Connie Chow Vice President, MissionCare, Inc.

Connie Chow has held her position at Mission Care from 2005 to the present and is responsible for system-wide quality improvement design and implementation, oversight of four hospitals and two long term care facilities, and accreditation readiness and compliance.  She also advises the flagship hospital Min-Sheng General Hospital on the design and implementation of its International Health Care Center.  She is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, and understands a little Thai and French. During her professional career, she has served as a consultant and performed mock surveys for health care organizations of various sizes and complexities throughout the United States.  Chow also served as a surveyor for the Joint Commission (national/ JCAHO and international/JCI) from 1994-2008. She has also worked in various capacities and clinical specialties in tertiary medical centers, acute rehabilitation hospitals, and home healthcare. Chow holds a Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, California State University, Bakersfield. Her professional licenses and certificates include California RN, Public Health certificate, Nurse Executive Advanced- Board Certified (NEA-BC), Lifetime Teaching Credential-California Community colleges, and Continued Education Provider; she is a member of Sigma Theta Tau honor society and the American Nurses Association.

Medical Travel Today (MTT):  Tell us your background, how you became involved in health care administration, and now in the field of medical travel?

Connie Chow (CC): I was born in Taiwan, the daughter of a pilot who traveled extensively during the late 1960s and early 1970s.  My family lived in Vietnam when I was seven, then I moved with my family to Thailand where I was enrolled in the International School.  We then moved to Taiwan where I attended an American school.  My older brother had made his way to Oklahoma, and I followed him there as a young teenager.  Fortunately, I was introduced to an American family who agreed to sponsor me and lived in Oklahoma throughout high school. 

I always wanted to be a nurse, so after high school, I was accepted to attend California State University’s Bakersfield Nursing Program, and thanks to the encouragement of a mentor, went on to earn a Master’s degree in Nursing from the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).  Following some work with various non-profit organizations, I went on to work at the for-profit Tenet Healthcare Corp.  where I ran the rehabilitation unit. In 1994, I became a surveyor for the Joint Commission and just retired last spring after 14 years of active service.

Based upon my understanding of standards and quality, I was invited in 2005 to work at MissionCare in Taiwan.  Although I still reside in California, I travel one to two months between Taiwan and California.  Having the good fortune of being able to travel worldwide during my youth and later on as a surveyor for the Joint Commission, I was able to help our flagship hospital, Min-Sheng, form its International Health Care Department in January 2008. This is the sequence of events that led to my involvement in the global operations.

MTT:  Can you provide an overview of Min Sheng Hospital and its role in providing services to Americans?

CC: Min-Sheng is a 600-bed, private general hospital, the flagship of the MissionCare Corporation, which is one of the biggest health care chains that operates seven healthcare facilities (hospitals, clinics, and long-term care) in Taiwan.  The hospital was built in 2001 and equipped with state-of-the-art technologies such as high-speed CT, PACS, and minimally invasive operations rooms.  Min-Sheng obtained its JCI accreditation in 2006, and is pursuing JCI disease-specific certificate on AMI-STEMI by the end of 2008.  It will soon  become Taiwan’s first Center of Excellence in cardiac care. 

MissionCare, Inc.— the corporate parent of Min-Sheng Hospital—began developing international services following the JCI accreditation, with aims to attract foreign patients from the United States and other countries for high quality and affordable health care services.  Following this goal, the hospital has enhanced its services to be more English-friendly and created several mechanisms to facilitate the care delivered to foreign patients, such as obtaining contractual agreements with various global health insurances, establishing a single communication window, handling pre-approval and screening processes, care protocols, one-on-one services, and concierge services.

Currently, the hospital has some experience in serving American patients. Most of these are local expatriates who work as English teachers, engineers, or multi-national corporation staff.  We also serve some American patients with emergency medical needs during their travels.  For example, there was one woman who experienced serious diarrhea at the airport that caused her to miss her connecting flight for the United States.  Because we are the closest hospital to the airport, she was transported here.  We not only rendered proper medical care to her but also provided options for payment, and allowed her to deposit payment to our U.S. bank for her convenience. 

