THIS WEEK IN MEDICAL TRAVEL TODAY
Volume 4, Issue 2

by Amanda Haar, Editor

Greetings,

Well, folks, it appears that medical travel has officially hit the world's radar.

In their recent list of top ten travel trends for 2010, USA Today included medical travel. Okay, so it's in position nine, but that's not the point. The point is that there now seems to be a general consumer awareness of the medical travel option. That's good news no matter how you look at it.

Interestingly enough, as consumers seem to be growing more comfortable with the idea of going abroad for care, some governments are making it harder to do so (See Red Tape story under INDUSTRY NEWS), and some health care facilities are fighting hard to keep consumers close. Better late than never, I suppose.

In this issue we have the third and final installment of Medical Travel Today's recent Roundtable Discussion on the impacts of health care reform on medical travel.

We'd like to thank the Roundtable participants for their time and insights.

If you have a topic you'd like to have discussed by thought leaders in the industry, please let us know.

Cheers,

Amanda Haar, Editor
ahaar@cpronline.com

PERSPECTIVES

Editor's Note: The following is the third and final part of the recent Roundtable Discussion hosted by Medical Travel Today on the impacts of health care reform on medical travel. 

Moderated by Sam Havens, a member of the Board of Directors of BridgeHealth Medical and former Health Care Division president at Prudential, participants included:

Charles M. Cutler, M.D., consultant and former chief medical director for National Accounts at Aetna
Blair Gifford, associate professor of Health Administration and Management at the University of Colorado  
Dale N. Lyman, senior vice president of Cost Management Strategies and Stop Loss Administration at Meritain Health
Cyndy Nayer, president and chief executive officer of the Center for Health Value Innovatio

(full participant bios are found at the end of the transcript)

SH:  One thing, assuming that the public option does adopt the Medicare reimbursement rate, which we know is much less than most private companies pay, will this speed up the desire for the private insurers to try new options to be able to compete with the public option and will that be a positive to both domestic and international travel?

CN: Sam, I would see that as an absolute "yes."  The public option is about creating competition in the marketplace. Consumers will have to look at where there are opportunities to save dollars, but there are again a couple corollaries to that. The first is that in this new model, health care becomes a commodity, which I find to be an interesting concept as I thought we were trying to get away from commoditizing health care… The second corollary is that while commoditization creates competition, how are we going to facilitate the rapid adoption and acceleration of it?

I see two ways to make that happen. The first is in the self-funded employer. The second is through companies that have a global presence. The more that they can showcase the ex-patriots that are getting good care around the world, the faster the marketplace can change. That was made very apparent to me when I held a private summit with the directors of our Center.  One of the folks had been a medical officer for one of the branches of the armed services. He said something to the effect "Of course we do global travel, why wouldn’t we do global medical travel? We get it. We are global." And I went, "Ahh, there’s the market." Any company that has a global presence should be able to take that and run with that very quickly and dive into that commoditization if that’s what they need.

SH:  I guess we would agree, whether it’s a public option or the existing Medicare system,  it is highly unlikely that either of those systems would likely adapt to something like domestic or international travel as part of their benefit plan. The political force would make it impossible to do it, I would think. What do you think about that Blair?

BG: I think the whole notion of public option will push a lot more competition into the private plans, and it may limit the whole notion of medical travel in the sense that the prices will arguably come down due to greater competition. At least that’s what I think most people perceive might happen. Whether that actually plays out or not I don’t know, because once again no one is really sure what the public option really is. 

SH:  One aspect of health care reform that is apparently in the House bill, I don’t know how it’s going to end up, is limitation on the opportunities for consumer directed health plans. In other words, larger deductible plans, I guess, are not going to be "qualified" plans. This does not seem like a positive thing to me, what do you all think?

DL: I do agree with you. One of the ways to get people to travel is to incentivize their out-of-pocket. And if you limit that incentive it makes it more difficult to motivate them to accept something out of the norm, so I do think that will have an impact. If you’re looking at a price differential of, say, $2,500 I think that’s enough to motivate people to pursue the domestic travel. If it were bigger it would be a bigger motivator, but I still think $2,500 is enough to get people to take action.

SH:  Any comment on that Cyndy?

CN: I agree with Dale, particularly if we look at demographics. For people with a lower income, a $2,500 high deductible is still a big piece of change. And for some that $2,500 is actually a per person cost, so you would have to achieve a $5,000 or $7,500 savings for the family in order to get motivated. I think it’s going to be an interesting thing to see how this all plays out.

SH:  Chuck, do you have any comment about that?

