THIS WEEK IN MEDICAL TRAVEL TODAY
Volume 4, Issue 6

by Amanda Haar, Editor

Which comes first, cost or quality?

That seems to be the universal chicken versus egg question for the medical travel industry.

One player that's put its eggs in the price basket is PriceDoc.com (see SPOTLIGHT). By allowing consumers to bid on procedures, PriceDoc is giving them more control (and responsibility) in getting the care they need at a cost they can afford.

Elsewhere, MediBid, another online bidding organization, is putting most of its eggs in the quality basket. In its recent release regarding a partnership with Bumrungrad, company CEO Ralph Weber states that consumers "using MediBid want quality" (see INDUSTRY NEWS). The quality factor was key in driving the company's Bumrungrad partnership and will drive others in the future.

Meanwhile, Mobile Surgery International is flying about the globe preparing omelets, if you will. Through the introduction of "fixed-price packages" the company divides its focus between cost and quality (see INDUSTRY NEWS).

The cost versus quality question will no doubt prove as challenging to definitively answer as the chicken versus egg version. But in the meantime, it will be interesting to see which approach, or approaches, most effectively whets consumer appetites for medical travel.

As always, we welcome your comments, story ideas, and press releases.

Cheers,

Amanda Haar, Editor
ahaar@cpronline.com

PERSPECTIVES:

Accidental Medical Tourism, Part Two

Editor's Note: Last week we ran Part One of the Accidental Medical Tourist written by Laura Carabello, publisher of Medical Travel Today. In that installment she relayed the tale of her recent trip to Roatan, Honduras where her husband hoped to catch a Permit fish, and she proved to be a tasty meal for the local biting pests. In this issue she concludes her story and shares her observations on Honduran hospitality and health care.

For those of you who want to know: My husband Joe did not get a Permit (fish), giving us ample reason to return to the lush island of Roatan and pursue the elusive quarry.

There’s another good reason: Turns out that Roatan’s Barefoot Cay resort and some prominent physicians in Honduras have every intention of establishing a posh medical spa along with high quality medical care.

They are contemplating the use of a surgical facility in San Pedro Sula under the competent leadership of Guillermo Pena Cabús, M.D., a board-certified plastic surgeon who has pioneered some amazing procedures. The vision is to partner with an experienced hospital development company and build a quality, Joint Commission International-accredited facility in Roatan. Barefoot Cay would be the “recuperative” spot – and having vacationed there, I can heartily recommend.

Thought our readers might be interested in seeing Dr. Pena Cabús' background:

Dr. Pena Cabús is a plastic surgeon trained in the United States and Mexico and currently owns and operates the Center of Plastic Surgery in San Pedro, Honduras. He participates annually in professional Congresses around the world and is a member of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASPRS). He holds membership in the Worldwide Confederation of Interplastics as well as the Ibero-Latin American Section of the International Confederation for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. He is the coordinator of the Reconstructive Surgery Life Breath program of the Rotarian club.

All surgical procedures at the Center of Plastic Surgery in San Pedro, Honduras are performed exclusively by Dr. Pena Cabús, along with a staff of qualified personnel with years of experience in plastic surgery. Staff members assist with post-surgical visits and address patient questions.

Dr. Pena Cabús can be reached via phone or email at:
(504) 557-5938 or (504) 557-7996
cplast@plasticsurgeryhn.com

THINKING OUT LOUD: Jack Schafer

Jack Schafer, P.E. Industry Consultant

This is a column that might educate you, annoy you, or simply get you thinking. Most of the subjects that I'll bring up are topics that, on a good day, I could argue from either side.

The purpose here is not to express a firm opinion, but to open options for continued dialogue. I do not claim to be an expert on every topic that I bring up, but I'm willing to kick a sacred belief if I believe it needs kicking. Think of me as one of your many partners in the medical tourism industry, and this space is where I'm just thinking out loud.

March 2010 — I am excited to see that almost every month another great medical and surgical center or medical community is opening to accommodate medical travel clients around the world. As consumer awareness and acceptance of medical travel grows, so will the opportunities to send and receive medical and surgical patients.

It seems everyone is busy building the "best and the biggest." At this time, "best and biggest" pretty much defines the marketing philosophy of most centers or countries developing their medical travel strategy.

However, when we are all selling "the very best" (or at least an equally good product) the only differentiator left for patients or facilitators to consider is price. In my opinion, having to meet or beat the best price has us backing ourselves into a very deep hole. We entered into this market segment to become profitable, but if we’re losing money on every client, building high volume is not the answer.