We’ve also had numerous American patients travel to Taiwan for bariatric surgery.  Additionally, we provided services to a patient from the United States who was seeking shoulder arthroscopy.  Upon further examination of this individual, our orthopedic surgeon determined that the patient did not need the procedure.  

Another trend is that we have served many Chinese Americans, some Mainland Chinese, and a few Saudi clients for their comprehensive health check-ups, with immediate intervention and treatment if the check-up uncovered abnormal findings.  Most patients appreciated the convenience of getting all the screening examinations performed and most test results  within six hours – a significant time savings compared with the U.S. facilities, which often require several visits, travel to different sites for examination, and long waiting periods.  

MTT:  Please give us your perspectives on the importance of JCI accreditation.

CC: JCI accreditation is a minimum requirement for any hospital aiming to develop international business.  However, it won’t guarantee the success of this business or ensure the flow of foreign patients coming to the hospital after achieving the stamp of approval.  We’ve been approached by many global health insurance companies and medical travel agents these past few years, and the very first question they ask is if we are JCI accredited.  So, as you can see, JCI accreditation has been recognized by the insurer and other intermediaries as a means to assure the hospital meets “International Quality Standards.”
 
The importance of JCI accreditation toward international healthcare is that it’s currently the most recognized third-party healthcare quality accreditation authority worldwide.  With JCI accreditation, the hospital has to focus its care on the patient and must continuously monitor quality indicators, assure consistent quality outcomes, continuously improve -- and never remain status quo.  JCI accreditation process is equivalent to the Joint Commission accreditation process in the United States because the accreditation originated from the Joint Commission.

This year, JCI published it 3rd edition standards, and it has put emphasis and new standards on cultural diversity, physician-specific quality performance indicators, and minimizing language barriers.  

MTT:  What are the hospital’s areas of strength and centers of excellence?

CC: Min-Sheng specializes in minimally invasive surgeries, including minimally invasive cardiac surgeries (PTCA and mini-bypass), mini-invasive varicose vein treatment (EVLT, Sclerotherapy, and Muller’s phlebectomy), mini-invasive bariatric surgeries (lab-band, bypass, gastrectomy, and gastric balloon), and mini-invasive orthopedic surgeries (spine, laminectomy), urological procedures, such as laser prostectomy, and gynecological surgeries that are performed endoscopically.
 
In addition, we are featuring Lasik revision surgery using wave-front guided equipment, and infertility treatments with a higher-than-standard success rate.  We also offer comprehensive health checkup programs that perform all screening tests within half a day in a luxury, hotel-like environment.

MTT:  Is English spoken by doctors and other health professionals?

CC: Yes, English is spoken by our doctors.  All doctors in Taiwan receive medical training using English textbooks.  Some of our physicians have received additional trainings or fellowships in the United States and Canada.  Our nurses speak simple English, and we also have some English-fluent care coordinators who are competent to assist American patients throughout the whole care process.

MTT:  Can you provide a procedure-specific cost comparison?

CC: Overall, the cost of healthcare in Taiwan is one third of that in the United States.
Some comparisons are listed in the following table:

Note:  Costs reflect 2008 pricing points and are subject to change in 2009.

MTT:  Please describe your programs for ensuring quality and safety.

CC: We follow JCI standards regarding patient safety and quality. We stay compliant and survey-ready all the time.  Taiwan also has its own accreditation processes that oversee and ensure quality.  They monitor physician practices such as mortality rates, overuse of antibiotics, appropriate antibiotic use, and medication use.  In addition, we have used the electronic physician order entries and automated pharmacy dispensing machines since 2001.  This process ensures medication safety. 

JCI is not the end all -- in reality, it is just the beginning.  JCI helps organizations to reach an international level of quality standards. I feel that all hospitals should be JCI-accredited, and it should be the basic requirement for any hospital seeking to serve foreign patients.

MTT:  Is Taiwan an American-friendly environment?

CC: Overall, Taiwan’s living environment is safer than many other countries.  The crime rate is far lower than many major cities in the United States.  Street signs are bilingual and most citizens speak some English and are friendly.  Shops stay open until 10  in the evening. We drive on the same side of the street, and we use the same electrical voltages.  We have great public transportation to get around, and there are less traffic problems compared to other Asian countries.  Food is safe and clean to eat, plus there are many American chains such as Subway, McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays etc.