CC:  I generally agree with the previous comment, but it may make people develop more creative benefit designs so it would allow fair savings in other ways.

SH:  Does the incentive really need to be to the member who’s using the service in order to get them to travel, whether it's domestic or international? I mean are we talking about $1K or are we talking about a lot more than that?

BG: Well, that’s a very interesting question. What’s a tipping point for individuals is something that has to be determined. And it will vary individual to individual. The U.S. is very ethnically and racially diverse, and many people are willing to travel back to Mexico or Costa Rica because they’re of Latin American heritage to begin with and other people are even starting to go back to eastern Europe because they’re Polish…they’re among family and friends already. I want to be careful about putting a price point in there because what drives them to travel really depends on the individual person. If someone has been in the States for generations, maybe the ethnic family thing doesn’t come into play as much and therefore we can look at a price plan.

SH: But you’re saying that the more ethnically diverse we have become in the last 10 or so years that’s actually positive for international travel?

BG: Oh, very much so. The amount of medical tourism that’s going on -- that is, people returning back to the Caribbean or the Latin American countries -- is phenomenal, and that isn’t necessarily driven by price.
 
SH:  I spent some time about a year ago with one of the national consulting companies and their team. Among their younger associates, one was from India and one was from Costa Rica, and these young people who were probably in their younger 30’s. Both of them told stories to us that they have large numbers of their family in host countries and when they go to visit they get their dental care in either Costa Rica and India. And if they had to have a surgical procedure they would probably feel quite comfortable going there. That was dramatically different from my own experience. I thought it was quite interesting, so that sort of reinforces what you just said.  Chuck, do you see this having an effect, on domestic and particularly on international travel, the changing demographics of the U.S.?

CC: I know that a number of large insurers talked about this, and that they see more people who are new to the U.S. or have strong family connections outside the U.S. who are interested and willing to go home for their care. And some of the insurers that already cover care outside the U.S. are looking at combining their global business with their domestic business for these members. It makes it easier to facilitate travel and take advantage of the relationships that they already have in other countries. I also agree with the comments that we heard earlier that the other factor is proximity. I know there have been a couple of large employers in particular that are interested in having networks in Mexico for those employees that live along the border.

SH:  Texas and California.

CC: Exactly, the southwest border, and Aetna in fact has an arrangement with an IPA  in Mexico specifically to serve the needs of the Hispanic population that goes back to Mexico for their care. I think we will see more of that. It’s too bad that Canada doesn’t accept patients for their excess capacity because that would be a wonderful market to use, and we’ve had inquires about that, but politically it’s not viable for them to open up their market.

SH:  Does anyone have any other comments about any of our questions or anything anyone would like to add before we end?

CN: Sam, if I could just put one thing on the table, and that is that I really appreciate how these questions were formulated because it uses the term "medical travel." I think as long as we talk about "medical tourism" it will be perceived as fluffy. When it becomes medical travel, it becomes an important business opportunity.

SH:  That’s a good point.

CC: I think the only thing I would add is that a lot of the medical travel so far has been for services that have not been routinely covered under health insurance, cosmetic surgery and dental are probably the major ones, and I guess some of the questions are, as we go forward, are there other things that will not be part of a basic benefit design? If so, the same factor will be in place that would stimulate medical travel or the flip side -- other things that will be included in more comprehensive benefit design that will therefore be easier to get in a more cost-effective way domestically. If people feel that they can get the basic part of their health care needs met, with a new health reform package it may also free up discretionary incomes so that more people will travel to get their dental care and cosmetic surgery. So I guess there are too many moving parts right now to figure out what the net effect will be, but I think there are a number of factors that can go either way.

BG: If I could add this, that health consumerism and the increasing globalization will continue to increase, whether the United States really gets active in this or not in terms of our consumers going abroad. I met some Brazilians who are involved with medical tourism and they said they don’t really target the United States. They are targeting South Americans and Africans. And, I just met with some Malaysian people involved with medical tourism, and they don’t really care if Americans come and get their procedures. They’re more interested in the Chinese and other people from South East Asia coming there. So whether medical tourism happens in the U.S. in the short term or not, it is happening internationally.

SH:  I’m vaguely familiar with that, and I didn’t realize that more and more people around the world are moving around from their host countries to other countries for care. That’s a pretty pronounced process that’s going on, and it will have some impact eventually on us. I mean ours is the system that, notwithstanding all of the words to the contrary in this debate, I don’t see anything in the health care reform bill that will have much of an effect on slowing down our health care costs and our costs are so far ahead of costs anywhere else in the world that eventually we’re going to have to find a way to bring them down. So hopefully this will all be a great support in domestic and international medical travel.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Medical Tourism Makes USA Today's Top Ten Travel Trends

Medical travel made USA Today's list of top ten emerging travel trends for 2010. Citing increased coverage by U.S. insurers, an increase in high-deductible individual insurance other factors, medical travel earned position nine on the USA Today's list.