If you're in the medical travel industry trying to capture your share of the market, being among “the best in the world” should be a given. If you're not there yet, you're not ready to be a part of the industry and just hanging a sign in the window, or hiring a new international agent is not going to work. Also, making false claims will ultimately damage your reputation and that of the entire industry. Becoming formally involved in the medical travel industry is a major commitment.

Assuming you're in the game, I'd like to share with you an idea that might just allow you to reap some well-deserved profits to justify all the money you spent on development -- and to raise your profile in the process.

The idea is this: Niche-Specific Marketing

No one can be the best at everything. Similarly, no one can be the cheapest at everything. And it's understood that trying to do both is an impossible task no matter what your business.

Niche-specific marketing involves making a shift from thinking about everything you do well and choosing to focus on the one specific service or product that you do better than anything else.

Successful niche marketing requires several key steps:

1. Put your emphasis on developing and delivering a single product that is clearly "among the best in the world." This is not something generalized like orthopedic. It's about having the best hand surgery product or the best hip resurfacing product -- a single area of specialization that sets you apart.
2. Emphasize the differences and advantages of your product over all others. Make meaningful claims such as "The head of this department developed the procedure" or "our institution has invested more years of research toward becoming the best." Your product/service and differentiator should be the primary focus of your marketing campaign. Forget everything else.
3. Reach out to prospects one patient at a time. Your marketing focus needs to be aimed at the primary buyer who will respond to your differentiator. Examine the two or three things these patients have in common and target your messaging. Make sure your messaging stays focused and positions you as the clear choice for the most intelligent and savvy consumer. When a client knows he or she has the option to select the best, pricing (as long as it’s reasonable) becomes secondary.
4. Develop a reasonable budget to promote your product or procedure. Far too much money is spent generating brand recognition within the industry, and very little directly promotes the industry, enterprise, or offering to clients. Industry awareness and involvement is imperative and important. Spend your money where it has the most potential of returning business.
5. Develop a Niche Specific Marketing Plan. This one is easy when you've worked through the four items above. "Get the word out" in targeted advertisements, press releases, industry announcements, and so on. Promote this product as you would any business. Focus on the single, niche-specific procedure. The added value of your benefits and services are the “add-on.” Your target and emphasis is to become the best at this procedure.

With this niche-specific marketing concept, you will be able to build your business and your reputation one product or procedure at a time, and become known and recognized as “among the best in the world.” Once you have that reputation to build on, it becomes easier, less expensive, less time-consuming, and more credible when you add new products. No one can be all things to all people, but you can become the best one product and one patient at a time!

About Jack Schafer
Jack Schafer, P.E., is an industry consultant, with a combined 23 years in medical travel and international leisure tours. As the owner of Global Surgery Providers, Inc. (a U.S.-based facilitator), he is an expert of breaking complex components into enjoyable little pieces. He sees nothing but the greatest potential in the future of the medical travel industry and is an outspoken advocate for developing public awareness. Spending our resources to promote ourselves within the industry at conferences and conventions builds industry membership and participation – promoting in mainstream mediums outside the industry develops client awareness and generates new business. It’s time we start to feather our own nests!

SPOTLIGHT: Patrick Bradley

Patrick Bradley, president and COO, PriceDoc.com

Editor's Note: Founded less than a year ago, Seattle-based PriceDoc is best described as the Priceline.com of health care.

By allowing cash-paying patients to make an offer on a procedure, PriceDoc lowers the cost of care and reduces the amount of paperwork for doctors and physicians.

Medical Travel Today recently spoke with Patrick Bradley, M.D., president and chief operating officer, to learn more about the company and how the model is holding up.

Medical Travel Today (MTT): Let's start with your background and how PriceDoc.com developed.
Patrick Bradley (PB): I have been in health care for 24 years working mainly on the device side in the areas of cardiology and sleep.

The original genesis for PriceDoc.com occurred about a year and a half ago while chatting with one of my now-partners at a trade show. He mentioned in passing that he was in the process of getting braces for his son and was actually negotiating pricing with the orthodontist. He said: “Why not do it online?”

This interested me as I had just been talking with a sleep physician who said if they had cash-paying patients they could sell equipment for half the price. The reimbursement for health insurance is time consuming and costly. Cash is instant and avoids administrative waste.

We started talking about how if you could offer reduced fees and provide all patients the opportunity to negotiate price, well, that would be very interesting. We quickly realized that you could do it online easily. You could have doctors post prices and allow people to bid for health care procedures.