All physicians at the hospital are educated using English text books and many can communicate in English – the result of international travel, which makes them fluent. In fact, we provide for nurses to participate in on-site English workshops that help staff members to improve and practice speaking English.

MTT:  Do you maintain contracts with US-based employers, travel coordinators, or health plans?

CC:  We are signing contracts with various insurance and medical tourism companies as we speak; some of the contracts we have in place include:
 
Aetna Global Benefits—since 2006
UnitedHealth International—since 2007
International SOS—since 2007
BridgeHealth International—2008
Cigna International Expatriate Benefit—since 2008
Companion Global Health—since 2008
Mondial Assistance—since 2008

MTT:  How can Americans make arrangements to utilize your hospital?

CC:  We provide English-speaking hotlines for overseas patients, as well as Web site and e-mail access.  We also have two staff—one in California and one in Arizona—to answer inquiries.  Most communications are e-mail based, and all e-mails receive prompt replies within 24 hours of receipt.

To contact our U.S. representatives
Ms. Fu (California): +1 626 376 5113
Mr. Neeley (Arizona): +1 480 335 8666
http://www.missioncare.com.tw/

MTT:  Why should Americans choose your hospital over other international facilities?

CC:  Taiwan is the gateway toward other Southeast Asia countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia ,and India.  It’s at least three hours of flight time closer if flying from the United States.

Taiwan’s overall living environment and quality are higher than many other Southeast Asia countries, and the healthcare environment is technology-driven in many aspects, especially the development of information technology.  We have computerized physician order entry and filmless PACS system.  Medical information can be converted and portable, allowing patients to transport it home for better follow-up.  Finally, our costs are lower than Singapore and comparable to Thailand.

Taiwan is a politically stable country, very Americanized and safe.  We believe American patients will feel right at home coming to Taiwan. The global economy will drive increased patient visits here—and we are safe, quality-oriented and ready to receive them.

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SPOTLIGHT
Cathy Sullivan Clark

Cathy Sullivan Clark is a senior principal at the Noblis Center for Health Innovation. Clark and her colleagues at Noblis have been keeping a close watch on the current and potential impact of medical travel on U.S. providers and hospitals. Medical Travel Today recently had the opportunity to talk with her about the opportunities and challenges medical travel presents.

Cathy Sullivan Clark, senior principal at the Noblis Center for Health Innovation

Medical Travel Today (MTT): Tell us how you foresee the surge in medical travel impacting U.S. health providers?

Cathy Sullivan Clark (CSC):
First, I’d like to talk about the reality of a dramatically changing competitive landscape. In the past, it was easy to define health care competition in terms of simple geography. A hospital’s primary competitors were other hospitals across town or within an hour’s or a few hours’ drive. Today, the competition may not only be across the street, but also across the ocean, and geography is no longer the barrier to entry that it was in the past. In this respect, medical travel adds a huge level of uncertainty for U.S. hospitals. As long as competitors were in a clearly prescribed geographic area, it was relatively easy to stay on top of what those competitors were doing and how to respond appropriately. With medical travel, this simple view of competition goes out the window.

Medical travel also has the potential to create significant challenges for hospitals in managing their overall service portfolios. Medical travel is essentially creating new, non-traditional competition for those medical procedures and services that have been, at least historically, the most profitable for hospitals. These include various orthopedic and cardiac procedures, cosmetic surgeries, and weight loss surgeries among others—the very service lines on which many hospitals rely to ensure their overall financial viability.
Many individual health services are not profitable but are essential to meeting community needs. The only way a hospital can afford to maintain these services is by offering other services that do generate a return. The risk to the community is that if a hospital doesn’t have enough profit areas, it can’t meet community needs. Medical travel is a significant threat to hospitals seeking to maintain a balanced portfolio of services—including both self-sustaining services and those that are not.

MTT: What are your thoughts on how medical travel might grow?

