Medical Travel Today

THIS WEEK IN MEDICAL TRAVEL TODAY
Volume 3, Issue 8
by Amanda Haar, Editor

Greetings,

If I had to give this week's issue of Medical Travel Today a theme it would be "access and information." From the newest books covering the consumer choices to a new medical English course especially designed for health care providers, everyone seems interested in making sure consumers understand the multitude of options available and providing them with the information they need to make the right choice for their needs.

With this issue we inaugurate a new column: Destination USA. We'll use this column to feature Centers of Excellence throughout the United States, beginning with PATH.

Jason Hwang, M.D., M.B.A. is an internal medicine physician and senior strategist for the Healthcare Practice at Innosight LLC, an innovation and strategy consulting firm. He also co-founded and serves as the executive director of Healthcare at Innosight Institute, a non-profit social innovation think tank. Together with Professor Clayton M. Christensen of Harvard Business School and the late Jerome H. Grossman of Harvard Kennedy School of Government, he is co-author of The Innovator’s Prescription: A Disruptive Solution for Health Care (McGraw-Hill, January 2009).

Previously, Dr. Hwang taught as chief resident and clinical instructor at the University of California, Irvine, where he received multiple recognitions for his clinical work. He has also served as a clinician with the Southern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Group and the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach, California. Dr. Hwang received his B.S. and M.D. from the University of Michigan and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Medical Travel Today (MTT): How does medical travel impact the social fabric of Americans?

Jason Hwang (JH): Our view of medical travel is that it is a long-term trend that has been developing for over a century. Today, travel is easier, and people are willing and able to go great distances—not simply to the next town – for better care.

As a business concept, medical travel destinations should be focused on quality through specialization, not simply lower cost. Individuals need to be incented to travel, and ultimately both quality and cost will provide the impetus to travel for medical care.
Specialization is not really a new concept, but eventually it will become the primary reason that people will travel for care. The question is: will foreign hospitals do a better job than U.S. institutions? This remains to be seen.

MTT: Should hospitals be focusing on achieving quality or efficiency – or both?

JH: Quality is the buzzword in the industry, but it means different things to different audiences. Quality needs to be defined in a way that is relevant to the “job” that a patient is “hiring” a hospital to do, with benchmarks set and communicated to patients so that they can arrive at their own conclusions.

To achieve quality in any setting, hospitals need to focus on a particular job or specialty to do it well – and do it efficiently. By focusing on a particular area, such as cardiac or orthopedic care, some hospitals can choose to deliver a full continuum of care from pre-op to post-op and rehab…and everything in between, in a truly integrated manner that delivers high value. Other hospitals can focus simply on a select procedure, such as valve replacement or hip resurfacing, provided that the patient’s job-to-be-done is simply to repair a known problem.

With this specialized attention and integration of services surrounding the delivery of care, hospitals will achieve higher quality while delivering more value. When you focus on a particular job, you not only become more proficient, you also become more cost-effective.

MTT: What other suggestions do you have for hospitals to attract patients?

JH: Many institutions will have to change their operations in order to make this happen. Creating a more customer-friendly environment requires a retail mentality. Transparency in pricing is imperative – along with information and decision tools that allow patients to make an informed choice. This is especially true for the increasing number of patients using Health Savings Accounts, where they are motivated to spend wisely.

The bottom line is that it is no longer acceptable to embrace the philosophy, “Build it and they will come.” Patients need to perceive value and purchase with confidence, and hospitals need to realize that they are no longer competing locally, but globally.

MTT: Can you cite some examples of hospitals that have done a good job in communicating value?

JH: The Shouldice Hospital in Ontario, Canada, is a center of excellence for the repair of abdominal wall hernias. Within this specialty, Shouldice has become a world-class leader, attracting significant numbers of patients from the United States and worldwide.

As an example of the benefits of focus, Shouldice’s stairwells are all comprised of half-steps to make it easier for hernia patients to ambulate following surgery. Specialized facilities can take these thoughts into consideration and create focused environments that completely satisfy their patients’ needs.

The Coxa Hospital for Joint Replacement in Tampere, Finland, by virtue of doing nothing other than endoprosthetic surgeries, achieves far lower complication rates than for similar surgeries performed at general hospitals (0.1 percent vs. 10-12 percent).

While Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok has excellent marketing, it is basically a “rejuvenated” U.S. model of a general hospital with amenities and upgrades. They can deliver lower pricing because of lower wage scales, but this is only a temporary advantage that is not sustainable.

What is sustainable is a specialty focus that leads to quality and efficiency—that’s ultimately what will get people to travel.

MTT: Do you foresee increased traction for medical travel among employers, health plans and other payers?

JH: Insurance companies and health plans are in a somewhat adversarial relationship with their customers. While they strive to introduce cost-saving initiatives such as medical travel, they do not want to be perceived as sacrificing quality for the sake of higher profits.