The next thing we did was to look and see if we could get a U.S. Patent on the concept. Lo and behold there was one pending. I Googled the guy and found out he was a surgery professor at Yale Medical School, Dr. Julian Henley. That told me he wasn't a businessman toying with the same idea but rather looking more at it as a technique to help people.

I wrote him a letter to see if he wanted to license us the patent. He called us the day he received it and essentially said, 'No, I don't want to license it to you. I want to go in to business with you."

MTT: What exactly does the patent cover or allow you to do?
PB: It allows us to do online negotiations with provider verification. The verification part means that through our website we're able to verify that a doctor has a license in good standing and is board-certified.

MTT: In looking at your website I see that your service is free to consumers, and I don't see any advertising, so I have to ask: how do you make money?
PB: That's a good question. We're looking at several revenue sources to come. Right now physicians pay $49.95 per month for a profile. The profile includes the basics…what procedures they offer, prices, education, training, photos, video, and so on. It's a bit like a dating service that way. The consumer looks for their best match.

And like a dating service, there's an obligation on the consumer's part to do some due diligence. We ensure that the doctor is licensed and board-certified. It's up to the consumer, if they want, to examine them closer.

MTT: At this point, how are you getting doctors to join the site?
PB: We have a sales and marketing team. We started in the state of Washington with a small sales team who went door-to-door with brochures and presented the company and concept.

Once we had a core group signed-on and knew the key points that were important to a doctor's decision, we moved into a teleconferencing mode. We now have a team of six people out doing sales. We've also generated interest through trade shows, e-mails to various associations, and coverage we received in the The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and on television also generated a lot of inbound calls from doctors.

MTT: How far have you found people willing to travel?
PB: Initially most travel was within the state of Washington, but this fall we had someone travel from Virginia to Seattle for a procedure. We're definitely seeing an uptick in interstate travel.

MTT: Is there specific price differential that seems to push people to travel?
PB: I’m not sure I can definitively tell you that. What I can tell you is that our cash price discount can be up to 30 to 40 percent domestically…possibly even more. I think the higher the cost of the procedure, say $5,000, well, it's a lot easier to justify the cost of travel for that expense because the savings are greater.

MTT: What are the most popular procedures that people query?
PB: Our four most common procedures are in the area of dental and cosmetic procedures. A lot of teeth whitening, Lasik eye surgery, liposuction, facelifts, and rhinoplasty… One thing we also get all the time is people searching for a simple flu shot or physical exam.

MTT: How are you marketing yourself to consumers?
PB: We have an entire online marketing program. We use social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, plus banner ads on various sites. We also do Google AdWords.
One of the most effective marketing tools is organic searches. People read about us in articles, and that legitimizes us. It's not just us saying 'hey, we're great.' People read the story and instantly realize online health care makes sense for finding procedures.
We also did one job fair thinking we'd have an audience of uninsured folks. We had handouts. It didn't generate a lot of instant online interest, but was good exposure for the future searches.

However, we do want to work with corporations that have health savings accounts. PriceDoc really is a great way for consumers to use dollars effectively and a nice way to save money. It's really a deal for high deductible consumers.

MTT: How many searches do you handle on a monthly basis, and do you have a sense of the conversion rate?
PB: We have a counter on our website. Today that number is over 998,000. Those searches have yielded vouchers for providers of over $1 million in a couple of months. The average procedure cost is $587, and we are doing over 1,000 vouchers per month since the launch.

What we're finding is that when people have time they look at the savings options. That's not always right when they need the procedure but they come back when they're ready.

MTT: I understand that once a consumer and doctor have agreed on a price, the consumer receives a voucher that essentially locks-in that quote. I'm curious, what's the typical term for a price quote?
PB: The timeframe for a voucher is set by the provider, but the typical default is 30 days.

MTT: Do you know what states are generating the most consumer interest?
PB: I do. The leading states are Washington, California, Texas, New York, and Florida.

MTT: I realize you just rolled out nationally, but I'm curious if international is on your mind and what your growth plans are.
PB: Oh, international definitely is on our minds. In fact we are planning to add Canada very soon. Already, Canadian consumers are shopping border cities. We're aiming to assist them in that process.
Our near-term focus will be on adding lots of providers nationwide. There's a base of 800,000 potential doctors to bring on. We currently have 2,137. We want to grow to 10,000 providers in 2010.

MTT: What is your message to doctors?
PB: Our message to everyone really is that we are first and foremost about transparency. It's not just about price information. There's important information about credentialing, training, educational background, and services provided.