Passage to India Gets Tougher

Reprinted with permission of Asia Sentinel. Written by Neeta Lal.

New visa regulations mean more red tape for travelers.

In a move that is inconveniencing thousands of India-bound travelers, not to mention those already here on holiday or work, New Delhi's tougher visa regime for all tourists spells trouble for almost everybody.

One of the new visa requirements, which may well carry diplomatic repercussions, obliges travelers on tourist visas for more than 90 days to take a mandatory two-month "time-out" before returning to the country. This is a marked departure from the previous rules under which tourists on five or 10-year visas were required to leave the country only after 180 days.

Earlier, to fulfill this requirement, most travelers would simply fly to a neighboring country such as Nepal or Sri Lanka for a brief stay before returning. Now, the visitors still face the 180-day deadline, but must stay away from the country for a two-month "cooling off" period before they can re-enter.

The unexpected visa rule changes were prompted by revelations last month that Pakistani-American jihadi terrorist David Coleman Headley and his associate Tahawwur Rana had visited India on multiple-entry visas. The two men were arraigned in October in Chicago on charges of plotting an attack on India at the behest of the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. Headley, who was born in the U.S. and changed his name from Daood Sayed Gilani to hide his Muslim identity, has been charged by the FBI with scouting out the Mumbai attacks, which killed 160 and destroyed property worth billions in November 2008.

Expectedly, there were howls of protests from most countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom over New Delhi's drastic new visa rules. The U.S. issued an advisory asking its citizens to review their travel plans to India. It even posted its tourists' visa-related complaints on its official website. Similarly, British Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson, who was in India at the time, met urgently with home minister P. Chidambaram to request him to "rethink" the country's visa policy.

Following international pressure, the Indian government agreed to relax its rules for "bona fide travelers" who, after initial entry into India, will be allowed two or three entries on the same visa. Permission to re-enter, however, will only be granted on the submission of a detailed itinerary and supporting documents such as ticket bookings. This amendment will marginally ease pressure on foreigners who arrive in India on tourist visas and use the country as a base for travel to nearby nations.

Interestingly, the new visa rules will apply to anyone needing a visa to come to India, even to people of Indian origin. "The idea," as a foreign ministry official put it, "is also to deter people from using the Indian tourist visa as a business visa, which was the case earlier."

The new rules will also have an impact upon the thousands of foreign nationals living in India on long-term tourist visas, acquired to bypass India's labyrinthine residency procedures.

Another segment that will be hit substantially by the new laws is medical tourism, which is poised to ratchet up to US$2 billion by 2012. The country's low cost of treatments, lax regulations governing in-vitro fertilization and assisted reproductive techniques and willing surrogates who rent out their wombs for a modest fee have spawned a US$445 million fertility tourism business. All these areas will be hit negatively as such medical procedures require time, usually several months.

Tourism too will take a knock as complex visa rules will drive away foreign tourists. This would be a pity considering that currently the tourism industry is the largest in the services sector in India – more than 6 percent of the GDP, almost 9 percent of national employment and generated revenue of $100 billion in 2008.

Ironically, the clampdown comes at a time when the Indian government has introduced a visa-on-arrival scheme for arrivals from Singapore, Japan, New Zealand, Luxembourg, and Finland to bolster tourism. In fact the Indian tourism industry had even begun showing definite signs of revitalization after last year's Mumbai attack and a bruising economic crisis.

"We were hoping things would bounce back in the current festive season of Christmas and New Year," said a Delhi-based travel agent. "But the new visa regulations have acted as a spanner (wrench) in our works."

But as experts point out, though the denial of a visa to a potential terrorist may be the instinctive reaction of any government fighting international terrorism, it is a fundamentally flawed one. What was needed instead was a wider debate on the subject rather than a knee-jerk reaction.

In other words, what should bother the Indian authorities is not how Headley got his Indian visa but why his frequent shuttling between Pakistan and India did not raise the suspicions of the Indian immigration officials. Professional policing should have ensured that people like him didn't slip through the national security net and are stopped at the border. Instead, what is the government doing – it is trying to limit the number of trips a foreign visitor makes to India.