However, we believe that by offering access to specialty hospitals that do in fact produce higher quality, payers and other stakeholders can achieve this delicate balance. This is particularly relevant to employers seeking cost savings but who are unwilling to bend on the delivery of quality, focused care.

MTT: Are patients informed and equipped to make their own decisions regarding optimal destinations for medical travel?

JH: As in any other market, some people will need help while others can do it on their own. There are now Web-based tools and multiple portals that are readily accessed, as well as telephone connectivity to knowledgeable professionals. Personal financial advisors can also assist when health savings accounts are involved.

In addition, both domestic and international systems must make quality measures available for aggregation and comparison by trustworthy, transparent third parties. There must be consumer-friendly information that is relevant to individual requirements.

MTT: Going forward, will the opportunity to visit and tour a foreign country be important to medical travelers?

JH: Foreign governments and tourist boards like to think so, but for most patients this is an added bonus and secondary to the core “job.” All else being equal, the opportunity to travel can be an enticement, but we believe that few patients, provided with the necessary information and guidance, would base their treatment decision on anything other than the ability to receive affordable, quality care.

JH: Focus! Look at the Mayo Clinic as an example of a hospital that recognizes the importance of focusing on patients by creating departments that address individual conditions. There’s no reason a U.S. hospital can’t achieve the same principles of quality and efficiency through focus that we advocate for foreign hospitals seeking to build a medical tourism business.

Whenever possible, hospitals need to assemble multi-disciplinary teams centered on specific conditions and procedures, and stop bouncing patients from doctor to doctor. This will reduce a lot of the overhead costs and poor quality that result from the way our general hospitals are currently structured.

Another strategic imperative is information transparency and publishing data that are appropriate and relevant for patients to evaluate and compare. Otherwise, patients will fall into the trap of simply basing their health decisions on cost, and that would be to everyone’s detriment.

MTT: Will it be possible for domestic hospitals to reduce salaries/wages and lower the cost of care?

JH: Yes, but only if they’re willing to disrupt themselves with new business models of care delivery, such as incorporating nurses, physician assistants, or technicians to provide more care. This is one of the reasons why retail clinics will be successful – the combination of low-cost venues of care and different providers of care results in an affordable and accessible means of managing simple medical problems. In contrast, it would be a mistake to reduce costs simply by cutting salaries and fees. Forcing high-cost professionals to somehow become more efficient by reducing payment will only lead to dissatisfaction across the board.

MTT: What is the bottom line to motivating patients to pursue medical travel options?

JH: When people are armed with information and incentives to travel, and when large employers empower their workforces with decision-making capabilities, the industry will grow. Much of the expansion will rely upon hospitals releasing their data and employers putting incentives in place via portable health savings accounts and shared savings programs.

International Medical Travel Association’s Contribution to “Healthcare Travel Congress” Provides Platform for Global Network Alliances

June 29-30, 2009, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore -- www.healthcaretravel-singapore.com
Washington, D.C./Singapore – April 15, 2009 – The International Medical Travel Association (IMTA), a leading not-for-profit industry association for medical travel and healthcare globalization, has Partnered with Informa Life Sciences in order to hold an opening strategy meeting for IMTA members as part of the “Healthcare Travel Congress”, June 29-30, 2009, Fairmont Hotel, Singapore. This event provides a global business platform for providers, medical travel professionals and other stakeholders to network and establish new Partnerships with key decision makers from around the world.

“This is a robust opportunity for all stakeholders to expand their networks, take a true leadership position in the globalization of healthcare, and drive credibility for the industry,” says Ruben Toral, president of IMTA and CEO of Mednet Asia Ltd. “By working together on a global basis, this association will be able to address key core issues – liability, continuity of care, and quality. We expect to impact worldwide medical travel and drive further adoption.”

The Congress features more than 30 speakers from leading hospitals, clinics, government, accreditation bodies, and healthcare facilitators, plus more than 10 leading healthcare travel case studies. Interactive panel discussions between key players in the healthcare travel value chain, dedicated streams on healthcare marketing and patient care, interactive workshops on legal liabilities and healthcare marketing, and a dedicated healthcare travel exhibition are designed to inform and entertain attendees.

