Medical Travel Today

Medical travel has been grabbing headlines in some interesting publications over the last few weeks. While Barron's featured a story exploring why more insurers are considering financing treatments (click here to view), RetailWire examined the increase in employer interest in the benefit (see INDUSTRY NEWS). Elsewhere, Consumer Directed Healthcare Solutions (CDHCSolutions) ran a forward-thinking opinion piece penned by Medical Travel Today's own Laura Carabello. We're happy to feature the piece in our PERSPECTIVES column, as well.

Plus, we've got an interesting SPOTLIGHT interview with SpaFinder's Susie Ellis who spoke to us about the similarities between the spa and medical travel industries as well as the opportunities that exist for mutual growth and benefit.

Our publisher Laura Carabello and her colleague Dana Taormina visited Guatemala for the Service Summit and a tour of the country’s top medical facilities. Watch for a special series beginning in our next issue which touches upon the highlights of this trip – and points to the quality of medical care now available in Guatemala.

Medical travel emerges as a significant business opportunity for 2009 and beyond as the industry moves from hype to adoption. We learned from a recent Deloitte study that an estimated 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for medical care in 2007, with a forecast that this number would grow to six million by 2010.1 While some consider this to be an inflated projection, there is widespread optimism regarding industry growth. Many characterize medical travel as a sector that is truly at its ‘tipping point,” with several key trends contributing to its expansion.

Economic Downturn
With the shrinking economy, medical travel can expect to see a fall-back period in 2009 in terms of growth, but this will be coupled with a more widespread search for cost efficient, high quality alternatives in healthcare, like medical travel, which provide the added benefit of lower out-of-pocket expense and financial or time-off incentives.

Growing awareness of what medical travel offers will lead to an enormous surge in the adoption of this emerging healthcare option.

Short Term Uptake
Many employers will begin to follow the trend of the past few years and embrace the concept of medical travel, which means that 2009 will provide the time needed for companies to learn more about it, find a partner company to facilitate its adoption, and essentially prepare for implementation in 2010. The coming year will also provide a time for international providers to optimize continuity of care, quality standards, and outcomes reporting, as well as address liability issues.

Likewise, responsiveness to the medical travel option will continue to grow among U.S. physicians, who will play a critical role in the after-care of medical travel patients. Arnold Milstein, the San Francisco-based chief physician of Mercer Health & Benefits, reports that employers are beginning to include in-hospital networks as an option for accessing care outside the United States.

While most insurers do not yet include foreign providers in their networks, they are beginning to actively consider it, and new health insurance plans will follow the lead of Wellpoint, BlueCrossBlueShield and Aetna in offering a medical travel option. Likely adopters also include smaller, regional health plans, PPOs and stop-loss insurance carriers.

Long Term Adoption
Global and economic realities will play a major role in the medical travel boom, along with increased interest among employers, employees, and venture capital organizations. As more serious surgeries are performed overseas, there will be greater “word-of-mouth” sharing among employees. Internet portals for booking travel and selecting facilities will emerge followed by increased Internet use for connecting to facilities overseas.

Increased Stakeholder Interest
Employers
Results of a survey of 400 U.S. corporate benefit managers released in 2008 by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, a Wisconsin-based research group, show that 11 percent of employers now cover medical tourism.1

In a move that represents the thin edge of the wedge, the nation's second-biggest health insurer, Indianapolis-based Wellpoint Inc., now offers medical tourism to its employees. Starting in January 2009, Wellpoint will offer employees of Wisconsin-based Serigraph Inc. the option of traveling to India for nonemergency procedures such as joint replacement surgery. Serigraph will waive the insurance deductible and co-insurance for employees who agree to go, paying all medical costs as well as travel expenses for the patient and a companion.2

Health care decision-makers have only to look at the cost comparisons to understand why the widespread acceptance of medical travel is inevitable. Apollo Hospital in India charges $4,000 for cardiac surgery, compared to about $30,000 in the United States. Hospitals in Argentina, Singapore, or Thailand charge $8,000 to $12,000 for a partial hip replacement — one-half the price charged in Europe or the United States.

Hospitals in Singapore charge $18,000 and hospitals in India charge only $12,000 for a knee replacement that runs $30,000 in the United States. A rhinoplasty (nose reconstruction) procedure that costs only $850 in India would cost $4,500 in the United
States.1

Patients
Given the cost comparisons, it’s no surprise that, in a remarkably short time, medical tourism has catapulted into a multibillion-dollar worldwide industry, accelerating the globalization of health care. For U.S. residents, the current economic crisis and potential loss of jobs or insurance coverage are likely to prompt more patients to seek less expensive health care options outside domestic borders.