CSC: I believe that medical travel has the potential to grow substantially as long as there is a big price differential between services offered here at home and services offered elsewhere. As consumers take on larger and larger out-of-pocket costs for the healthcare they use, they will look more closely at the value of what they’re getting. While quality concerns may have been a barrier to medical travel in the past, these concerns are disappearing. For me, medical travel is the ultimate reflection of consumerism in healthcare. Based on information regarding quality and price, consumers are voting with their feet.

The current state of our economy and the economic crisis we’re all facing also could facilitate greater medical travel.  With less discretionary income, patients in the United States will be more interested in alternatives—medical travel included.

How fast medical travel grows will depend in part on the position that employers and payers take.  If they take a more active role in encouraging patients to consider medical travel, we should expect more rapid growth. Until now, medical travel has been fueled mainly by “pull strategies:” -- approaches that attract the end user by virtue of reputation and/or the cost/quality equation. Push is about the channels of distribution that funnel patients to a particular provider. When employers start promoting medical travel, that’s a push strategy. As the number of employers pushing medical travel increases, so should its popularity.

MTT: Is there a way hospitals can overcome these challenges?

CSC: I see several potential paths for U.S. hospitals facing competition from medical travel.

First, hospitals in this country must continue to innovate—to find smarter, better, and more cost-effective ways of delivering exceptional care. They must be able to compete effectively on both quality (clinical outcomes) and service (the patient experience). They need to offer the same amenities available elsewhere and pay close attention to what matters most to patients.  To the extent that medical travel is setting a new standard for service, hospitals in this country will at least need to match it.

U.S. providers must also focus on maintaining good relationships with large employers and payers in their market to make sure they’re meeting their needs. In the end, that’s really the only thing they can control. When the needs of employers and payers are met, there’s less incentive for them to go out and seek alternatives. Local providers must be in constant dialogue with those paying the bills—this can’t be a one time or occasional occurrence.

Our hospitals should also consider how they might participate in medical travel themselves.  Can they partner internationally to offer expertise or even deliver services to patients who chose to travel outside of the country for care? In other words, if you can’t beat them, then join them.

Of course, the decision to partner internationally is not an easy one. Healthcare isn’t a ‘plug-and-play’ service; just because a provider is successful here, does not mean that it can be successful everywhere.

There’s also the consideration of resource allocation. Hospitals everywhere are very limited in terms of overall resources, both human and capital. Getting involved in the international market means spreading those resources even thinner. Each hospital needs to examine its own situation. Does it make sense to use scarce resources in this way? Can it afford the opportunity cost of such an investment? Can it afford not to get involved in medical travel particularly if explosive growth is expected?

MTT: A year ago I interviewed John Vitalis and Barbara Cox from Noblis. One of the areas of concern they cited related to medical travel was the issue of privacy and security of patient data. How do you feel the industry is doing in terms of addressing that concern?

CSC: In the United States, there’s a huge focus on the privacy and confidentiality of patient information. However, I can’t comment on the standards that exist abroad. I would like to mention one other information challenge though. Quality patient care requires continuity and goes well beyond individual episodes of care. When a patient goes abroad for a medical service, there are things that must occur both before and after. Managing continuity of care can be a challenge even in a small geographic area; a challenge that’s only exacerbated when huge distances are involved. This is where good information systems come in. As patients move around the globe in search of various medical services, their medical information must flow as well. To the extent that patients develop their own personal health records (PHR), at least some bare minimum of information will be tracked and maintained. However, there will continue to be issues and barriers to truly effective information exchange across national boundaries.

MTT: Do you have any final thoughts on medical travel?

CSC: Certainly we are doing many things right in healthcare in this country. But is it affordable? By providing viable alternatives, medical travel forces U.S. providers to examine the value of their services and ensure that it is on par with other alternatives both at home and abroad. In that sense, it is a very positive force for our health care system.

About the Noblis Center for Health Innovation:
The Noblis Center for Health Innovation assists private-sector and government health organizations in achieving their missions through integrative and collaborative advisory services and research. It combines strategic thinking with innovation to support clients’ planning and performance needs. For more information, please visit www.noblis.org/Healthcare.