The Congress features more than 30 CEOs and industry luminaries, including:

Tan Ser Kiat, Group CEO, Singhealth, Singapore
Tyrone Goh, M.D., executive director, National Healthcare Group, Singapore
Brent Phillips, international administrator, Mayo Clinic, United States
Kamaljeet Singh Gill, chief marketing officer, Corporate Marketing (Global) Parkway Group Healthcare, Pte Ltd, Singapore
Ayesha Abdullah, M.D., CEO, Dubai Healthcare City, United Arab Emirates
Surapong Ambhanwong, M.D., chief medical and international business officer, Phyathai Hospitals Group, Thailand
Vishal Bali, CEO, Wockhardt Hospitals Group, India
Jorge Cortes, M.D., Rodriguez medical director, Hospital Clinica Biblica, Costa Rica
Anil Maini, president, Corporate Strategy, Apollo Hospitals Group, India
Josef Woodman, author, Patients Without Borders, United States
Jason Yap, M.D., director of Marketing, Raffles Medical Group, Singapore
Wu Ming Yen, CEO, Taiwan Task Force for Medical Travel, Taiwan
Nellie Yeo, consultant, Joint Commission International and chief quality officer, National Healthcare Group, Singapore
Claudia Mika, M.D., president, Telemedicine for the Mobile Society (TEMOS), Germany
Ming-Keng Toh, M.D., head of Medical Services, Asia Medical Protection Society, United Kingdom
Steve Green, M.D., director, Trent Acceditation, United Kingdom
Ruben Toral, president, International Medical Travel Association, Thailand, and founder, Mednet Asia
Zahid Hamid, managing director, Euromedical Tours, United Kingdom
John Linss, CEO, Medicaview International, United States
Wouter Hoeberechts, CEO, Worldmed Assist, United States
Philipe Barrault, M.D., group managing director, Asia International SOS, Singapore
Sanjiv Malik, secretary, Health Media Centre, India

The Congress will also feature:

Travel Day -- June 29, 2009: An introduction to healthcare travel designed specifically for travel agents, hotels, and medical spas
Health Insurance Conference -- June 29-30, 2009
Consumer Healthcare Summit -- June 28, 2009
Healthcare Travel Exhibition -- June 28-30, 2009, featuring Patrick Marsek, managing director of Med Retreat (U.S.), and Kenneth Mays, director of marketing, Bumrungrad International (Thailand).

Additionally, the Congress will host the first 2009 International Medical Travel Association Strategy Meeting. Membership in the organization is required for attendance which can be arranged at www.intlmta.org.

“With consumers, employers, health plans and other payers looking beyond their own borders for better value, medical travel is a growth industry,” Toral adds. “Not only is medical travel a cost effective option, but in many cases it is also a better one, especially for the uninsured and the underinsured living in the United States.”

About The IMTA
The International Medical Travel Association is a global organization of stakeholders in the international medical travel industry, representing leading healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators and related industry service providers worldwide. IMTA supports the development of international industry standards and best practices that promote and advance medical quality, safety, and transparency for the international patient, and that preserve and protect the doctor-patient relationship. IMTA, www.intlmta.org, is a not-for-profit association funded by membership dues and programs.

Patients Beyond Borders to Publish Turkey Edition

April, 6, 2009: Istanbul, Turkey - Healthy Travel Media and the Accredited Hospitals Association of Turkey (AHAT) jointly announce the publication of Patients Beyond Borders: Turkey Edition, to be published in English, Fall 2009, for international distribution. Supported by Turkey’s leading health care facilities, the 280-page guidebook will offer an in-depth overview of Turkey’s leading American-accredited hospitals, selected health travel agents, accommodations, and essential medical travel information.

In addition to comprehensive checklists showing “How to Become a Savvy, Informed Medical Traveler,” readers receive detailed guidance on budgeting and planning for their medical journey; thorough profiles, including specialties and centers of
excellence, of fully accredited Turkish hospitals catering to the international patient; and visitor and sightseeing information on Turkey and the region, with maps, illustrations, and 24 pages of color inserts showcasing Turkey’s world-class facilities and attractions. Print and electronic versions will be available through retail outlets worldwide, Amazon, and other online retailers, and through AHAT.

“Turkey’s superior health care infrastructure and relatively short flying times are attracting an increasing number of European, North American, and Middle Eastern patients,” says author Josef Woodman. “Well known for its rich heritage, breathtaking beauty, and Mediterranean flair, it is easy to see why an estimated 200,000 medical tourists each year are choosing to have their procedures in Turkey.”

As the number of uninsured and underinsured Americans continues to grow—now to more than 80 million—travel abroad for treatment is rising dramatically, with international hospitals and clinics reporting 15 to 40 percent increases in the number of Americans seeking treatment, driven by rising unemployment and reduced employer-sponsored health care benefits. Similarly, Europeans seeking to avoid the long lines on expensive procedures at home are embracing cost-effective procedures in nearby Turkey.

“With more JCI-accredited hospitals than any other country in the world, Turkey has much to offer the international patient,” says Mehmet Ali Aydinlar, chairman of AHAT. “We are pleased to become a part of the Patients Beyond Borders series and are eager to showcase Europe’s best-kept medical travel secret.”