In many ways, the bad economy has created a “perfect storm” in which awareness and demand for percent), cosmetic (12.5 percent), orthopedics (11.6 percent), neurosurgery (10.7 percent), and bariatrics (10.7 percent).

Cosmetic procedures performed overseas by world-class doctors can save Americans thousands of dollars, with breast augmentation surgery costing $5,000 less in India and Thailand, and an average savings of more than $2,000 for rhinoplasty in India, Singapore, and Thailand.

The truly significant trend, however, will be the increase in patients traveling abroad for serious surgeries and procedures, including orthopedics and joint replacement, cardiac, in vitro fertilization, and bariatrics, as well as procedures not available in the United States such as stem cell transplants. India, in particular, has seen a rise in major organ transplants and heart surgeries because of their low cost and high quality.1

Do-It Yourself Health Care
Patients rely on online communities to gather information on the safety and quality of medical providers by reading the testimonies of other patients who have had surgery abroad. This is allowing more patients to bypass their primary care physician in search of reliable, first-hand information about medical travel – a trend that will further erode the competiveness of the U.S. health care system, which on its current path promises to go the way of the auto industry.1 This grass-roots swell of interest will serve to further induce employers and insurance companies to, at the very least, implement medical travel pilot programs.

Recently, The Economist predicted that medical travel will have a direct influence on the status quo of U.S. healthcare as the millions of operations conducted overseas will shrink revenue dollars back home, resulting in increased price transparency and much-needed reform.2 It is a phenomenon that marks the true globalization of healthcare, putting U.S. healthcare providers on notice that their services and pricing must be competitive in order to attract Americans who are unable or unwilling to cover the bloated costs of care.

For example, Galichia Heart Hospital, in Wichita, recently lowered its price for a coronary bypass to a flat $10,000. The hospital discounts a number of procedures for patients willing to pay cash up front, including a hip replacement for $12,000 -- about one-third of the going U.S. rate. Discounts stem in part from a building boom that is now putting pressure on administrators to fill new facilities. Several networks of domestic hospitals have been organized, touting price points that meet or are lower than some international providers. 3

2009: A Critical Year
This year will be a crucial one for health reform, whether it begins under the country’s new leadership or through market forces. A fall-out in the number of medical travel companies is bound to occur, as the cream rising to the top displaces less competitive companies. Mergers and acquisitions will be fueled by venture capital organizations that recognize opportunities in this field. At the same time – and from the other end of the spectrum – medical travel will see a greater American presence of international companies seeking to create a higher profile in the United States and to help facilitate seamless adoption and implementation. There will also be a number of insurance products materializing, offering employer and individual coverage options.

It is likely that in the coming year, medical travel will experience a lull akin to the eye of the storm. Clearly, U.S. employers, third party administrators, and insurance companies have reached a tipping point and will begin rolling out meaningful medical travel programs that will give employers and employees the chance to save money without compromising health care.

Susie Ellis is one of the most respected analysts and commentators on the global spa industry. Her company, SpaFinder is considered to be the world's most prominent spa media, marketing, and research company.

Medical Travel Today recently spoke to Ellis about the parallels between the spa industry and the medical industry, and asked for her ideas on how the industries might work together to better serve customers and grow business.

Medical Travel Today (MTT): Spas have long been seen as "get aways." Is there today more of a push in the industry to attract foreign clients than there has been in the past?

Susie Ellis (SE): I would say yes. But let me add that I think it is both a push and a pull.
What's happened is that a few years back, spas started moving into the medical arena since wellness, prevention and aesthetics had became so popular. We use the terms “medspa” and “medical spa” to describe facilities that combine the practice of medicine and spa treatments. What we're now experiencing is a natural pulling of consumers looking for certain combinations of things.

For example, Chiva Som in Thailand and Canyon Ranch in Arizona are both places where people go for rejuvenation. And while they're largely focused on some component of the spa experience — that is a mind-body focus—they also offer education and they have a medical component. Chiva Som offers Ayurvedic treatments, iridology and has a medi-spa component, for example, and Canyon Ranch offers sleep analysis and executive physicals.

As this medical and spa direction has evolved, it has attracted people from not just right around the corner, but around the world.

MTT: I attended a medical spa conference a number of years ago when the concept first came into being. As I recall, there was quite a bit of backlash from the medical community. How has that resolved?