In other words, the key to spotting and tracking potential terrorists lies in training Indian Intelligence and Immigration and equipping them with the wherewithal to deal with such situations. No terrorist comes to India with a visa. In fact well-networked 'tourists' or 'businessmen' like Headley can easily procure fake supporting documentation to bypass the new rule. Ultimately, those who will get caught in the web of such obnoxious rules will be innocent commoners.

In this context, it may be more useful to focus on tightening existing procedures and establishing closer networking between various Indian consulates, government departments, and foreign agencies.

The new rules also risk strengthening the common perception of India as an uncomfortable or unfriendly tourist destination. Besides, as travel experts point out, the new visa rules mandate considerable paperwork. Does the foreign office have enough manpower to deal with this increased paperwork? The issue, in other words, once again represents the tug of war between effective measures for countering terrorism and boosting tourism as tighter visa norms are fraught with the risk of putting off tourists.

More than 100,000 tourists apply for long-term visas each year, according to the Indian foreign ministry. Nationals from 14 countries are eligible for the long-term visas, greatly in demand by the U.S. and British citizens who bypass the complicated process of acquiring a business or employment visa.

Meanwhile, India's feisty Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor has taken the visa debate to cyberspace. He has questioned on Twitter whether the restriction would actually strengthen security as the "26/11 killers had no visas."

Tharoor pointed out in his tweet on December 25 that tightening visa rules will discourage "tourism and goodwill" … “Restrictive visa regulations can only hurt the image of our country and business," he said. "Issue is not security versus tourism, but whether visa restrictions protect our security."

Making it more difficult for visitors to return frequently or stay longer will only "cost us millions of dollars," he said. "Is all that worth it just in hope of making it difficult for a future Headley? Are we going to allow terrorists to make us less welcoming?" he asked. "The more restrictive we become, the tougher it will be for Indians to travel freely."

Tharoor's queries are indeed worth mulling over. While one can understand the Indian government's security concerns triggered by the Headley case, point is – will making travel painful for all foreigners provide the answer?

Medical Tourism Proposal Sparks Innovations at Home
The Maine Public Broadcasting Network, Reported By: Josie Huang

More than a year ago, the Hannaford Brothers grocery chain became one of the first employers in the country to encourage workers to go abroad for medical care. In the time since, the company has redefined the concept "medical tourism."

The original offer was this: Those who flew to Singapore to have joint replacements did not have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses. Plus the company would cover travel costs for both the employee and a companion.

"I think at that time it was probably on the outer edges of innovation to even offer it," says Hannaford spokesman Mike Norton. Norton says it was more cost-efficient for the company to send people to the Singapore hospital because it charged less than U.S. hospitals and had demonstrated strong patient outcomes.

"In their region of the world, they have the right credentials to assure that if they did a procedure you would get the outcome you want," Norton says. "A procedure like that, one of the biggest concerns to the member and the health plan is complications. A lot of the quality and cost savings are in not having any complications."

There was only one problem: No one wanted to go to Singapore.

"I wasn't going to go Singapore. I wasn't going to go outside the United States," says Jim Robertson, a retired law enforcement officer who lives outside Augusta. Robertson needed to replace his left knee, but he wasn't about to leave the Augusta area to get it. "Been out of the United States one time. We went to Scotland, and when I came back, when I got off the plane, I wanted to kiss the tarmac, I was so glad to be back in the United States."

His wife Bev, an office manager for a Hannaford store, carries her husband on her insurance. She had her own qualms about going to Singapore. "If we went and something went wrong with the surgery, I'd be alone by myself there, and so we said, well, I guess it's not worth it for us, you know."

As the Robertsons debated what to do about his knee, Hannaford and insurer Aetna, which administers its health plan, worked to find the same type of cost savings and quality they would get in Singapore -- closer to home.

"There was discussion more locally within the state about trying to model the program we developed for Hannaford in Singapore with other hospitals," says Joseph Agostini, M.D., the medical director for Aetna in Maine. "So hospitals within Maine heard about what was going on and we decided that it made sense that if hospitals locally wanted to be able to match the quality that could be provided at the Singapore facility, and the cost-effective care that could be rendered there, that they also should be eligible to try to participate."

Enter St. Mary's Hospital in Lewiston. "This is the Center for Joint Replacement," says Len Farinas, coordinator of St. Mary's joint replacement program. The center opened in 2007, and has since performed just under 800 knee and hip replacements.

The center prides itself on tailoring the facility for joint patients. Farinas shows off one of the 16 patient rooms. It resembles a hotel room, with its wood paneling, taupe walls, and brass sconces."

So we have the patient's bed, which is set up so that they can get in and out of bed in a height that they can experience in at home," Farinas says. "We also have a custom armoire so that we can accommodate the patient's clothing and everything else that they need, but also function as storage for our larger equipment."