The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Medical Tourism Released

Medical travel - traveling abroad for affordable healthcare- has been reported to be a multi-billion dollar industry. With both health care costs and the number of uninsured on the rise, the medical tourism market is expected to double by the year 2012. Although the current economy has reduced the number of elective surgeries being done, at the same time serious surgeries have increased. The appeal of medical travel is driven primarily by cost, with savings as high as 80 percent compared to costs for the same procedures at home. That equates to $12,000 compared to $60,000 for a typical hip replacement, an example of where the benefits exceed cost savings. Patients who travel abroad for medical procedures also have access to state-of-the-art medical facilities and highly qualified doctors, many of whom received their training in the United States. However, consumers also face risks when seeking medical treatment oversees. The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Medical Tourism helps readers minimize risks as they search for the right countries, facilities, and doctors for their medical needs.

In this book, readers learn:

How much money they can expect to save for the most common procedures performed abroad
Which countries and treatment facilities are best suited for various procedures
How to identify and work with travel agencies that specialize in medical travel
How to locate the 100+ hospitals and treatment centers abroad that have become accredited to U.S. standards of healthcare
How to plan and budget for the safest and most cost-effective trip
What to do to minimize the chance of things going wrong
What to do if complications arise
What to expect in terms of follow-up care

About the authors

Patrick W. Marsek (Vernon Hills, Ill.) is co-founder and managing director of MedRetreat, LLC, the first U.S. owned and operated medical tourism service agency. He has traveled around the world to inspect overseas health care options, identifying the strengths, weaknesses, and value of all the major medical travel programs, including their facilities, practices, staff quality, and services. His worldwide network of healthcare-related affiliates has successfully been servicing the North American consumer market since January 2005.

Frances Sharpe (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) is an award-winning author who has written both medical and consumer health books, as well as a number of books on business and marketing. Her published works include A Woman’s Guide to Cosmetic Surgery and Body Contoruing (Addicus Books, 2006), Straight Talk About Breast Cancer (Addicus Books, 2007), 303 Marketing Ideas (S&S, 1998), and Starting a Homebased Business (Wiley, 1996). Sharpe has also written for a number of magazines, including Health, Women’s Health and Fitness, AARP—The Magazine, Details, and Entrepreneur. She is a member of both the American Medical Writers Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

Micromem Technologies Inc. Hall Sensors Integrated into Unotron’s New Soft Key® Computer Keyboards

TORONTO/NEW YORK, N.Y.—April 6, 2009 — Micromem Technologies Inc., (Micromem) (OTC: BB MMTIF, CNSX: MRM) through its wholly owned subsidiary Micromem Applied Sensor Technologies, Inc. (MASTInc) (www.mastinc.com), announces the integration of Micromem Hall sensor technologies into the new line of SoftKey® keyboards manufactured by Unotron Incorporated, (Unotron) (www.unotron.com).

“Our patented three-dimensional statistical manufacturing process that includes Micromem's patented magnetic sensors is positioned to revolutionize computer keyboard technology, with immediate impact on the health care sector via Unotron,” says Steven Van Fleet, president of MASTInc.

MASTInc will supply to Unotron approximately five million keyboard circuits that incorporate Micromem’s patented magnetic sensor technology. This agreement is anticipated to result in approximately US$77M in revenue to MASTInc over the next five years. Revenue for MASTInc from units planned to be shipped this year is expected to reach US$5M.

With 30 years of OEM manufacturing experience, Unotron maintains a global footprint with offices located across North America, Europe, and Asia, making everyday computing clean and safe for organizations around the world. Unotron designs, manufactures, and markets high quality, washable data input and security devices that are easily cleaned and disinfected to mitigate the spread of infection in health care, education, commercial, and government environments. Unotron holds patents for SpillSeal® technology and draws upon a catalogue of patents in automated manufacturing systems and office products.

Van Fleet adds, “MASTInc technology may also represent a breakthrough in the manufacturing of new Unotron products such as kiosks, ATMs, and other key pad technologies, while still allowing the electronic components to be completely sealed to keep out water and germs.”

About Micromem and MASTInc
MASTInc is a wholly owned subsidiary of Micromem Technologies Inc., a publicly traded (OTC: MMTIF, CNSX: MRM) company with headquarters in Toronto, Canada, and an office in New York City. MASTInc responsibly analyzes the specific industry sectors to create intelligent game-changing applications that address unmet market needs. By leveraging its expertise and experience with sophisticated magnetic sensor applications, MASTInc successfully powers the development and implementation of innovative solutions for healthcare/biomedical, natural resource exploration, government, information technology, manufacturing, and other industries. Visit www.micromeminc.com www.mastinc.com.

Olympus Managed Health Care Extends Proven Cost Containment Program
MIAMI, FL -- Olympus Managed Health Care, Inc. (OMHC), a leader in international strategic claims management, including cost containment, announces new services focused on the domestic health care payer. Olympus is extending it expertise perfected over 15 years in the international claims management business to the U.S. healthcare marketplace, providing proprietary claims management tools and data to manage claims and contain costs for self-funded, fully insured, HMO and worksite clients such as Mini-Meds, HSAs or other limited benefits plans.