About Cathy Sullivan Clark:
Cathy is a senior principal and the national practice director for Strategy & Planning for Noblis’ Center for Health Innovation. She has worked as a strategic advisor to the health care industry for the last 23 years and is expert in all aspects of health care strategy and planning. Her clients include community hospitals, multi-hospital systems, physician groups, associations, and academic medical centers.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Treatment Abroad Expands its Client Support Services with a Free "Medical Tourism PR Guide"

Treatment Abroad, the leading information portal for medical tourism is expanding the already comprehensive support service it offers clients by offering a free guide to generating positive public relations (PR) for medical tourism.
Medical tourism generates a great deal of press interest in the United Kingdom, and the new “how to” PR guide will help Treatment Abroad clients to improve their use of PR through editorial exposure of their services in the national and regional U.K. media.
The free guide includes advice on:

• How PR can increase an organisation’s visibility and credibility in the U.K.
• How to generate press coverage in the U.K. regional and local press
• How to use PR to improve search engine rankings
• How to write and distribute a press release
• How and where to distribute a press release

Keith Pollard, Managing Director of Intuition Communication says; “Treatment Abroad clients have been asking us for advice on PR for some time.  We know that PR is effective in promoting medical tourism and this new guide will help our clients grow their businesses and reach potential patients through the U.K. media.”
Other client support services include Treatment Abroad’s Medical Tourism Ratings and Reviews system that lets medical tourists share and rate their experiences and its Code of Practice for Medical Tourism, the first of its kind in the industry that has been set up to encourage the adoption of best practice in medical tourism through the commitment of international health care providers to a voluntary code of practice.

There is also a free guide for clients on how to manage Web enquiries, and Treatment Abroad will soon be launching a new service to help its clients produce well-written content on the English language versions of their sites.
“After-sales support services is a vital part of our business, and we know that the wide range of after-sales support we give our clients is a factor that has contributed to client loyalty and the continued growth of the Treatment Abroad Web site and the other Web sites that we publish under the Intuition Communication umbrella,” says Pollard.

For further information please contact: Caroline Ratner at Caroline Ratner Communications.

Email: caroline@carolinecomms.com or telephone: 020 8209 0120 or 07976 765453

Apollo Hospitals in India Join Companion Global Healthcare Network

Columbia, S.C. – Clients of medical travel company Companion Global Healthcare Inc. have two new choices for obtaining credentialed medical care outside the United States at affordable prices.

The Apollo Hospitals in Bangalore and Delhi, India, have been accepted into Companion Global Healthcare’s network of international hospitals, meaning Companion Global Healthcare will arrange travel, set appointments, and provide other services to its individual clients and U.S. employer group members who choose treatment at either facility. Both hospitals are part of India’s Apollo Hospitals Group.

Companion Global Healthcare network hospitals offer surgery and other care to American patients at rates substantially lower than those charged by most U.S. hospitals. The network includes 13 hospitals in India, Costa Rica, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Ireland, and Taiwan. All network hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), and all have completed Companion Global Healthcare’s extensive credentialing process.

The hospitals’ fees are up to 90 percent less than those typically charged by U.S. facilities.

“We are proud to have these Apollo facilities in network and to expand our offerings to employers and individuals,” Companion Global Healthcare president David Boucher said. “Some of the employer groups that offer our network pay 100 percent of the cost when a worker elects to have a covered procedure abroad. The company can save tens of thousands of dollars for a single procedure, and the worker is not responsible for a co-payment or deductible.

“Apollo Hospitals will provide not only great value but also world-class clinical outcomes to U.S. patients at its Centers of Excellence for advanced procedures like cardiac, orthopedic, spine surgery, transplants, and cancer treatments,” said Pradeep Thukral, group head, international marketing, Apollo Hospitals. “Apollo has pioneered introduction of the latest technology at its hospitals.”

Employer groups interested in restructuring their benefit plans to include Companion Global Healthcare’s network and services should call 1-800-906-7065.

About Apollo Hospitals
Driven by the vision of its chairman, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, the Apollo Hospitals Group (www.ApolloHospitals.com) pioneered corporate healthcare in India and has emerged as the largest integrated private hospital group in Asia. The group owns and manages more than 42 hospitals, 800 pharmacies, and 75 clinics. The group is renowned for its world-class clinical talent and excellent patient care. Six of its hospitals hold the prestigious Joint Commission International accreditation.