MTT: What are the typical objections you hear from doctors regarding PriceDoc.com?
PB: I can't say there are real objections. I think the big issue is that this is new. They've never heard of it. They'll often say it sounds interesting, come back in a few months. I'd say eight out of the 10 doctors we visit say come back.

The questions that physicians have generally focus on the area of insurance. How do I do this when I normally take insurance? Our response is that if you take the uninsured, you can use this service. We also remind them that people with health saving accounts are using out-of-pocket money.

Frankly, doctors just aren't familiar with the idea of a service like ours bringing patients to them. Once they get it, they're usually right on board.

There's a great statistic out that health care is a $2.2 trillion dollar industry. Most people don't realize that $265 billion of that is paid with cash. Those are the folks we're serving and want to bring to doctors' doors.

About Patrick Bradley
Dr. Bradley combines a strong background in health care business development, product management, marketing skills, and leadership. At Quinton Instrument Company, he was director of Product Management with several lines of cardiac instrumentation including six Product Managers. The Company grew from $30 million to $110 million during his six-year tenure.

As associate vice president of Marketing, he helped VitalCom, a start-up medical wireless company, grow to $25 million in revenue, and the company completed a successful IPO and eventual acquisition by GE Medical.

During his five years as vice president of Business Development at CardioDynamics, he played key role in revenue growth from $2 million to $42 million.

An expert in forging strong partnerships, Dr. Bradley has managed corporate partnership agreements with Johnson & Johnson, Siemens, Hewlett-Packard, GE Medical, Philips, Datascope, Medtronic, PSS, SpaceLabs, Welch-Allyn, Medical Data Electronics, and Mindray Biomedical.

He holds three issued U.S. Patents in biotechnology and medical devices. He has a B.S. in Biology from Texas A&M University and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in physiology from University of Texas.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Bumrungrad Joins MediBid.com as a Bidding Facility

PASO ROBLES, Calif., March 4 /PRNewswire/ -- MediBid.com – the marketplace for medicine – today announced a strategic partnership with Bumrungrad International that will give patients using the MediBid.com portal access to the facility's world-class physicians on the growing list of U.S. and international doctors and facilities joining MediBid, including Perfection Makeover and Laser Center in Cancun, Mexico and Madras Joint Replacement in Chennai, India. Bumrungrad serves over a million patients annually, over 400,000 of which are international. To compete with the U.S. market, English is widely spoken by the doctors, nurses, and other staff.

"The patients seeking bids for care from physicians on MediBid want quality," says Ralph Weber, MediBid.com founder and CEO. "'Bumrungrad' is a Thai word that means 'care for the people.' Its name sums up its medical philosophy. We are excited to add this facility to the growing list of doctors and facilities joining MediBid.com."

In November of 2009, Bumrungrad received recertification from the Joint Commission International (JCI) - the leading international evaluator of hospital quality. This certifies that the hospital's programs meet international standards and follow the latest U.S. clinical guidelines.

"One of the key reasons we pursued a relationship with Bumrungrad was to give patients a greater choice in where they go for care while still offering the highest quality," says Weber. "They are basically the Mayo Clinic of Asia, and we are excited to add them. We want patients to have a choice in care, be it in the U.S. or overseas."

Indian Medical Travel Association (IMTA) welcomes introduction of "Visa on Arrival"

New Delhi, Delhi, March 4, 2010 /India PRwire/ -- The Indian Government recently announced tourist “Visa on Arrival” for citizens of five countries – including Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore-- in an effort to promote tourism. This facility has been found useful by holiday tourists as well as by a large number of foreign patients who now find it convenient to plan a quick visit to leading Indian hospitals for advanced health check-ups and medical treatment.

"IMTA welcomes the Indian government’s new guidelines on "Visa on Arrival" and we have strongly recommended to the government to open up the facility to citizens of a larger number of countries. Most of the IMTA's member hospitals have reported higher volumes of patient arrivals and also enquiries from potential patients who wish to avail of the "Visa on Arrival" facility, " says Pradeep Thukral, executive director of IMTA.

Medical tourists spend more money, and their time of stay is longer than regular tourists with each medical traveler to India spending an average of US$5,000, which makes this segment a very special target for India's medical and tourism service providers. The Government of India and its various arms are actively supporting the growth of medical tourism to India. India's Ministry of Tourism has achieved phenomenal success in the last five years with its much-acclaimed "Incredible India" campaign that has increased the number of foreign tourists to India. Recently the Ministry of Tourism launched a new “Medical Tourism Incredible India” campaign highlighting India's unmatched service offerings both in modern medical treatment and in wellness promotion.