Olympus also provides unique solutions under its Patient Care Advocacy Program which is designed to assist the client with facilitating access to health care and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g their limited health care dollar; a great match for enhancing worksite product offerings. The Olympus’ proprietary international network provides “medical tourism” packages resulting in access to high quality health care at dramatically reduced costs.

Olympus combines cutting edge technology, a team of highly trained claims analysts along with a medical staff that specialize in managing medical care and detecting overcharges, erroneous or fraudulent claims, and cases that are most susceptible to over-billing.

President and CEO Steven W. Jacobson, says, “Rising health care costs are a reality of our business model. Olympus is committed to remaining innovative in its effort to maintain the profitability of our clients. We have spent 15 years perfecting our product in the international market; we now firmly believe we can use that expertise to deliver unique value to the domestic health care payer.”

For more information about The Olympus Domestic Cost Containment Program, please contact Steven Jacobson at sjacobson@omhc.com or Jim Keller, senior consultant US markets at jkeller@omhc.com, 305-530-8600.

About Olympus Managed Health Care, Inc.
Olympus Managed Health Care is headquartered in Miami, FL, and founded by Steven W. Jacobson. OMHC is the leading provider of strategic health claims management and cost containment services to the international marketplace. Since its inception in 1994, Olympus has focused exclusively on facilitating access to healthcare for foreigners seeking care in the United States. Olympus’ products and services focus on bringing value to the payer, medical provider, and health care consumer, Olympus is privately held and 100% management owned. Visit www.omhc.com.

Economic Turmoil Creates Boom for Medical Tourism

Concord, Calif. (PRWEB) April 3, 2009 -- As economies began to falter last fall, there were many predictions how this would play out for the young but booming medical tourism industry. With six months of shaky economic news to look back on, some interesting trends are starting to emerge, most of which are adding fuel to medical tourism's growth.

"We're finding there's a definite dip in requests for surgery overseas where there's no medical urgency, such as tummy tucks, chiseled noses, and dental veneers," says Wouter Hoeberechts, CEO of WorldMed Assist, a company at the forefront of medical travel for North Americans. "But we're also seeing an uptick in patients who need serious surgery— such as knee replacements, bypass surgery, spine fusion, hip resurfacing — but can't afford insurance, were disqualified by pre-existing conditions, or have had to rejigger their health plan to cover only catastrophic situations."

WorldMed Assist's study of recent patients reveals that more than 90 percent travel for procedures that would have been covered, if they'd had a typical employer-provided policy. "Because our focus has always been on the more serious surgeries, the net effect on our business of the economic turmoil is tremendous growth. We are glad to be able to help so many in need," Hoeberechts says. "With employer-provided insurance slipping away or costing individuals more, combined with most procedures costing 85 percent less overseas than near home, we're seeing a spike in patients who find medical tourism their most attractive option."

It's not just individual patients who are attracted to the significant savings of overseas care. Employers and insurance companies are forced to more closely examine their health plans to protect against health insurance premiums that have risen 73 percent since 2000, according to the National Coalition on Health Care. This has spurred some employers to cover fewer employees by eliminating benefits for retirees or by imposing longer gaps between hiring and benefit eligibility dates. Other employers have been steadily increasing co-pays and co-premiums (employee contributions increased 145 percent since 2000 according to NCHC), and still others are shaving costs by narrowing the list of covered procedures.

"Progressive companies are finding there's another, better way that protects employee loyalty while saving money," Hoeberechts says. "By adding a medical tourism option into their health plans and providing incentives for employees to travel overseas for costly procedures, there are big savings for employers, plus employees gain expanded options and the potential of sharing their employer's savings: a win-win. Savings in the range of 85 percent is hard to ignore during the best of times, and imperative to examine during perilous times."

Savings of this magnitude come from many factors. A recent study by McKinsey Global Institute found that costs at U.S. hospitals are nearly twice as high as in the 13 industrial nations studied. Significantly higher salaries, insurance, and the costs of equipment and administration are the leading reasons for the disparity.

In 2008, two significant events signaled heightened commercial interest in medical tourism: Swiss Re Commercial Insurance started offering medical travel costs as part of its stop loss policy to clients in all 50 states, selecting WorldMed Assist as its preferred third party logistics company. Also during 2008, insurance products were introduced to provide liability protection for employers. Commercial interest in medical tourism has been percolating from coast to coast ever since, and is unlikely to abate until Congress enacts stem-to-stern health care reform.