About Companion Global Healthcare
Companion Global Healthcare Inc. (www.CompanionGlobalHealthcare.com), headquartered in Columbia, S.C., provides assistance to clients who travel to its network hospitals around the world, serving as a single launch point for appointments, travel arrangements, case management, medical travel insurance, arranging follow-up care in the United States, and help with claims filing.

The company serves uninsured and underinsured individuals, as well as employers and insurance companies that have included the Companion Global Healthcare network in their benefit plans.

Managed Healthcare Executive Features Medical Travel

Managed Healthcare Executive magazine featured a story on medical travel options in its December issue. Entitled "Employer's Ask for Care Abroad" and viewable at the link below, the story examines how health plans are addressing the increased demand for medical travel options from employer groups.

Read Article

Healthbase Collaborates with WellPoint to Bring Affordable Medical Tourism Solutions

BOSTON, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire — Healthbase Online Inc., a Boston-based award-winning medical tourism facilitator, has collaborated on a pilot basis with WellPoint, Inc., an Indianapolis-based health benefits company to provide global health care coverage to members of WellPoint's affiliated health plan in Wisconsin. Healthbase will handle all the medical travel logistics and arrangements for WellPoint members.

According to Saroja Mohanasundaram, CEO of Healthbase (http://www.healthbase.com), "Healthbase is committed to providing high quality medical travel services at affordable cost. Healthbase will assist WellPoint members with coordination of the trip, medical appointment scheduling, digital medical records transfer, and concierge travel service."

Under this program, effective from January 2009, members who travel for certain non-emergency elective procedures like joint replacement and spinal fusion, will have access to Joint Commission International accredited health care providers in India. This will result in lower out-of-pocket costs for members translating into thousands of dollars in total savings. A hip replacement surgery, for example, costing over $60,000 in the United States, costs less than $8,000 at an accredited hospital in India.

 "We are pleased to work collectively with Healthbase to deliver an international medical tourism pilot product to our clients who are interested in exploring a medical tourism solution," said Dr. Razia Hashmi, vice president and medical director for WellPoint's national accounts division. "Medical tourism is a promising option for improving access to affordable, quality healthcare. Working with Healthbase, our case managers will coordinate all steps of the medical tourism process for members interested in receiving care overseas."

About Healthbase:
Healthbase is a one-stop source for global medical and dental choices, connecting patients to internationally accredited providers in 14 countries including India, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, Panama, Costa Rica, and Mexico. Healthbase caters to individual consumers, self-funded businesses, insurers, benefit consultants, third party administrators, and those using Consumer Directed Healthcare Plans (CDHPs) or voluntary benefit plans. More information can be found at www.healthbase.com

About WellPoint, Inc.:
WellPoint, Inc. is the largest health benefits company in terms of medical membership in the United States. WellPoint is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, New York (as the Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in 10 New York City metropolitan and surrounding counties and as the Blue Cross or Blue Cross Blue Shield licensee in selected upstate counties only), Ohio, Virginia (excluding the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com.

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DESTINATION

Robin Elsham is busy preparing for a trip to East Asia. We look forward to his upcoming first-hand reports from South Korea. In the meantime, you may access previous stories at the following links.

• Guatemala
• New Zealand
• Monterrey
• Panama
• Philippines
• Malaysia
• Changes in air travel certain to cause major changes in medical tourism industry
• Inflation's Threat to Medical Tourism
• Adopting a Global Perspective

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MEDICAL SPOTLIGHT: Bone Marrow Transplant

First successfully used in 1968, bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is used to treat patients diagnosed with leukemia, aplastic anemia, lymphomas such as Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, immune deficiency disorders, and some solid tumors such as breast and ovarian cancer.
Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue found at the center of certain bones and is a major site of blood cell production. The marrow contains stem cells, which in association with some diseases and treatments, most notably chemotherapy, may produce too many, too few, or even abnormal blood cells. Such abnormalities may be life threatening and may lead to the recommendation of a bone marrow transplant.
There are three types of transplants:

1.) autologous transplants, in which the patient receives their own stem cells

2.) syngeneic transplants, in which the patient receives stem cells from their identical twin

3.) allogeneic transplants, in which the patient receives stem cells from a sibling or parent. An unrelated donor may also be used.