SE: You're right, at first there was a bit of a clash in both directions. Spas began offering medical services; you also had doctor’s offices and hospitals offering spa services. However, things have changed as the industries have found ways to work together. They now understand that the other isn't trying to become the other, and in fact, there's more to share when they work together.

And really, it’s the consumer who is driving this. They like the expertise of the medical professional but prefer the ambience and the nurturing care they get in a spa.

MTT: You've stated that you believe spas have the power to "galvanize medical tourism." How so?

SE: Definitely spas can do that. Spas are now a $60 billion global industry. That figure reflects just treatments, not peripheral, enabled industries such as lodging, airfare, meals, etc.
One key to why medical travel companies are grabbing on to this comet is to look at how spas can improve results for procedures. I'm thinking specifically of pre- and post-operative treatments. If facilitators and facilities can think of spas as ideal bookends for the medical traveler, then you've got something. So let's say someone is flying to Thailand for a procedure, if they go a few days early and engage in a spa environment, they'll recover from their jet lag, they'll eat well, they'll exercise, and they'll be in a better physical and mental state for surgery. Then after the procedure, they can return to the spa and recover. Simple things like facials and foot massages can help people relax and ease recovery.

Right now, the Mandarin Oriental and a few other hotels are thinking about devoting a part of some of their hotels specifically to medical travel patients. The addition of spa services is certainly part of that consideration as they can enhance recovery.

MTT: Are there other facilities you're aware of that are bridging the spa-medical gap effectively?

SE: There are approximately 72,000 spas worldwide, the majority being day spas; seven percent of the spas are medical spas. Plus, there are destination spas that are true health resorts. More and more of those places—spas like Canyon Ranch and Pritikin Longevity Center in the U.S, Kurotel in Brazil, Chiva Som in Thailand—have medical professionals on staff.

In fact, Sanoviv Medical Institute in Mexico (http://www.sanoviv.com/) is actually a cutting edge medical facility and hospital with the feel of a five-star hotel and spa located righton the ocean. This is a true vision into the future of care. For the consumer, it's absolutely ideal. They get the comfort of a hotel, the benefits of a spa and complete access to medical services, including dental. Many people arrive for a few days in advance, have a procedure and then stay on for a week or two to recover.

There's also the Kurotel Longevity Center and Spa in Brazil. The name says it all: "Kur" is from Europe and means "cure," while "otel" means "hotel." It's the absolute blend of hospital and hospitality. They do weight reduction treatment, smoking cessation, hydrotherapy and a number of other treatments.

The other area where I think opportunity exists for medical travel is prevention. What spas can bring to med tourism is a little more of a push toward prevention. Spas are not just about aesthetics. There's an entire wellness aspect to it—diet, nutrition, exercise, massage, etc. I do feel that in time, prevention and non-aesthetic procedures will be a bigger part of medical tourism and spas.

I also think there is a lot of opportunity in the companion travel aspect side of things. There's a great opportunity to engage a patient's travel companion so that they are also being taken care via spa treatments. I think this could really be quite lucrative. You could end up with more than just one companion if the spa aspect is promoted properly. People really love group spa experiences. There's no reason why you couldn't have a group of friends travel with a friend or, say, a family of sisters traveling to support one who is to have a procedure. The whole group could engage in the collective healing experience.

MTT: Are you aware of any spas and medical facilities or facilitators that are working together to shape the "bookend" type of offering you're speaking of?

SE: A few. However, most are simply boutique spas or hotels that will make accommodation arrangements for affluent medical travelers – rarely is a spa program involved. That's where there's a great opportunity. Right now, what I see is that you have two types of people coordinating the different types of care. In medical travel it's the medical travel facilitator. In the spa world it's travel agents. It will be interesting to see what evolves. There could be a variety of ways that they might come together.
The medical travel I've seen is all about the hospital and treatment. The places people stay can actually be pretty discouraging. I think adding spa around the medical focus could enhance the attractiveness of the entire experience.

MTT: If you were a facilitator looking to partner with a spa, how would you go about determining which ones were reputable and worth pursuing?

SE: I would suggest they begin by looking at the hotels, resorts, and spas in the general vicinity of the hospitals or medical facilities they work with. They need to make sure the spa is able to take on their clientele and offers the appropriate services for the majority of their clients. At this point, there aren't any hotel, resort or destination spas with a special floor to accommodate medical patients. However, there are a number of hotels that are looking to make this kind of addition. In general, hospitality establishments are leery of mixing patients with leisure or business travelers, so it is likely that we will eventually see some modifications to the traditional hotel design to accommodate a recovering medical traveler. They're actively trying to figure out how to accommodate patient recovery. It's an opportunity for hotels and they're interested in finding a way to add this potential business. Ten years ago, there were only a few hotels that had spas. Now, most have some sort of offering, even if they bring in a spa brand to do it. They know that it improves the customer experience.