Hoeberechts reports that one of the first medical tourism questions employers ask is around quality. "As long as a company Partners with a reputable facilitator, employees will gain access to doctors at the top of their field worldwide and be able to select a facility that has achieved a world-recognized standard of excellence," he says. "All our patients have been impressed with how much state-of-the-art technology these facilities deploy for high quality diagnosis, treatment, and administration, and the high ratio of staff to patient."

To further ensure quality, Hoeberechts' own company performs multi-day on-site visits with each medical facility -- including in-depth interviews with the key surgeons and top administrators -- before admitting them into his tightly controlled network of providers. "I'd be out of business in a flash if I couldn't assure that the care my patients receive is on par with or better than the care they'd receive at the top U.S. facilities," he adds. "Quality care is the top focus of everyone on my staff, and with each of my providers. Quality is never sacrificed to achieve higher savings."

About WorldMed Assist
WorldMed Assist (http:www.worldmedassist.com) helps patients, employers and insurance companies get affordable and high quality international health care at top-rated medical facilities, with surgeons at the top of their field worldwide. Waiting lists are virtually eliminated. WorldMed Assist manages every aspect of care and travel for each patient, with a high-touch process that extends from first contact through full recovery at home. Employers interested in learning more about the start-up and maintenance of medical travel plans should contact WorldMed Assist at 866 999-3848.

Job Seekers Invest in Plastic Surgery

Editor's Note: This Reuters news item from April 8 caught my eye as it presents a potentially new market opportunity for plastic surgery practices.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090408/lf_nm_life/us_plasticsurgery_recession

Treatment Abroad Launches Intensive Medical English Communication Course
Treatment Abroad, the leading information portal for medical tourism, has launched an intensive two-day medical English language course to teach its overseas clients how to communicate effectively and accurately with patients and potential patients. The Intensive Medical English Communication (IMEC) course has been launched to help non-English speaking healthcare providers to capitalise on the growth in the number of English speaking medical tourists travelling abroad for treatment.

The course has been set up in response to comments from 650 patients surveyed for the 2008 Treatment Abroad Medical Tourism Survey who said that doctors and medical staff who are not able to speak English well is one of the major shortcomings for English-speaking medical tourists travelling abroad.

As increasing numbers of English speakers travel abroad for medical treatment, both from the United Kingdom and North America, it is vital that surgeons, doctors, dentists, and hospital and administrative staff in non-English speaking countries improve their language skills. Patients need to feel confident that medical staff can understand them and speak understandable English. Health care providers must be able to communicate medical information and use the correct medical and clinical terminology when talking to and listening to patients.

The Treatment Abroad “Intensive Medical English Communication” (IMEC) course is designed to solve the problem of poor patient communication. This highly practical course is aimed at surgeons, nurses, and administration staff who have direct contact with English-speaking patients, and will teach them how to explain treatment options, procedures, and after-care. This will ensure that the patient understands and has confidence in the medical and administrative staff.

The IMEC course requires students to have at least a minimum of good to intermediate levels of English. The trainers have over 50 years experience in teaching English and communication skills and have both worked with health care professionals. Nick Hillman is an experienced educational professional who has taught English internationally and in England for 20 years. Barbara Stryjak is a London-based marketing and training consultant with over 30 years experience in the Western and Eastern European pharmaceutical and health care sectors.

The course is ideally suited for 8 to 12 delegates and involves role play and communication exchange activities that include typical examples of the types of conversations course participants can expect to have with their patients. This will give participants opportunities to practise listening and speaking in situations that are typical of their day-to-day experiences in the clinic or hospital environment.

Numbers of medical tourists are expected to rise when the European Union (EU) Directive on patient mobility comes into force; National Health Service (NHS) patients are expected to travel within the EU for treatment. North American patients already travel to Central and South America, India, and the Philippines, and U.S. insurers are considering treatment abroad as an option. Being able to communicate properly with patients in English has never been more important.

Keith Pollard of Treatment Abroad says: “Self-paying medical tourists from the United Kingdom and the United States already take advantage of the low cost medical services available in Europe and elsewhere in the world, and we know from patient feedback that poor communication can make the difference between a great patient experience and a poor one. The Intensive Medical English Communication course has been designed to help health care providers overseas communicate successfully with their patients and is part of our extensive package of after-sales services that we provide at Treatment Abroad.”

DESTINATION USA: PATH (Place for Achieving Total Health)

Eric Braverman, MD
Founder
Place for Achieving Total Health (PATH)

Eric Braverman, M.D., is a longevity specialist who believes that "you're only as strong as your weakest link." Identifying an individual's "weakest link" and working to repair or strengthen that link is the focus of the work Braverman does at Place for Achieving Total Health (PATH). By helping individuals identify medical problems and risks factors early, as well as treating specific, narrowly defined issues, Braverman is able to help patients from both the United States and abroad take a step closer to achieving "total health."

Medical Travel Today (MTT): Let's start with PATH. How did you start the organization and what does total health mean to you?