A bone marrow transplant is used to rebuild the body's capacity to produce blood cells and bring their numbers to normal levels. Illnesses that may be treated with a bone marrow transplant include both cancerous and non-cancerous diseases.

Some of the factors determining a patient's suitability for a transplant include the patient's age, general physical condition, diagnosis, and stage of the disease. While the typical cut-off age for a transplant ranges from 40 to 55 years the patient's general health is usually considered a more important factor. 

The actual procedure is typically performed by a multi-disciplinary team of specialists including: transplant physicians, infectious disease specialists, pharmacologists, registered nurses, transplant coordinators, dietitians, social workers, and others.

When selecting a transplant center, patients should check for accreditation. Accreditation is offered through The Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy, the American Association of Blood Banking, the National Marrow Donor Program, among others.

The reasons for traveling abroad for treatment vary. According to Asli Akyavas, chief of international marketing at the Anadolu Medical Center in Istanbul (http://www.anadolumedicalcenter.com), they receive patients from neighboring countries who are seeking treatments not available in their homeland. Patients from other countries where treatments are available often come to Turkey for a more affordable care option with a similar quality of care level.

Prof. Zafer Gulbas, M.D., who heads the Anadolu Medical Center Bone Marrow Transplant Program also cites the facility's 22 private rooms, multi-disciplinary approach to care, and the fact that they offer the only transplant isolation unit in Turkey with universal HEPA air filtration in conjunction with strict isolation precautions to reduce the risk of airborne infections and nosocomially-transmitted infections.

According to Dr. Gulbas, "The patient is required to come to our center two to four weeks prior to the transplant procedure, for pre-transplant evaluation.  The duration of the in-patient time is three to six weeks, which is followed by a 100-day period of the patient needing to be in close proximity to the hospital, so that he or she can be closely followed for any complications."

Once the post-procedure period has passed, the patient may return home but need to return for a minimum of one-, two- and four-month follow-up appointments afterwards.
"The patient is usually followed up afterwards at the one year and two years mark," says Dr. Gulbas. "However, the frequency is determined on a patient-by-patient basis, depending on the individual outcomes of each person.”

The Anadolu Medical Center also strongly encourages patients to find a physician in their own country who can provide follow-up care and collaborate with the doctors at Anadolu to better benefit the patient's health.

Is there a topic you'd like to see covered in our MEDICAL SPOTLIGHT? Please let us know. Send your thoughts to ahaar@cpronline.com

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Date Set for Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress in Dubai: October 27-29, 2009

With the health care travel industry poised to play an important part in Dubai's growth strategy, the Institute for International Research (IIR) Middle East, the organizers of the first medical tourism conference in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which concluded in Dubai, recently have reported high levels of interest from a potentially huge international market.

"Research unveiled at the event indicated a global market of around two million medical travelers a year and an industry constrained by hospital capacity and lack of consumer familiarity with medical travel," says Sietske Meerloo, marketing manager at IIR Middle East and organizer of Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress.

IIR Middle East is also the organizer of the Arab Health Exhibition and Congress, the region's premier event for Middle East healthcare that takes place in Dubai 27-29, October, 2009.

“Large numbers of hospitals and clinics around the world are attempting to tailor their health services to cater to medical tourists," Meerloo added. "Several major insurance companies offer a travel component in their policies, and governments are looking closely at policies to take account of the trend."

The health care event was officially opened by Haidar Al Yousuf, M.D., transition director at the Dubai Health Authority, who highlighted the importance the Authority is placing on the future of medical tourism.

"As we look to develop our domestic health strategy, we also want to develop a joint strategy with our colleagues in the Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), for the future of health tourism in Dubai," says Dr. Al Yousuf. "The health care sector in Dubai will become an increasingly attractive place for international health care investors, providers, services, facilities, and other health care professionals."

PlanetHospital, a California-based leader in medical tourism, used the event as a platform to announce the official opening of its Jeddah Saudi Arabia office to serve inbound and outbound medical tourists from the Arabian Gulf region.