MTT: What lessons do you think the medical travel industry could take away from the spa industry?

SE: Having now studied the medical travel industry and the spa industry -- and the evolution of each-- I would say that medical travel is a little bit further behind in the area of research data. I think this is a really big and important area to pay attention to. The spa industry just had its first global spa economy study done which was presented at the 2008 Global Spa Summit. I can't tell you how important and how useful it's been.

What can be learned is to encourage investment into research from a variety of areas and not be too picky about things like "Whose research is this?" and "Is this the right research?" What we learned over time was to look at all the studies being done anywhere in the world and to begin sharing data and put it all together. The focus should be on the importance of people really reading and digging in to understand the studies. You’ve got to consider the size of the study and the definitions used, and with enough data from enough sources, you start to see the different trends. Any quality research that is done can be beneficial to the entire picture. We encourage all spas to actively participate in whatever group is doing research and then we encourage the sharing of data. What's useful to one is generally useful to others, and helps in good decision-making. That benefits the entire industry.

I also think that global networking is important. In the nineties, we had industry associations forming all over the place—some by country, some by city. At first, there was a sense of not wanting to come together. The associations we're feeling rather competitive toward one another. Over time, however, we found that by coming together you can learn a lot and strengthen the whole industry through the sharing of best practices.

Early on, there were a few spa conferences. Later, that turned into a lot of conferences taking place, although none were at the executive level. Three years ago, SpaFinder and nine other leaders in the spa arena, which included hotel owners, helped to put together a Global Spa Summit (GSS). It's an invitation-only event that pulls together 200 or so industry leaders and consultants to talk about the industry, best practices, and research. There's a lot of research sharing that takes place.

Benchmarking is also a big benefit of the event. At the first GSS, three different groups shared what they did to benchmark their spa brands. For the following year, these groups worked together and presented a much more expansive global benchmarking initiative that is now being adopted by the entire industry. It's of great value to everyone.

The truth is, when you have a young and quickly growing industry like medical travel you have to realize there's opportunity there for everyone and find ways to work together. If you can engage in positive ways of doing business and find people you want to work with, then success will be there, too.

Susie Ellis is president of SpaFinder, Inc., and editor in chief of Spafinder.com She is a respected analyst, commentator and speaker on the global spa industry.
She is the author of the popular Ask Susie column in various SpaFinder publications, "Susie's Blog" on Spafinder.com, the SpaFinder Insider industry e-newsletter, and a contributor to a variety of spa lifestyle related publications, Ms. Ellis is recognized worldwide as a leading authority on the spa industry, the evolving spa consumer, and spa-related health, wellness, beauty, fitness and lifestyle trends. She also leads the company's charitable and community-facing ventures, including SpaFinder's initiative to raise awareness of, and help prevent, melanoma skin cancer.

Ms. Ellis began her career in spa at the Golden Door (California), where she helped build one of the world's most influential spa programs, and later became the first spa director of the Greenhouse Spa at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. She has also served on the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, chaired by Arnold Schwarzenegger. She has an MBA from UCLA.

Workers Put on Planes to Cut Healthcare Costs
Published courtesy of RetailWire

(free registration required)

Companies have discovered in recent years that they can save significant healthcare dollars by putting workers on planes and sending them off to have surgical procedures far from home.

Many businesses going this route have looked overseas to get good care for employees at much lower costs. Last year, for example, Hannaford Bros. announced it would begin sending employees to Singapore to get knee and hip replacements. Interestingly, according to a report by Business Insurance, the grocery chain then received bids from hospitals in Boston offering to match Singapore's price.

Medical tourism, as the practice of sending workers long distances for healthcare is known, continues to grow as companies seek ways to try and get hold of the rampant increases that seem endemic to the American healthcare system.

Employers usually offer workers incentives to help them get over the normal anxiety of going far away from home to deal with a medical issue. Berner Food & Beverage Co. in Illinois has waived individual deductibles and offered up to $1,000 in wellness credits to those who that take part in the company's program with Healthplace America, a company that specializes in medical tourism.