Eric Braverman (EB): I started it 20 years ago when I recognized that most of the illnesses that people were presenting were actually starting five to ten years before I saw them. At the time, no one was doing the type of early intervention that could have prevented the condition or disease earlier.

I went to work and found a way of identifying disease earlier. With earlier detection and diagnosis, your treatment options improve, become less invasive, and, in general, more effective. That's really what we aim to do.

Now, as for total health, I think a good definition is that it's the ability to be 40 forever in some way…maybe 30 for women. But whatever the number, the idea is to achieve peak performance of brain and mind while at the same time having a state of peak physical well being.

But getting there is not easy. It requires a delicate balance of lifestyle change, exercise, and maybe hormone therapy and medication. It's different for everyone.

MTT: What's the focus of the services you provider?

EB: We're not condition-specific but the protocol is the same in that everybody needs lifestyle changes and relationship coaching.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, has disease. We're all filled with these silent disease defects that are being ignored. And they're ignored because of how our whole health care system is built.

Here at PATH we treat the whole patient, beginning with the brain. Unless someone complains of headaches or neurological issues, the brain is largely overlooked when a patient presents at the typical doctor's office. By looking at brain function through a truly simple assessment, we're able to look at how a person's aging in a way that's much different than with a traditional exam. But that's only one piece of it, but it's important because it's simply not done in traditional care models.

MTT: Where do the majority of your patients come from and what's the typical profile?

EB: It's basically a bell curve around 50 years old. There's a scatter-gram of some patients who come to us before age twenty with specific problems and there are some at 85 or so with issues. But most of our patients are around 30 to 60 years old. The patient base tends to skew female with menopause being the biggest area of concern.

We truly treat patients from all over the world. Certainly the United States is a big source with a lot coming from Florida. We also see people from Canada, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Israel, Russia, India, and Ireland. I'm sure there are others, but that gives you a good idea of our global appeal.

On a given day we see 25 patients in person and do follow-ups with another 50 by phone.

MTT: Speaking directly to your foreign patient base, how do they find you and what services are they seeking?

EB: A lot of people learn about us through Life Extension magazine and some through my book The Edge Effect. We also get quite a few referrals.

The people who come to us are motivated to deal with their main problem, be it hitting menopause and all that comes with that, or the man we saw who had bypass surgery and his heart is still in bad shape. We address those issues and all the other issues that contribute to the main problem, as well as others they may not know exist.

MTT: Why do they need to travel abroad for the care?

EB: Well, for the patients from Canada the main issue is wait time. For those from Europe, there's simply nothing like this there. It's really a death industry there. They wait for people to get really sick before dealing with them, and by then it's typically too late to make a meaningful, life-enhancing change.

The old grin-and-bear approach is not okay any more. At age 55 the typical person is filled with chronic illnesses, but the good news is you can make a difference by treating them earlier and that's what we do.

MTT: How has the number of patients you see annually changed over the past few years?

EB: It's increasing exponentially, and I don't see any signs of that changing. One thing that is changing is where they're coming from. Early on most folks were pretty local but now over 50 percent are from out of state and a number of those, as I mentioned, are coming from abroad.

MTT: Do you currently Partner with any medical travel facilitators and, if not, do you intend to do so?

EB: I don't, but I'm certainly open to it.

About Eric R. Braverman
Eric R. Braverman, M.D. was recently appointed the Clark Randt Memorial lecturer and has accepted an appointment as clinical assistant professor of Integrative Medicine in Neurological Surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College.

He is the author or more than 120 papers and has been practicing medicine for more than 22 years. He started in medicine at the Princeton Brain Bio Center in 1976. He performed post-graduate work in Internal Medicine at a Yale Medical School affiliate and conducted research as a member of a team at Harvard Medical School in 1979. He graduated from New York University Medical School with Honors in 1983, and graduated Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Brandeis University in 1975.

Dr. Braverman is the author of the best-selling books Younger You (McGraw Hill), The Edge Effect (Sterling) and Younger (Thinner) You Diet (Rodale) and is one of the foremost experts in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Braverman was featured on NBC's “The Today Show” in September 2007, was a special expert guest of Tyra Banks' show in October, 2007, and appeared on CBN's “700 Club” in October 2007 where he was interviewed by Pat Robertson. Look for upcoming publications featuring articles by and interviews with Dr. Braverman, including O Magazine, Allure Magazine, Elle Magazine, and Town & Country Weddings

UPCOMING EVENTS

Costa Rican Medical Care Announces Health Care Seminar
"More than 100,000 medical tourists, most of them Americans, are expected to travel to Costa Rica over the next five years solely for the benefit of less expensive medical services," says the Costa Rican Ministry of Tourism.