But Farinas is most proud of the patient outcomes at the center. HealthGrades, an independent medical rating company, gave the hospital the top rating for its hip replacements -- meaning that patients are 80 percent less likely to experience complications.

And, says Farinas, the ranking shows that the center is meeting expectations for its knee replacements. "It was a great boost for us to actually receive that information because it just solidified that we are doing everything we can to keep our patients as safe as much as we can."

With these types of numbers, St. Mary's decided to invite Aetna -- with whom it was in the middle of contract negotiations -- to come in and take a look. "And we asked them if you like what you see is there additional business you could bring our way?" says St. Mary's spokesman Russ Donahue.

Donahue says with more volume comes more revenue. And Donahue says that in the world of health care, it also means better quality because doctors get more experience, and improve with each case. "We really wanted to be known as a high-quality provider. We also recognized that we needed to bring in patients from outside the community."

Joe Agostino, M.D., says Aetna and Hannaford were impressed by St. Mary's patient quality reports. He says the deal was clinched when St. Mary's agreed to charge one flat rate for the joint replacement.”

So, that would incorporate whether the patient spent extra time in the hospital, if they had gotten an infection, or whether they got out of the hospital very quickly because no complications or safety issues occurred," Agostino says. "This was very important to us because this gives the hospital an incentive to provide really, good, efficient, high-quality care at a good rate."

Neither St. Mary's nor Aetna will say how much the hospital is charging for services. But Agostino says that it is comparable to what Hannaford would have to pay in Singapore, when major travel expenses are factored into the equation. Hannaford and its employees, he says, are saving at least $10,000 either way.

More importantly for Jim Robertson, it meant he didn't have to go to Singapore to get a free knee replacement. He went to St. Mary's this summer for surgery. "I can go up and down stairs. I can go up and down ladders," he says.

For someone who doesn't like to leave his town, Robertson says this was his version of medical tourism. And he is grateful for it.

So far, about 10 people covered by Hannaford in Maine and several other northeastern states where it does business have taken the grocery chain up on its offer. A hospital in the Boston area is also participating, though Hannaford says it does not want to be named at this time.

In the meantime, St. Mary's is in talks with other major employers who are interested in making an arrangement similar to the one it has with Hannaford.

MediConnect Global Acquires Premier Consumer Health Information Portal PassportMD

SALT LAKE CITY (January 11, 2009)—MediConnect Global, Inc. (www.mediconnect.net) today announced the acquisition of PassportMD, Inc., (www.passportmd.com) a consumer-directed healthcare information company with innovative software for creating and maintaining personal health records. PassportMD has been selected by the Obama Administration to provide electronic personal health records for Medicare beneficiaries and is one of only four vendors chosen to participate in the pilot program.

“This represents a significant move for us into the personal health records arena,” said MediConnect CEO Amy Rees Anderson. “We believe the global availability of healthcare records wherever and whenever needed empowers patients, improves care, reduces cost and will help make quality healthcare available for everyone.”

MediConnect pioneered the process of transferring paper records into a unified, secure electronic format delivered over the Internet. The privately held Salt Lake company that started in 1996 now serves some of the largest health payers and life insurance carriers in the U.S.

“PassportMD’s intuitive software interface has received numerous awards and is a tremendous tool for those looking for the most effective way to manage their medical records online,” said Anderson. “A PassportMD personal health record account empowers people to easily collect and enter past medical information, including hospital and doctor visits, lab results and prescriptions. Users also have access to extensive healthcare information about their medical conditions, symptoms and treatment options.”

Both MediConnect and PassportMD have experienced rapid growth in the emerging electronic medical records industry. MediConnect grew by nearly 800 percent from 2004-08 and is number 172 on Deloitte LLP’s Technology Fast 500. It was cited by Inc. as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the U.S. in 2007.

About MediConnect Global
MediConnect Global, Inc. is the leading medical records retrieval, scanning and storage services provider. MediConnect's online RapidRetrieve system and patented processes provide medical records for consumers and to the health/life insurance and legal industries quickly over the Internet in a secure and efficient manner. It also provides global healthcare provider services. For more information please visit (http://www.mediconnect.net) or call (801) 545-3700.

Lack of Health Care Coverage Sends U.S. Weight Control Surgery Patients to Mexico

Board Certified Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgeons in Tijuana offer lower costs and realistic payment plans to make bariatric surgery affordable for U.S. citizens.