The volume of foreign patients arriving at Indian hospitals is growing at over 40 percent every year, and medical tourism is indeed the next billion dollar opportunity -- after IT outsourcing -- for India to benefit from its fast expanding private health care infrastructure. Indian doctors and professionals are world-renowned for their skills, and the country has an abundance of talented young workers, a local high-quality manufacturing base for pharmaceuticals, technology hardware, and software that makes the Indian costs for high-end surgical procedures so attractive.

Mobile Surgery International Initiates Transparent, Fixed-Cost Packages for Well-Defined, High-Quality Surgical Services

AVENTURA, Fla, March 8, 2010 – Two core premises underlie Mobile Surgery International’s (MSI) mission to broaden access to surgical choice and quality. The first is that patients (and payers) should be able to make decisions about surgical options based upon access to complete information up front about all of the necessary services associated with their surgical procedure, the skill and expertise of the surgeon carrying out the procedure, and the total costs involved. The second is that waste should be eliminated and savings passed on to patients (and payers).

“For surgical care, individual patients and even major payers have to invest extraordinary resources in trying to understand what they are ‘buying’ and how much it will cost,” says Arnon Krongrad, M.D., president and chief executive offer of MSI. “The varied elements of surgical care are commonly fragmented. They include services provided by hospitals, surgeons, anesthesiologists, pathologists, physical therapists, and others … and each of these services is often administered and negotiated separately. In addition, it is not usually clear to the consumer which element is necessary (let alone which element is not in fact necessary at all), so waste and inefficiency creep in. Finally, the cost to the payer (whether an uninsured patient or a major, self-insured employer) is often not fixed. Additional, unexpected charges can make it impossible to budget with any degree of accuracy.”

MSI has now posted detailed descriptions for two specific surgical service packages on the Company website at www.emeseye.com/services. These two “all-in” packages (addressing total knee replacement and radical prostatectomy for appropriately qualified patients) are designed to simplify patient and payer negotiation of the costs of specific surgical episodes by: encompassing every predictable element of quality surgery; openly defining and communicating these elements; and fixing the specific cost for such surgical episodes.

“In the case of prostate cancer surgery, quality varies depending principally on the skill, expertise, and focus of the surgeon, which may not be transparent to the patient or the payer,” states Krongrad. “Charges have historically not been finalized until after service is rendered; and those charges can vary by as much as 500 percent depending on such clinically irrelevant factors as geography and overhead.

“MSI has now developed a fully transparent, all-inclusive service for the treatment of prostate cancer by laparoscopic radical prostatectomy. Our surgeon-driven business model has eliminated waste and lowered charges relative to historical retail by as much as 70 percent. Also, we have standardized quality and cost across geography: a qualified patient will get the same quality and pay the same amount whether he elects to be treated by us in Kansas, in Florida, in Mexico, or in the Caribbean. And the cost is fixed up front: when the surgeon decides, in the middle of the operation, to take out another lymph node or use one more suture, the cost for the overall procedure will not suddenly go up.

“MSI has applied the same business model for uncomplicated, unilateral total knee replacement. Our all-inclusive, fully transparent, quality-driven service includes not only specialist surgeons but aggressive, early physical therapy at specialized rehabilitation facilities. Our costs are not only low by general standards, but they are fixed: the qualified patient or the payer will know what they are purchasing up front, and the full costs for the necessary surgical services.”

MSI offers these fixed-cost surgical packages at prices that are dependent on household income for un- and under-insured patients and that are dependent on volume for other payers.

Medical tourism hospital coming to Ásbrú Enterprise Park, Iceland
Kadeco, in collaboration with Iceland Healthcare, has signed an agreement to conduct extensive renovations to the hospital at Asbru in Reykjanesbaer. The hospital will offer specialized treatment for foreign patients and some 200 to 300 new jobs are expected to be created in connection with the venture. Construction and renovations to the hospital will get underway in the second quarter of 2010. The hospital will contain three operating theaters and some 35 hospital beds, and will be able to serve up to 4,000 patients per year. Initially patients are expected to number some 2,000 per year, and the first clients are likely to arrive in the second quarter of 2011.

Good facilities and know-how in Reykjanesbaer
Plans are underway to utilize the former military hospital at Asbru. It will be completely renovated under Kadeco’s direction. Housing facilities on the former military base will be utilized to accommodate patients and their families. The location for the hospital was chosen largely on the basis of the vast know-how and experience in the area when it comes to services for foreign visitors, something which will be highly advantageous in this regard.

