing very well. Our focus is really on the patient and making sure we do right by them. When you're in need of major medical care, you are feeling pretty exposed and vulnerable. We really try to make them feel more secure and confident in the choices they are making and give them options so they don't feel forced into something. Even after they arrive here and meet with the surgeon or specialist, if for some reason they don't feel confident, they can cancel without any financial penalties. That's how committed we are.

Last month, the IHT ran an interesting story about how some of Europe’s leading luxury goods companies are shifting manufacturing from Europe to Asia.  In the case of Giorgio Armani, some of their product lines are made exclusively in Asia.  On the face of it, this is a totally unremarkable story – yet another company/industry outsourcing to save costs.  But there is more.

On Friday, July 4, 2008, the first regular weekend flights between China and Taiwan took place in the latest breakthrough in bilateral relations between the two countries.

According to published reports, the first batch of nonstop weekend flights from the mainland carried 662 tourists on package tours from five cities. It's estimated the number of tourists could rise to as many as 3,000 per day.

On the same day, several nonstop flights also carried passengers from Taiwan to the mainland. The flights are significant because this is the first time that "ordinary" Chinese citizens were allowed to visit Taiwan as tourists, a reform that potentially opens doors to medical travel between the two countries.

According to Josef Woodman, author of the successful Patients Beyond Borders book series, "It's been long anticipated that flights to Taiwan from mainland China would open up great opportunities for medical travelers from the mainland who have little access to high-quality healthcare in China. This is very exciting news for Taiwan, and for China."

Woodman's newest title, Patients Beyond Borders: Taiwan Edition will publish in English later this month and will be formally launched at the Medical Tourism North Asia Conference in Taipei, Taiwan on July 29.

Reporting Quality of Care Abroad

Because reporting on quality of care is of interest and importance to us all, we thought it might be interesting to see how hospitals abroad are approaching the issue.

HCA Hospitals, the leading private healthcare provider in London, developed an online report covering such major areas of concern as infection rates, outcomes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and cardiac survival. Available to consumers and professionals alike, the report is a comprehensive overview of the HCA's quality metrics and is updated annually based on data gathered at the individual hospital level.

To view HCA's report, visit: www.hcaqualityreport.co.uk/introduction.asp

Healthy Travel Media Launches Second Edition of Patients Beyond Borders

July 15, 2008: Healthy Travel Media, publishers of Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Tourism, announced today publication of the updated and expanded Second Edition of the world's bestselling consumer guide to medical tourism and international health travel.

This impartial, easy-to-navigate trade paperback now gives health travelers more than 400 pages of the medical travel destinations, resources, and advice they need to make safe, cost-effective decisions about traveling abroad for their healthcare.

"We're pleased to have added several new destinations to the Second Edition, including Israel, Jordan, Korea, New Zealand, Panama, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Turkey" says Josef Woodman, author of Patients Beyond Borders. "U.S. healthcare costs will rise yet another 6 percent in 2008, and another half million are expected to hit the ranks of the uninsured. Patients Beyond Borders has helped thousands travel abroad successfully for medical care, and the Second Edition now offers patients even greater choice"

As the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans continues to grow, travel abroad for treatment is rising dramatically, with international hospitals and clinics reporting 15 to 40 percent increases in the number of Americans seeking treatment. More than 180,000 Americans will cross borders for healthcare this year; and that number is expected to nearly double by 2010.

International patients looking to travel to specific destinations will now have five country-specific editions to choose from. With the upcoming releases of Patients Beyond Borders Taiwan (August 2008), Patients Beyond Borders India (September 2008), Patients Beyond Borders Singapore Second Edition (November 2008), Patients Beyond Borders Korea (November 2008), and Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia (Spring 2009), patients will have access to in-depth information on accredited hospitals, clinics, and specialty centers in a preferred destination.

About Healthy Travel Media
Healthy Travel Media, an independent imprint based in Chapel Hill, NC, publishes books on medical, health, and wellness travel. Patients Beyond Borders is available through booksellers everywhere and is distributed to the retail trade by Publishers Group West www.pgw.com.

For more information, please visit: www.patientsbeyondborders.com.

NBGH Offers Employers Tips to Evaluate Whether to Provide Medical Tourism Coverage

WASHINGTON, DC, Jul 15, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- With the view that medical tourism may be an innovative approach to expanding access to lower cost, sometimes higher quality health care, the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of more than 300 large U.S. employers, today released an Issue Brief on Medical Tourism to inform and guide employers in their evaluation of this option for their organizations.

The NBGH's Issue Brief on Medical Tourism comes at a time when a growing number of U.S. employers, consumers, and other stakeholders are investigating the benefits of going abroad for non-urgent medical procedures. Estimated at $60 billion in 2006, the size of the worldwide medical tourism market is projected to reach $100 billion by 2012.

"As U.S. employers continue to explore cost-effective health care options for their organizations, medical tourism will continue to garner considerable attention and investment," said Helen Darling, President of the National Business Group on Health. "While robust media attention and key stakeholders continue to tout the significant cost differentials afforded by offshore care, and drive interest in this innovative approach, employers should have a clear understanding of the critical issues involved in medical tourism."

The Issue Brief defines medical tourism and provides statistics about the current marketplace; identifies those procedures most commonly performed abroad; lists most frequented destination countries and evaluation of destination country standards, and explores the key drivers of current interest in/use of medical tourism. The Issue Brief also examines the critical issues necessary to effectively evaluate inclusion of medical tourism coverage, which include: quality of care, patient suitability, benefit coverage components, care coordination, legal/liability issues, and the potential versus actual cost savings of medical tourism. An employer case study and the results of a 2008 medical tourism survey of Business Group members are also included.

"There are a number of significant reasons -- expanded access, cost-effectiveness, competitive pressures on U.S. providers, and safe health outcomes -- for employers to consider adding coverage of medical tourism to their benefits package," said Ms. Darling. "However, prior to facilitating treatment abroad, it's essential that employers undertake a comprehensive due diligence process to ensure that inclusion of this benefit is worthwhile for their organizations."

About the National Business Group on Health

The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit, membership organization of large employers devoted exclusively to finding innovative and forward-thinking solutions to their most important health care and related benefits issues. The NBGH identifies and shares best practices in health benefits, disability, health and productivity, related paid time off and work/life balance issues. NBGH members provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information about the NBGH, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.

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