San Diego, CA (PRWEB) January 11, 2010 -- According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, bariatric surgery costs between $20,000 to $25,000 on average. While the debate rages on about the long term cost-saving health benefits of the surgery, insurance companies are continuing to make the approval process difficult for a majority of patients seeking the surgery.

Medicare, for example will not cover any bariatric surgery for obese patients, unless they have one of the specific health related problems, even if a doctor has officially diagnosed the patient as being obese.

As a result, more obese Americans fall under the self-pay option for their surgery needs and are joining the 150,000+ Americans each year who look to medical tourism options to get their surgeries done. With most Americans still feeling the economy troubles, Mexico is becoming the most realistic travel option for these surgeries, as plastic surgery clinics such as CosMed Clinic in Tijuana are only 20 miles from the San Diego US/Mexico Border and is known for its Board Certified Plastic Surgeons who are licensed to practice in both the United States and Mexico.

“We’ve seen a big increase in the number of American patients who are coming to our clinic for surgery because their U.S. health insurance will not cover their needs," explained Dr. Alejandro Quiroz, M.D. CosMed’s Chief Surgeon who is Licensed in both the United States and Mexico and lives in Coronado, California. “Surgeries average about 20% less than those in the US, plus we offer realistic financing plans to help them pay for their care.”

About CosMed Clinic
CosMed Clinic features board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons who are licensed to practice in both the United States and Mexico. The clinic specializes in providing patients with the most advanced plastic surgery techniques and services. In addition to Post Bariatric Surgery, CosMed also offers face lifts, liposculpture, breast augmentation, tummy tucks, body lifts and more. The office is located 20 minutes south of San Diego. More information at http://www.cosmedclinic.com/

U.S. Marketing Company’s Medical Tourism Guest Survey Helps Costa Rican Hotel Set the Standard for the Hospitality Industry

Brookline, MA (PRWEB) January 5, 2010 -- In what may be the first survey of its kind, Massachusetts-based Stackpole & Associates is conducting a landmark survey of current and former guests of the Ramada Plaza Herradura in San Jose, Costa Rica, to evaluate their awareness of medical tourism and to plan for improved hotel services for medical tourists. The survey is part of a comprehensive marketing plan by the hotel’s management team to promote its services to medical tourists, increasing hotel occupancy and differentiating itself from other hotels in Costa Rica and beyond.

According to the hotel’s president and CEO, Gustavo Araya Carvajal, “Many businesses talk about creating services for medical tourism clients. Our hotel is actively pursuing business in this sector. We want to be the industry leader – not just a follower. That is why we hired Stackpole & Associates to work with us to develop and implement a medical tourism strategy based on solid information instead of guess work.”

The hotel contracted with marketing experts Stackpole & Associates to conduct a quarterly survey to collect information about guests who had dental or medical services while staying at the hotel. The initial on-line guest survey was sent to thousands of former guests who were invited to take the survey in either English or Spanish. A drawing to win a prize was used to increase the number of responses.

With a very high response rate, the survey revealed important information to guide the hotel in the implementation of its marketing strategy including creating special menus for guests receiving dental treatment and to bundle services with local dental and medical providers to offer special package deals. The survey also revealed that many guests are not aware of the many health and wellness services available in the country, pointing to a need to raise the awareness of Costa Rican medical tourism to potential visitors from other countries including the U.S. and Europe.

An estimated 20,000 health travelers sought treatment in Costa Rica in 2008, according to Alfredo Lopez, M.D., board member and spokesman for the Council of International Promotion of Costa Rica Medicine, or PROMED. According to Dr. Lopez, because no “hard data” is available, the number of medical tourists to Costa Rica could be closer to 100,000, with more than 90 percent coming from the United States. If the team at the Ramada Plaza Herradura has its way, many of those guests will come to their hotel to receive specially tailored services in addition to the “pura vida” customer service for which Costa Rica is famous.

New report provides detailed analysis of the Health Care and Medical market

Today’s hospital industry is an important component of the value chain in the Indian health care industry, rendering services and recognized as a health care delivery segment of the healthcare industry, which is growing at an annual rate of 14 percent.

KEY FINDINGS & HIGHLIGHTS:

• The leaders in the Indian health care sector will be in a position to provide world-class services at affordable prices.
• Healthcare will be accessible to areas that hardly have any medical facilities now as the government plans to invest to develop health centers in partnership with private health care companies.
• India's cost advantage and explosive growth of private hospitals, equipped with the latest technology and skilled health care professionals, have made it a preferred destination for medical tourism.
• The government has formulated favorable policies to promote health tourism.
• Many corporate hospitals are adopting world-class service standards to obtain international accreditations such as Joint Commission International accreditation.