Valuable source of income for Icelandic society
It is common for patients who seek medical treatment outside their home countries to travel with their families or friends and even to remain in the same location for a few days following treatment. This can generate substantial revenues in foreign currencies, with direct revenues from the operations potentially reaching ISK 3.5 billion per year. This figure does not take into account revenues from tourist-related operations and other linked services. It is believed that up to 300 jobs will be created with the reconstruction and operations of the hospital and related services in the area. The recruitment of personnel for the hospital’s reconstruction will begin in the coming weeks.

Foreigners increasingly seeking medical treatment outside their home countries
In recent years, a number of European countries have amended legislation allowing their citizens to seek medical treatment outside their homelands. This allows individuals to decide for themselves where to seek treatment, which is variously paid for by insurance companies, public bodies, or the patients themselves. A number of private hospitals have been operated with considerable success in Scandinavia and have had a positive effect on the public health care systems in those countries. Iceland Health intends to specialize in joint replacement surgeries, fat removal procedures, and related therapies. Experienced administrators will be recruited to the project and highly-regarded international collaborators sought. They include Otto Nordhus, Leif Ryd and Bjarne Semb. Initially the company will focus on marketing in Norway and Sweden, and soon afterwards in the United Kingdom. Future plans include service offerings in the United States.

Financing, ownership, and collaborators
The renovation venture is managed by Kadeco. The real estate company Seltun, of which Kadeco is majority owner, will own the hospital, lease it out to Icelandic Healthcare, and oversee the financing of that aspect of the venture. Iceland Healthcare is owned by Salt Health, which holds an 85 percent share in the company, Otto Nordhus holds an 8 percent share, and various other parties with a combined total of 5 percent. Robert Wessman and Otto Nordhus hold majority ownership in Salt Health. The above-mentioned parties own the operating company but are not directly involved in financing or investment of the reconstructed hospital. The venture has enjoyed good collaboration with the company Heilsufelag Reykjaness, which is operated by the municipalities of Gardur, Vogar, Sandgerdi and Reykjanesbaer, as well as Keilir, the Blue Lagoon and Kadeko. The role of Heilsufelag Reykjaness is to work with interested parties to develop health-related operations on the Reykjanes peninsula.

Kjartan Thor Eiriksson, managing director of Kadeco
“The project is definitely one of the most exciting innovative ventures in Iceland at the present time. It will constitute an important aspect of the build-up and development at Asbru. The cluster of health-related services at Ásbrú will be strengthened through the operations of the hospital, and this will attract even more diverse companies involved in medicine, treatment, health-promotion, research, education, and the production of various health-related products, to name a few.”

Arni Sigfusson, mayor of Reykjanesbaer, says, “It is important for us to receive an injection into the economy at this difficult time and also a pleasure to note that the timing of the venture is firmly on track. Hundreds of new jobs will be created, there are vast tourism-related possibilities, and new and related educational opportunities will arise at Keilir, the Atlantic Centre for Excellence, which is situated near the hospital.”

Robert Wessman, chairman of the Board of Iceland Health, states, “We envision vast opportunities in the operations of a private hospital and related tourism in Iceland. Our target group will be foreign citizens. Demand for the types of treatment we will be offering is growing rapidly, both because younger people are increasingly seeking such treatments, and also because authorities consider there to be a certain efficiency in patients seeking such treatments outside their home countries. We have experienced much goodwill towards this venture and have strong collaborators involved in the financing side. The local authorities in Reykjanesbær have also made an invaluable contribution to the project.”

Hospital Market in India 2010 available through Bharatbook

The growth in consumer spending on health care coupled with the increase in lifestyle diseases is expected to attract major investors. The report begins with an introduction to the hospital market and includes figures for the market size and growth, segmentation in the health care market, growth and market share of various segments in public and private hospitals.

An analysis of the drivers explains factors contributing to the growth of the hospital market based on poor public health care infrastructure, increasing spend on health care services, increase in lifestyle-related diseases, medical tourism, and nascent but growing medical insurance. The key challenges discussed are high start-up cost and capital expenditure and shortage of medical professionals.

The competition section profiles the major players in the market. The section contains a snapshot of the corporations’ financial performance and business highlights, providing an insight into the existing competitive scenario. This also includes a detailed region-wise segregation of major hospitals providing details regarding their location, capacity, expansion, and investment details.

The future outlook in the market has been identified and includes the favorable policies on FDI and taxations that will increase foreign participation, large private equity investments, especially in regional hospitals, large hospital groups making strategic acquisitions with future opportunities being limited, evolving concept of “health cities,” which have scale and provide a host of satellite services, emergence of telemedicine for rural areas with participation from private sector and government, and supply constraints that are expected to remain in top cities.