"Surgery is our greatest expense," Anita Boska, human resources manager at Berner, told Business Insurance. To date, three of Berner's workers have used the program saving it an estimated $1,000 per month per employee.

Editor's Note: The above story also featured the following discussion question for readers:
Is the growth of medical tourism indicative of a failure of the current employer-sponsored healthcare system in the U.S.? Will an aging workforce requiring more surgeries put employers in the position of having to insist employees go the medical tourism route to keep healthcare costs down? As an employee, how would you react to such a directive?

66 U.S. and International Hospitals Represented in Medical Travel Request for Information as they Work to Reduce Health Care Costs

BOSTON (September 3, 2009) — HighRoads, the company providing employers – for the first time – complete control over their health care costs and compliance, today announced findings from the industry’s first medical travel request for information (RFI) for Fortune 500 employers to compare health care procedural ethics, quality and costs around the world. Initial results show that flat pricing, surgeon compensation and use of electronic medical records vary dramatically from hospital to hospital.

HighRoads’ first Medical Travel survey represents 66 vanguard facilities including over 50 U.S. hospitals and ambulatory surgery facilities and 11 outside the U.S. These health care organizations, including BridgeHealth, Healthplace America, HIMA Health, Intermountain Healthcare and Scott & White, responded to HighRoads first medical travel request for information based on their desire to introduce procedural cost and quality transparency and reduce health care costs.

Leveraging HighRoads industry-standard benefits management technology, the RFI was designed to provide Fortune 500 employers comparable ethical, quality and flat fee data to make the best choice for superior medical procedures for employees at the lowest possible cost. The HighRoads Medical Travel RFI included questions such as:

When patients come to your hospital/clinic for a surgical procedure, are such patients screened by impartial physicians, other than the physician who will perform the surgery?
Which describes the surgeons who perform surgery through your hospital/clinic:

If your hospital/clinic provides a flat price for eight major procedures including aortic valve replacement, total hip replacement, cholecystectomy, please provide your prices in US dollars, the average number of cases per month, mortality rates and infection rates.
Some of the initial survey findings include:

“I have been leveraging medical travel for the past 14 years to improve the quality of medical care, reduce the practice of unnecessary procedures in order to improve the health of US employees, while reducing health care costs,” said Tom Emerick, President of Emerick Consulting, and former VP of Benefits for Walmart Stores, Inc. "HighRoads’ application of its technology to provide a transparent database of worldwide ethics, quality and flat prices for medical procedures will accelerate the adoption of medical travel and can dramatically reduce health care costs for patients, insurers and employers.”

“Employers need an efficient mechanism to compare the ethics, quality and cost of medical procedures at top healthcare centers,” said Michael Byers, CEO and president, HighRoads. “It is too complex and time consuming to attempt alone. This is why HighRoads has developed a technology platform that will automate this data collection and comparison so employers have increased choices when it comes to the safest and healthiest options for their employees.”

Results of the first HighRoads Medical Travel RFI are immediately available to HighRoads clients and upon request.

About HighRoads
The world’s largest employers choose HighRoads to gain complete control over their health care costs and compliance. With HighRoads’ service, employers – for the first time – have online access to benefits plan information and pricing, competitive benefits benchmarks, and complete benefits supply chain management. The privately-held company is headquartered in Woburn, Mass.

RNCOS Releases a New Report - Malaysia Medical Tourism Outlook 2012
PRLog (Press Release) – Sep 05, 2009 – RNCOS has recently added a new Market Research Report titled, “Malaysia Medical Tourism Outlook 2012” to its report gallery. Medical tourism has emerged as the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry despite the global economic downturn. High cost of treatments in developed countries, particularly in the USA and the UK, have been continually attracting patients from such regions towards alternative cost-effective destinations like Malaysia, India and other Asian countries. At present, medical tourism in Asia is in its infancy, but has an enormous potential for future growth and development.

According to our research report “Malaysia Medical Tourism Outlook 2012”, Malaysia is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the ASEAN region. Despite the global economic slowdown, it received around 22 Million international tourists in 2008, an increase of around 5% over the previous year (2007). Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand are important sources of visitors for the country.

Malaysia has one of the most developed healthcare infrastructures in the region and is considered as the paradise for healthcare facilities and hospitals. Malaysia received around 75% of medical tourists from the ASEAN region, followed by Japan and Europe at 3% each, India at 2% and others at 17% in 2008.