REASONS TO BUY:

• Spot business opportunities in healthcare industry
• Reveals the relaxed regulations for corporate hospitals
• Know the industry trends and peer company strategies

India Hospitals Sector Analysis: http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/r.ashx?id=YOBKW35M8193931

New Research Report: Jordan Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare Report Q1 2010

BMI has revised its extended forecast for Jordan's pharmaceutical and health care market for our Q309 report. We expect the total drug market to grow from US$370mn in 2008 to US$519mn by 2013, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.01 percent. The main drivers for growth include the continuing high volume medicine export activity, generated by Jordan's domestic drug manufacturers.

Additionally, the epidemiological profile of Jordan indicates an increasing burden of obesity and diabetes-related disorders, which will drive spending in overall health care. According to the Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufactures (JAPM) drug exports in 2007 reached JOD460mn (US$647mn), rising to JOD500mn (US$704mn) by 2008; however, it also revealed that the global economic downturn will reduce demand for Jordanian medicines.

BMI's forecast indicates drug exports will rise in Jordan from a more moderate US$531mn in 2008 to US$1.32bn by 2013, representing a 20.0 percent CAGR. In line with the JAPM, we agree that the Jordanian pharmaceutical export industry is unlikely to reach its 2011 JOD1bn target.

Jordan is the most popular destination for medical tourists within the Arab world, and this sector has been steadily growing since 2006. The country's relatively cheap and high quality health services have been attracting patients from other Middle Eastern and North African countries including Yemen, Algeria, Iraq, Palestine, and Sudan. We believe that boosting investment in this sector can open new markets with tourists from the U.S. and Europe seeking lower cost medical procedures.

In February 2009, Jordan held an international medical tourism congress with representatives from the Private Hospital Association (PHA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The meeting aimed to develop new strategies to improve and expand the capacity of the private health sector while also seeking opportunities for growth from other markets. Regulatory policies are also being implemented to gain international quality accreditation to provide standardized protocols for global patients.

Jordan's current medical tourism sector revenues are estimated to reach US$650mn by the end of 2009 and the country is keen to reach its ambitious target of US$1bn by 2012.

We believe this is unlikely in light of the early stages of U.S. and international interest and therefore expect a more modest outcome by this date. The Middle Eastern country has a relatively stable political environment with highly-qualified Arab doctors. In addition, its good relations with other neighboring nations have ensured a sizable Arab patient interest for Jordanian medical expertise, in addition to an excellent reputation. According to details from a health tourism conference in Jordan during 2007, the private sector had 33.6 percent of the total hospital beds in the country, compared to 38.3 percent for the Ministry of Health-funded sector. In-patients contributed to over 70 percent of total private care costs, suggesting that invasive procedures that are expensive in other regions, including cardiovascular, joint replacements, and cosmetic or corrective surgery are the main reasons for choosing Jordanian healthcare services.

For more information or to purchase this report, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

 Medical Tourism comes to MITT

The Moscow International Travel & Tourism Exhibition, which takes place in March 2010, will feature a section dedicated to medical tourism for the first time. Over the last 16 years, MITT, Russia’s leading travel and tourism exhibition, has grown and developed alongside the industry. The introduction of a medical tourism sector this year comes in response to exhibitor feedback and increased consumer demand for medical tourism.

A conference focusing on medical tourism will also take place alongside the exhibition, providing delegates with valuable information about the sector. The 1st Moscow Medical & Heath Tourism Congress will take place on March 18, 2010,  with draft topics including:

1. Medical and health tourism as a profitable business
2. The effect of the economic crisis on medical and health tourism
3. Increasing the profitability of tourism companies through medical and health tourism
4. The role of travel agents in medical tourism
5. Increasing competitiveness
6. New ways to attract clients
7. Insurance and supplementary services

Event Director, Maria Badakh, comments, “Medical tourism is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, the Deloitte Center forecasts growth of 35 percent annually for the sector from 2010. As a relatively new market, medical tourism in Russia offers excellent potential for growth. Although the sector has been represented at the show in previous years by individual companies, it has not had its own sector and individual promotion. We are looking forward to introducing medical tourism as a lucrative new revenue stream to Russia’s travel agents and tour operators.”

The sector will include spas, which are extremely popular among Russian travelers. According to Sergey Sinitcyn of the Federal Agency of Tourism, “ten to 15 percent of Russians travel abroad for spa treatments annually”.