"The Gulf has the potential to drive growth in medical tourism," says Mohammed Alarifi, managing director for the new operation. "It is not only a destination from where patients seek medical care abroad but is also becoming a medical tourism destination itself thanks to major hospital developments throughout the region."

The American Hospital Dubai also had high visibility at the event. There was "a lot of exchange of experience among colleagues from around the world," says Naser Saleh, director of marketing and sales. “On the conference side, the sessions were very informative."

Gary Miller, CEO of Health Travel TV, says the event had been important for them. "We have a unique product, and we’re the only broadcast media here dedicated to this area. I’m coming back to Arab Health in January."

Organized in association with the International Medical Travel Association, the Healthcare Travel Exhibition and Congress was supported by the UAE Ministry of Health and the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi. Platinum sponsors were Singapore Medicine. Gold sponsors were the American Hospital Dubai and Dubai Health Authority.
For details about Arab Health events, please visit: www.arabhealthonline.com

Asia’s Biggest Landmark Healthcare Congress – Global Health Conference (GHC) 2009—Announces Its Agenda

Disease management will directly impact the future models of care. But what shape and form these models will take is of question. Will we see more of specialized hospitals? If so, where will they be located? How will innovative ‘disruptive’ technologies help the future health care cities and hospitals cater to and deal directly with new disease management?
The future of health care delivery lies mostly in disease-based intervention programs. The health care cities and hospitals of the future will greatly benefit from a clearer understanding of how to effectively integrate disease management into future facilities and core competencies to be built.

Another contributing factor that will shape future care models is the growing number of highly valued patients globally – many of whom are crossing international borders in search of quality care and access. How should hospitals convert their centers of excellence to cater to this growing sector? How can they adequately build capacity and expertise to ensure they are able to meet new and growing demands?

Leaders in global healthcare will be tackling these issues head-on at Asia’s biggest landmark health care congress, Global Health Conference (GHC) 2009, which will feature two co-located events, “Healthcare Cities & Hospitals of the Future” and “Crossing International Borders” (February 23-26, 2009, Singapore).

For more information on the event, please visit www.magenta-global.com.sg/healthcare or kindly contact:

Attn: Ms Catherina Koh
Conference Director
Magenta Global Pte Ltd
DID: (65) 6391 2539
Email: catherina.koh@magenta-global.com.sg with subject code “GHC-MTT”

For media inquiries, please contact:
Nathalie Visele
Director
Shamal Marketing Communications
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Tel.: +9715 04576525
E-mail: nathalie@theshamalgroup.com

Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau to Sponsor the 2009 World Medical Health Tourism Conference in Phuket

Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) is set to sponsor the World Medical Health Tourism Conference: A New Way Forward, which will be held in Phuket, Thailand, September 2009.

TCEB’s participation and sponsorship in this internationally diverse networking event will aim to promote Thailand on an international scale as a medical tourism destination and a preferred venue for international meeting, incentive, convention, and exhibition (MICE) events.

The whole of Phuket Island is getting behind the conference, which will cater to more than 1,200 delegates. Local supporters range from local community groups, tourism operators, and many of the major hoteliers and resort owners, namely Woraburi Phuket Resort, Millennium Resort Patong, The Moevenpick Resort, Karon Beach Resort of Kata Group, Aquamarine Resort, Cape Panwa Hotel, and Andaman Seaview Hotel group.

Phuket, dubbed as the medical tourism hub in Asia, is the ideal location to hold the conference because of its infrastructure, capacity to host a massive number of international guests, and the availability of cutting-edge technology and internationally trained medical experts manning their world-class medical facilities.

Sometime within the next month the floor plan or layout or exhibitors at the venue, Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort & Spa, will be published online and application forms will be available for the exhibitors to download from the Web site. Many pre-conference and post-conference activities have been planned for the conference, which early estimates expect to bring a windfall to Phuket of about U.S. $10 million over the two-week period. Interested parties are advised to visit the conference website: www.sosmedicaltourism.com for more information.

Alternatively, for more information call + (66)76-289-800, to request a printable registration brochure by email sosmedical@sosmedicaltourism.com or sosmedical@ymail.com