Lake Geneva, Wis. (PRWEB) March 15, 2009 -- Costa Rican Medical Care (CRMC), a division of HSA Clearing Corp, will be sponsoring a health care seminar in San Jose, Costa Rica, May 12 and 13, 2009.

Health care costs in the United States have exploded in the past few years, but the same procedures are very affordable in Costa Rica. Many people and/or employers who have to pay out of pocket don't realize they have other options that can keep them healthy and save money at the same time. Working with the finest private hospitals and physicians in Costa Rica, CRMC will help people save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on certain medical care procedures.

"The propose of this seminar is for insurance company executives, employee benefit mangers, health insurance agents, third-party administrators, and other interested parties to experience first-hand the hospitals and physicians and meet some of their staff. Once people see the quality of the healthcare Costa Rica has to offer, they will be comfortable working with us and recommending our services to their clients," says Tim Morales, president of HSA Clearing Corp. "The only way to bring down health care costs in this country is to show people what prices are elsewhere and let them compare."

A Costa Rican Ministry of Tourism representative adds, "More than 100,000 medical tourists, most of them Americans, are expected to travel to Costa Rica over the next five years solely for the benefit of less expensive medical services."

Seminar Price
Only $899.00 and includes:
Four nights at the Best Western Irazu Hotel and Casino. Check in Monday, May 11, 2009. Check out Friday, May 15, 2009. Breakfast included daily. Air fare not included.

First 50 people to sign up receive a $100 discount - pay only $799. Bring a spouse, friend, or co-worker to share your room for an additional $125 added to the four-night price.

Who Should Attend?
Employee Benefit Advisors
HR Managers
Insurance Executives
Health Agents
TPAs
HSA Providers
Self Insured Firms

For more information on attending this event, visit www.costaricanmedicalcare.com or call HSA Clearing Corp at 262-348-1300.

Patients Beyond Borders Author Josef Woodman to Deliver Plenary Session at CISTM 2009

Chapel Hill, N.C. (PRWEB) March 23, 2009 -- Josef Woodman, president and CEO of Healthy Travel Media, has been selected to be a featured expert panelist at the 11th Conference of the International Society of Travel Medicine (CISTM). The conference, which historically attracts up to 2,000 delegates from 50 countries, will be held in Budapest, Hungary, May 24-28, 2009. Plenary sessions throughout the 4-day event will highlight issues of global healthcare and medical tourism, with noted speakers and industry leaders from around the world.

Woodman's plenary session, entitled "Globalized Healthcare and Medical Tourism: Definition, Scope, Impact, and Players" is slated for Monday, May 25, 9:00-10:30 a.m. Woodman will address new trends in medical tourism vis-à-vis globalized healthcare, including emergent issues related to insurers and employers, liability/malpractice, quality-assurance metrics, continuity of care, and telemedicine.

As the author of Patients Beyond Borders, Woodman spent more than three years touring 100 medical facilities in 14 countries, researching contemporary medical tourism. The co-founder of MyDailyHealth and Ventana Communications, with a pioneering background in health, wellness, and Web technology, Woodman has compiled a wealth of information about global health travel, telemedicine, and new developments in consumer and institutional medical care. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Global Healthcare Summit, and as program co-chairman of the Global Healthcare Congress 2009. He has lectured at Harvard Medical School and the UCLA School of Public Health. Woodman has emerged as an outspoken advocate of global consumer healthcare and medical travel.

About International Society of Travel Medicine (ISTM)
Founded in 1991, the mission of the ISTM is the promotion of healthy and safe medical travel. The organization advocates and facilitates education, service, and research activities in the field of travel medicine. Its current roster of more than 2,300 members in 75 countries includes physicians, nurses, and other health professionals from academia, government, and the private sector. For more information about ISTM, please visit: http://www.istm.org.

The society's 11th Annual Conference will bring together 2,000 members and special delegates to cover a range of topics from "Globalized Health Care and Medical Tourism" to "The Risks and Rewards of Travel Medicine" and "Aviation Emergencies in the Air." Additional information on the conference can be found at http://www.abstractserver.com/cistm11/welcome.htm.

Date Set for Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress: June 28-30, 2009

Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress 2008 is a groundbreaking platform bringing together macro level decision makers on healthcare policy with payees of medical travel, specialized medical suppliers, travel providers, medical facilities and representatives from major medical tourism destinations all under one roof making this exhibition and congress truly representative of the total international medical travel industry.

Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress 2008, under the guiding theme of “the Globalisation of Healthcare”, brings together the entire cluster involved in medical travel at one specific event that is dedicated to the development of this growing sector. Medical Travel professionals to interact on a variety of business platforms:

A world-class conference streaming across multiple sectors
Exclusive networking opportunities made possible through innovative corporate match making
Global exhibition, showcasing all segments of this exciting industry

For more information please visit: http://healthcaretravel-singapore.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 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

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