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

European Medical Travel Conference 2010 Draws Global Participation

Europe’s largest medical travel conference to take place in Venice, Italy (Monastier di Treviso) May 5‐7, 2010

U.S. / Venice, Italy - December 31, 2009 - The European Medical Travel Conference 2010 (EMTC; www.emtc2010.com) will be hosted in Monastier di Treviso, a municipality of Venice, Italy, on May 5-7, 2010. The largest medical travel conference in Europe, the EMTC provides an exciting platform for networking, discussion, and cooperation among industry stakeholders and is expected to draw 350 to 450 participants from around the world.

“Besides attracting some of the leading authorities on medical travel, this event will draw physicians, hospitals, hotels, tourism agencies, patient services, IT services, associations, service providers, government representatives, patients, and anyone interested in learning more about the future of medical travel,” says Uwe Klein, M.D., chairman of the event.

Conference organizers expect that the EMTC will raise awareness and increased popularity of the medical travel option, which provides greater access to quality health care for patients and increased cost efficiency for employers.

“The effective collaboration between the tourism and health sectors will offer greater scope for tackling the increasing impact of patient mobility in and outside of Europe,” Dr. Klein adds. “The EMTC represents not only a platform of debate on medical tourism among Italian, European, and non-European colleagues, but also a potential solution for the needs of increasingly mobile patients traveling across the globe for better, more cost‐effective, and timely medical treatment.”

The diverse roster of speakers will address a wide range of medical travel topics and issues, including:

• Legal aspects and solutions of American insurance and intermediary companies
• Finding quality providers and services
• Patient security
• European Union directive on patient mobility and patient rights, patient safety
• Follow-up treatment back home
• Cost transparency and service orientation
• Sea-based health care

The two-day event includes a Welcome Reception, keynote lectures, workshops, panel discussions, B2B meetings, a Gala Dinner, and possible sight-seeing excursions. Service providers may book a booth within the framework of an industrial exhibition.

For more information visit: www.emtc2010.com
                                 

Asia Medical Tourism & Wellness Congress
May 13-14, 2010, at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia will be hosting an international event next year in Berjaya Times Square. Medical Tourism & Wellness Congress (GLOW 2010) will be an international trade exhibition running concurrently with a multi-stream conference session.

GLOW 2010 will gather senior-level decision makers across the health care, wellness, and corporate executive sectors from around the world to brainstorm on issues concerning their industry.

The objectives of the Congress are:

• To bring together our clients who are senior decision makers in major organizations across the region (100 - 150)
• To provide an exciting neutral platform for vendors/solution/service providers to position themselves effectively
• To conduct marketing/ advertising and promote brand awareness
• To conduct business development activities to a targeted focused audience
• To network and benchmark with professionals as well as other vendors and solution/service providers

GLOW 2010 will bring together our clients who are key corporate professionals in the medical, spa, and wellness sectors across the Asia Pacific and Middle East region to provide an exciting platform for vendors and solution providers to position themselves effectively. We estimate in excess of 100 to 150 senior-level decision makers for the exclusive conference in addition to walk-in trade visitors of over 1,500 for the exhibition.

A wide variety of sponsorship opportunities are available. Visit http://www.glow2010.com/ to learn more.

Central and Eastern Europe Medical Tourism and Healthcare Summit  
May 17-18, 2010, at the Aristos Hotel, Zagreb, Croatia

Medical Tourism in Central and Eastern Europe has been increasing rapidly. The region as a whole offers a variety of affordable treatments and procedures within easy reach of most travelers.

Global Engage, in partnership with Global Health Consulting of Croatia, is pleased to announce this international summit, which will bring together and showcase facilitators, providers, and medical organizations from across the region including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, and surrounding countries to meet and network with senior level delegates from all over the world.

The Central and Eastern Europe Medical Tourism and Healthcare Summit will include an exhibition area, workshops, and a two-day conference agenda featuring an international speaker panel focusing and sharing their experiences on current issues affecting medical tourism and health care in the region and the world in general.

A further dedicated conference stream will focus on dental medical tourism providing an educational platform for dentists in the Central and Eastern European region to develop their business internationally and attract foreign patients to their practices.

There will be adequate time provided for networking and forming collaborations with potential partners over business lunches, drinks reception, and a gala dinner and the opportunity to visit local medical facilities.

Attend as a delegate or if you prefer to gain increased exposure for your company or organization please enquire about our exclusive exhibition, sponsorship, and marketing options.

To view further details of the conference agenda, speakers, sponsorship, and registration details please visit - http://www.globalengage.co.uk/central_eastern_european_medical_tourism_summit.html

Or to discuss your participation in more detail contact Steve Hambrook (Conference Director). Tel +44 (0) 1865 811 189 or email steve@globalengage.co.uk