Medical tourism has become a major segment of the tourism industry of Malaysia because of its medical excellence with its high quality services and well-trained medical specialists. Its network of private hospitals offers comprehensive services in all-medical disciplines. Further growth will be driven by country’s low cost advantage, booming tourism industry and large inflow of patients from neighboring countries such as Indonesia. It is expected that the revenues from medical tourism will grow at a CAGR of around 23% during the forecasted period of 2009-2012.

“Malaysia Medical Tourism Outlook 2012” provides thorough analysis of the current market performance and the future outlook of Malaysia’s medical tourism industry. It acknowledges the fact that Malaysia differs vastly from other destinations in terms of cost, infrastructure, human resources, patient perceptions, competencies, and the level of government support. All these factors have been thoroughly studied in the report. In all, the report provides valuable information to clients looking to venture into these markets and helps them to devise strategies while going for an investment/partnership in Malaysia.

Newswise — A key statistic that consumer groups and the media often use when compiling hospital report cards and national rankings can be misleading, researchers report in a new study.

The statistic is called the mortality index. A number above 1.0 indicates a hospital had more deaths than expected within a given specialty. Lower than 1.0 means there were fewer than the expected number of deaths.

The study by Loyola University Health System researchers in the Journal of Neurosurgery illustrates how the mortality index can be misleading in at least two major specialties -- neurology and neurosurgery. The index fails to take into account such factors as whether a hospital treats complex cases transferred from other hospitals or whether a hospital treats lower-risk elective cases or higher-risk non-elective cases. "A hospital with a lower mortality index may not be a better hospital for patient care, but rather a place where the patient mix has been refined or limited," said senior author Dr. Thomas Origitano, chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery, Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine.

There is no "definitive or reliable source for rating the quality of overall neurosurgical care," Origitano and colleagues wrote in the Journal of Neurosurgery, published by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

Researchers examined neurosurgical mortality data from 103 academic medical centers in the University HealthSystem Consortium. Hospitals with the worst mortality index tended to be Level 1 trauma centers with busy emergency rooms and a high percentage of Medicaid patients.

A Level 1 trauma center with a busy ER is more likely to treat severe and complex cases such as head and spinal injuries from car accidents, injuries from falls or gunshot wounds. And the reason a high percentage of Medicaid patients is associated with a high mortality index is likely because Medicaid patients are more likely to have "poor access to medical care, are poorly educated in health and hygiene, are uninsured and present only once their symptoms have become severe," researchers wrote.

The study also found that in hospitals with the lowest mortality index, at least 87 percent of the neurosurgical cases were elective in nature. Elective surgery includes cases such as back surgery or decompression of a pinched nerve. Patients deemed to be at too high a risk do not undergo the surgery.

By contrast, non-elective surgery for such conditions as head injuries and spine infections generally has to be done even when the risks are high.

Researchers cited several other problems with rating systems. For example, report cards typically lump neurology and neurosurgery into one category, neurosciences. "Although both services treat many of the same pathological processes, their performance at any given institution is by no means shared," researchers wrote. "This can be misleading if the neurology aspects of the rating system misrepresent the neurosurgical service or vice versa."

Another common practice is using reputation as one of the main ranking criteria. This practice "is at best subjective," researchers wrote.

Researchers wrote that misleading information in report cards and rankings "may falsely direct patients and their families to hospitals providing a lower level of neurosurgical care, or direct them away from hospitals providing a high level of neurosurgical care." In addition to Origitano, authors of the study are first author Dr. Ronald Hammers, a neurosurgery resident; James Sinacore, Ph.D., associate professor of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology and Susan Anzalone, a Stritch medical student.

Based in the western suburbs of Chicago, Loyola University Health System is a quaternary care system with a 61-acre main medical center campus, the 36-acre Gottlieb Memorial Hospital campus and 25 primary and specialty care facilities in Cook, Will and DuPage counties. The medical center campus is conveniently located in Maywood, 13 miles west of the Chicago Loop and 8 miles east of Oak Brook, Ill. The heart of the medical center campus, Loyola University Hospital, is a 570-licensed bed facility. It houses a Level 1 Trauma Center, a Burn Center and the Ronald McDonald® Children’s Hospital of Loyola University Medical Center. Also on campus are the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, Loyola Outpatient Center, Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine and Loyola Oral Health Center as well as the LUC Stritch School of Medicine, the LUC Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing and the Loyola Center for Health & Fitness. Loyola's Gottlieb campus in Melrose Park includes the 250-bed community hospital, the Gottlieb Health & Fitness Center and the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Care Center.