To know more and to buy a copy of your report, click here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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

Health Care Tourism Congress 2010 Announces its 2010 Speakers – April 2010

The Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010 announces its 2010 speakers! Among the experts sharing their expertise is Joseph Woodman, the author of Patients Beyond Borders.

Online PR News – 20-January-2010 – The Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010 announces its 2010 speakers! Poised to be Malaysia’s largest and most dynamic health care tourism event, this congress will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre April 12 – 13, 2010, providing the perfect corporate interface venue for technology and services in the health care tourism industry.

Given the economic crisis challenges that most companies and industries faced last year, medical tourism is more important than ever before, creating more economically viable health care solutions while providing profitable return-on-investment. Professionals working in the health care tourism industry believe that the next 12months will, again, see a large increase in the number of people traveling abroad for medical treatment.

We are excited to announce our confirmed speakers with many more to be announced in the upcoming months. Speakers include:

• Josef Woodman, president, Healthy Travel Media Company (U.S.) and author of Patients Beyond Borders
• Suresh Ponnudurai, founder and CEO, Malaysia Healthcare
• Amir Firdaus Abd, CEO, Gleneagles Hospital (KL) Sdn Bhd
• Dr. Umapathy Panyala, CEO, Apollo Hospitals
  Raymond Chong Chin Wah, M.D. and CEO, Samitivej Group of Hospitals
• Stuart D. Rowley, CEO and member of Board of Directors, Prince Court Medical Centre
• Paul Chang, M.D., Asia Pacific, Joint Commission International
• Joe Ledesma, president and CEO, St. Luke’s Medical Centre
• Milton Lum Siew Wah, M.D., director, Medical Defence Malaysia Berhad
• Ramli bin Abd Ghani, M.D., director of Traditional & Complementary Medicine Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia
• Talavane Krishna, M.D., founder and president, Indus Valley Ayurvedic Centre
• Catherine-Brillantes Turvill, founder and President, Spa Association of Philippines
• Jason Yap, marketing Director, Raffles Hospital

Healthcare Tourism Congress 2010 promises to provide even more networking opportunities and stream sessions. The newly launched Malaysian Health Tourism Council (MHTC) is also endorsing and supporting this inaugural congress.

With partners like the Malaysia Health Travel Council (MHTC), Malaysia Healthcare and Medical Defense Malaysia, the congress is simply heading towards success.

Knowledge Group is also in discussion with the Ministry of Health and Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia, which will further add value to this congress as a whole.

At present, 70 percent of the floor space has been reserved and booked out. This event stands to be the benchmark in Healthcare Tourism-related events in the region.
This congress will be driven by an integrated marketing campaign, with media advertisements forming the crux of the plan, attracting professionals with a passion for the industry.

For more information regarding the exhibition please visit www.htcongress.com or call +60321701588.

Destination Health – The Health & Medical Tourism Show London April, 17-18, 2010

Destination Health is the ultimate show for people planning to travel abroad for health and medical treatments.

Destination Health has been launched to help the increasing numbers of British medical tourists find out all they need to know about traveling aboard for health and medical treatment. The two-day event will showcase top hospitals, clinics, and spas from around the globe, giving visitors the opportunity to meet doctors and medical specialists, get free advice, and explore various treatment options abroad.

Up to 100 exhibitors are expected to attend the event, covering practically every aspect of medical, dental, cosmetic, and health treatment abroad. Online visitor registration for free entry to the show is already exceeding expectations.

Easy access to top quality medical treatment, good prices, cheap flights, no waiting lists, and the opportunity to recuperate in the sun is appealing to more and more Brits each year -- with dentistry, cosmetic surgery, IVF and medical spas among the most popular treatments.

With a wide range of treatment options and countries offering competitively priced medical treatments and dentistry it can be difficult to make the right decision. The new Destination Health show www.destinationhealth.co.uk will give visitors the opportunity to get free advice, attend free seminars, discuss, and compare treatments and international options, helping potential patients make educated, informed choices when choosing health care providers, destinations and facilities.

Visitors to the show will be able to meet doctors and health care providers from destinations including Hungary, Poland, India, Cyprus, Spain, Croatia, Malta, Egypt, Czech Republic, Antigua, Germany, Turkey, the United States, Barbados, the West Indies, and Thailand.