Newswise — This summit will attract more than 1,200 experts from more than 25 countries and across the United States. It will feature more than 100 speakers, including governors, federal officials, and top researchers and scientists and will discuss new federal stem cell policies, scientific discoveries, and human interest stories. This is your chance to meet and talk to all the experts at one location and time with on-the-record sessions, press briefings, and interviews.

The World Stem Cell Summit, held this year at the Baltimore Convention Center on September 21-23, 2009, is the only conference that combines this mix of researchers, policy makers, business leaders, and ethics and legal advocates to share, explore, and discuss the latest breakthroughs and advancements in the emerging field of stem cells.
Demonstrations and discussions will range from tracking how reprogrammed stem cells (iPSCs) might supersede the use of embryonic stem cells to stem cells use in regenerative medicine and how new devices such as a stem cell integrated fluidic circuits might soon automate and simplify the entire process.

Follow the latest on the conference arrangements on the Website and Twitter site. Story possibilities will be posted by participating universities and agencies on the conference news blog.

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 for 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 $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

Dates for Costa Rican Medical Care's Medical Tourism Conference Announced

There’s still time to sign up to attend Costa Rican Medical Care's Medical Tourism conference in San Jose, Costa Rica October 6-7.

"People can read about Medical Tourism or attend seminars with Medical Tourism providers, but the only way to really learn about Medical Tourism is to experience it first hand. The purpose of our seminar is for insurance company executives, employee benefit mangers, health insurance agents, third-party administrators, and others is to experience first hand the hospitals, physicians, dentists and other medical service providers that Costa Rican Medical Care works with. Once people see the quality of the health care Costa Rica has to offer, they will be comfortable working with us and recommending our services to their people," said Tim Morales.

"We feel it is important for us to provide these educational seminars at a price people care afford, so we proud to be working with The Barceló San Jose Palacio, a five-star hotel to accomplish this and we have priced this event at only $799.00 all included."

Who Should Attend?

Employee Benefit Advisors
HR Mangers
Insurance Executives
Health Agents
TPAs
Health Savings Account Providers
Self Insured Firms
Individuals interested on saving on healthcare treatments

For more information on attending this event please visit http://costaricanmedicalcare.com/seminar_oct_6_7
or call Costa Rican Medical Care at 262-348-1300.

Omanexpo Organizing Major Health Exhibition for October 19-21, 2009

In view of the rapid growth of Oman’s health and medical sector, Omanexpo LLC is currently organizing an international exhibition called MedHealth & Wellness to be held on October 19-21, 2009, at the Oman International Exhibition Centre in Seeb. MedHealth & Wellness 2009 will showcase everything required in achieving and maintaining good health and well-being.

Supported by the Ministry of Health (MOH), the three-day international exhibition will feature medical tourism, health products and services, laboratory and medical equipment, pharmaceutical products, hospital and clinic infrastructure, sports and fitness, and alternative therapies.

“We envision MedHealth & Wellness 2009 as the definitive event in Oman for everything related to healthcare, medicine, and fitness. It will be highly relevant to all medical professionals in the sultanate as well as to everyone looking for ways to effectively improve their health,” says C.J. Paul, general manager of Omanexpo LLC, the leading exhibition management company in the sultanate. Paul pointed out that, with the official support of the Ministry of Health, MedHealth & Wellness 2009 is expected to attract the participation of leading companies in Oman’s vibrant health and medical industry.

In line with this, a briefing on the exhibition will be held on April 20 at the Crowne Plaza Muscat to inform all medical equipment suppliers in Oman about MedHealth & Wellness 2009. “The strong presence of local companies in the exhibition will prominently showcase the quality of healthcare in the sultanate and also clearly reflect the continued development of Oman’s vibrant health and medical industry,” Paul stresses.

Apart from local companies, MedHealth & Wellness 2009 is also expected to attract many international exhibitors who want to take full advantage of the growing opportunities in the sultanate’s medical sector. In addition to the Ministry of Health, MedHealth & Wellness 2009 is also supported by Middle East Health magazine as the print media partner; Malaysia Healthcare.Com, Global Ayurveda and Placid Way as the online media partners; and Becker Travel as the official travel partner.

For stall reservations or for more information on MedHealth & Wellness 2009, please contact Melwin D’Cunha, Project Manager, at tel. no. +968-24660124, mobile no. +968-92881982, or e-mail melwin@omanexpo.com. More details about the event are also available online at www.omanexpo.com/medhealth.

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

With the healthcare 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

Healthcare Abroad and Health Tourism 1st International TEMOS Conference
November 15-17, 2009 in Cologne / Germany

TEMOS is pleased to announce the 1st International TEMOS Conference on “HEALTHCARE ABROAD AND HEALTH TOURISM” in Cologne, Germany from November 15-17, 2009.

The main objective is to bring together the parties and markets of:

Health insurance companies and payers from Germany and Europe
Hospitals and medical facilities from all over the world
International facilitators, health tourism operators and telemedicine providers

to discuss about quality management, and the potential of health tourism & healthcare services abroad – from the stakeholders’ perspective.

To push these conference topics we have the pleasure to introduce several international experts as members of the TEMOS Conference Advisory Board, for example:

Health insurance: Dr. Franz Benstetter, Head of Operational Services Munich Health, Munich Reinsurance Company.

Medical facility: Dr. Kalyan S Sachdev, M.D., Chairman and founder of Privat Healthcare Group, member of the governing Board of Indian Spinal Injuries Center.

Telemedicine: Prof. Dr. Michael Nerlich, M.D., Head of the Department of Trauma at the University of Regensburg Academic Medical Center Surgery, President of the International Society for Tele' and eHealth (ISfTeH).

Science & Economics: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Goetzke, Director of gewi-Institute for health economics, Co-founder of the Fresenius University in Cologne, Coordinator of the regional initiative “Health Cologne” and “Health Region Cologne Bonn”.

Click here to find additional members of the Advisory Board.

Please also visit the Conference Website for registration and further information!

Register now via the Online Registration Form and benefit from the early bird rates!

Please contact info@temos-conference.com or the conference hotline +49–2203–601 3000
for any questions regarding the International TEMOS Conference.

Exhibitors can increase their profile by choosing between several attractive sponsoring options for this event. Please get in touch with us to learn more about your opportunities.

Please note: You can ideally combine the attendance of the TEMOS conference with a visit to MEDICA®, the world’s largest exhibition for ' technology, which is held in the neighbouring city of Duesseldorf from November 18-21, 2009.

National Newspaper confirms support for Health & Medical Tourism Show
The Independent Newspaper has confirmed support of the forthcoming Destination Health exhibition, which is set to take place on 17 - 18 April 2010 in London.
Destination Health is a brand new exhibition designed exclusively for people planning to travel abroad for all types of treatments.
If you are involved in any aspect of health tourism, then you should be exhibiting at Destination Health.
For everything from heart disease to hip replacements, breast implants, and medical spas, Destination Health is dedicated to every area of health tourism. It brings together thousands of patients and medical providers under one roof and offers an exclusive platform to meet people who are ready to invest in their personal health, body image, and well-being.
Whatever the size or nature of your business, if you want to promote and increase awareness of your health and medical travel services in a focused and dedicated environment, you should be at Destination Health.
To find out more, visit the Destination Health website or call us on + 44 (0) 20 8230 0066 or email sales@destinationhealth.co.uk

SITUATIONS WANTED:

International Patient Development in your Country – Medical Tourism

With present economic down turn I would like to offer my skills and global experience to develop much needed healthcare business.
I am sure my experience in medical tourism will provide original strategy as I come from the other side of the world.

Now is the perfect time to participate in global healthcare which is the world's second largest industry.

I would like to know if I can bring my successful career to work for your organisation to develop international business.

For further information visit www.surgeryexpress.com or contact me at as@surgeryexpress.com

JOBS:

Director of Quality Improvement

As the Director of Quality Improvement, you will be responsible for the planning, developing and directing QI functions. Provide leadership, management and supervision of the QI Department operations and staff. Ensure quality of healthcare services rendered meets or exceed professionally recognized standards. Develop and implement measures and controls to achieve company's goals.

Requirements:
BSN/BS/BA Degree in Healthcare related field. Master's Degree in Healthcare a PLUS
QI experience – min. 5 years; Managed Healthcare – min. 5 years.
Knowledge of NCQA standards.
Medicaid experience – min. 2 years.
Management Experience – min. 5 years.
Knowledge of applicable state, federal and third party regulations with special emphasis on Medi-Cal Managed Care.
Excellent communication skills.
Proficiency with computer information systems and software.
Strong analytical and problem solving skills.

Salary is commensurate with experience.
Located in Jackson, MS, USA.

For consideration, please forward your CV w/salary requirements to vvanover@headwaycorp.com or apply at www.headwaycorp.com/jobs

EEO/AA/M/F/V/D

To submit your job posting or a description of your desired position to ahaar@cpronline.com. Please keep text to 100 words or less.