Event director Nav Mann comments, “Interest in medical tourism is growing all the time and we are expecting a lot of visitors to this show. With over 100 providers exhibiting their health and medical services, we have made it easy for potential patients to easily find the type of medical specialists they are looking for. The event will be divided into different areas to include sections for dentistry and cosmetic surgery, fertility and conception, medical spa and wellness, and general treatments and procedures.”

To take advantage of the free entry, visitors must register in advance at www.destinationhealth.co.uk

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

Asian Countries Unite for Medical Tourism in IMWell Summit
With the Philippines spearheading the initiative for Asia to be a regional hub for health, wellness, and retirement, representatives of different Asian countries including India, Thailand, Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore are set to gather in the International Summit on Medical Travel, Wellness and Retirement (IMWell Summit) on October 12-15, 2010, at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel to discuss the most important issues in global health care.
A convergence of health care, hospitality, and travel industry leaders, the IMWell Summit is envisioned to be a forum for different countries to hold multilateral dialogues and discuss how they can cooperate for the region to further develop medical and wellness tourism.

“Without question, medical travel has significantly transformed the face of global health care,” says Undersecretary Cynthia Carrion, who heads the Department of Tourism’s Office for Sports and Wellness. “The pool of patients around the world seeking medical treatment abroad has grown, with increasing cost efficiency and adoption of advanced medical technology overseas. This presents a huge opportunity for us, and it is only fitting that the Philippines is hosting the IMWell Summit, as we have already proven our country to be an emerging powerhouse as a health and wellness destination.”
According to the Department of Tourism, the number of overseas patients and clients visiting the Philippines has rapidly increased from 60,000 foreign patients in 2007 to about 100,000 foreign patients in 2008 and gross revenues estimated to be at US$350mn since the program was launched in 2006. In light of this booming phenomenon, the Department of Tourism expects the Philippines to corner a total of US$3bn of the global medical tourism industry by 2015, with 200,000 foreign patients arriving annually.

“The IMWell Summit demonstrates that the Philippines is at the forefront of this ‘sunrise’ industry, which has been a key driver in our economic growth. As a pioneering initiative in the whole region, it also establishes our pro-active stance in cooperating with our neighboring countries and making them partners in medical tourism,” says Joyce Alumno, Conference director.

The four-day event features a full agenda that includes plenary sessions on Industry Perspectives, Opportunities and Risks; Regional Presentation of Best Practices; Global Opportunities in the Retirement Industry; Marketing and Branding for Global Markets; Quality Management and the Continuity of Care; and the Future of Medical Tourism and Healthcare Travel Industry.

The IMWell Summit also includes Executive Workshops about Balanced Score Card in Healthcare Organization and Effective Leadership Styles in Healthcare Organization. Four break-out conference tracks will be presented: Quality in Healthcare, Marketing, Investment and Capacity Building, and Retirement, giving an in-depth look at each specific aspect of medical and wellness tourism.

“We have ensured that the program of the IMWell Summit is comprehensive and at the same time attuned to the needs and gaps in information of this growing field. By gathering the region’s leading policy makers, decision makers, and solution providers, we aim to redefine, redesign, and refine health care delivery around the world,” stated Sanjiv Malik, M.D., a renowned international guru in medical tourism, who sits as the Conference Honorary chairman.

The Advisory Board and Speakers of the IMWell Summit include prominent leaders in their fields of expertise, including David Vequist, M.D., of the Center for Medical Tourism Research (USA), Dato Jacob Thomas of the Association of Private Hospitals in Malaysia, Nipit Piravej, M.D., of Bangkok Chain Hospital (Thailand), Ares Leung, M.D., of Union Hospital (Hong Kong), Sam Bernal, M.D., of Cedar Sinai and The Medical City (USA and Philippines), Samie Lim of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Girdhar J. Gyani, M.D., of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (India), Jeff Staples, M.D., of Parkwayhealth (China), Tony Gibson of the Australian Human Resource Institute, Henry Schumacher of the European Chamber of Commerce, and others.

“Aside from our powerhouse line-up of speakers and advisors, what makes the IMWell Summit truly exceptional is the fact that it’s a pioneering event in regional cooperation. It is the first of its kind to present the global state of health care, explore current and future opportunities in medical tourism, and map out a strategy for the growth of the entire industry,” adds Alumno.

The IMWell Summit is produced and organized by HIM Communications, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism as Host, and supported by the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Retirement and Healthcare Coalition, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Spa Association of the Philippines, with HealthCORE and Asian Academy for Healthcare Executives as Knowledge Partners.

For more information about the event, please visit www.IMWellSummit.com, or call (63 2) 910.8030 or 468.9999, or email info@himcommunications.com