THIS WEEK IN MEDICAL TRAVEL TODAY
Volume 4, Issue 8

by Amanda Haar, Editor

Greetings,

American health care reform continues to confound and inspire many in the medical travel industry and will no doubt be the source of much discussion at the numerous conferences taking place worldwide over the next two months.

Beyond the obvious questions of how American consumers will respond, there's also the question of how employers and hospitals will react.

In this week’s IMPACT column we get both a facilitator’s and a surgeon’s perspective on what healthcare reform might mean to care delivery in the future.

We invite others to share their concerns and opinions on the impact of reform. To submit a piece, please email: ahaar@cpronline.com.

Cheers,

Amanda Haar, Editor
ahaar@cpronline.com

IMPACT: Healthcare Reform and Medical Travel

Editor's Note: Because of the great interest in the potential impact of American healthcare reform on global medical travel, Medical Travel Today is introducing a new section devoted to the topic. For the next several months, we will reserve the opening section of the newsletter for opinion pieces on the subject.

Employer-Sponsored Medical Tourism and Unintended Consequences of Health Care Reform

By David Boucher, president and chief operating officer, Companion Global Healthcare Inc

Although a number of employers have already imbedded an international medical tourism benefit into their employee benefits, recent legislative “reforms” requiring most Americans to purchase medical insurance may encourage many more employers to consider the idea.   Food for thought:

• Health care reform legislation has been enacted…adding 30 million additional Americans to the Medicaid program – which does not approach covering the true cost of care.
• Baby Boomers beginning to turn 65 in 2011 will qualify for Medicare – which also does not approach covering the true cost of care.
• An increasing number of Americans with chronic diseases.
• The current shortage of care physicians.
• The downturn in the U.S. economy and medical inflation that continues to exceed standard price inflation.

Taken together, these forces illustrate the potential for swift development of two unintended consequences of reform:  The better American hospitals exiting public reimbursement programs and employers considering the addition of international medical travel benefits to their health plans.  

Americans may be headed for a two-tiered delivery system: One public and one private.  And ours may be similar to Germany’s and Australia’s.  Who knows “if” and what the result will be with an increased number of hospitals opting out of the Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement systems when they are inundated with patients seeking 85 percent of their actual cost?  This phenomenon may never turn into a trend, but note that one of the top hospitals in the U.S., the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix, has already taken steps in this direction: From The Wall Street Journal. Click here to read the full article.

We may not read much about the two-tier systems in other countries, but many representatives in the medical tourism industry have visited facilities and talked with hospital executives at several in the recent past.  It is clear that they needed to develop facilities for those patients with public fee-sponsorship and with private coverage.  The latter often enjoy the more experienced physicians, the most modern equipment, the nicest facilities, and no wait times.  And these facilities are catering to American and Canadian patients and insurers.

Some employers are simply including an international medical travel option as a “value-added” service for any non-covered services or treatments for pre-existing conditions. While this signals to the employees that management recognizes the rapid improvement and safety in care abroad, employers will achieve minimal impact to their benefit expenses with this approach.    

Other employers have added a full-blown benefit that incentivizes their associates to travel abroad for care.   As queues begin lengthening in America, international medical tourism stands to offer an immediate pressure release.  Many returning members will bring excellent service experiences with them.   Will this fuel the demand for others to travel abroad?

David Boucher is president and chief operating officer of Companion Global Healthcare Inc., a benefits consulting and medical travel facilitator based in Columbia, S.C.

A Surgeon's Perspective
By Arnon Krongrad, MD, CEO of Mobile Surgery International

The law brought by Moses can be written on one page; everyone understands it. The health care law brought by Congress was written on 2,500 pages; few understand it. We are thus left to discuss the new health care reform on the basis of crude interpretations.
At issue is health care, which every person deserves. But how much? And who should pay? We already universally buy some preventive services. For example, we fluoridate the drinking water so as to prevent dental cavities for citizens, immigrants, and even tourists. Should we buy liver transplants for heroin addicts who contracted hepatitis by sharing dirty needles? Here, consensus might break down.

Before legislation was passed, the American health care supply did not meet demand: More wanted care than received it. The new legislation broadened access – it increased demand – without increasing supply. Invariably, two things must therefore happen: 1) Efficiency will increase or 2) Quality will decrease. Given that the new legislation did nothing about efficiency, it may be that quality will drop.

Nobody wants lower quality. So to increase demand without increasing supply or lowering quality means that we must increase efficiency: Eliminate waste, the stuff that eats resources but does not produce clinical value.

Can Congress eliminate waste? First of all, Congress is fatigued. It may be a long time before anybody in Congress is again ready to take up health care in any substantial way. Secondly, most Congressmen are ill suited to health care efficiency. This is because most Congressmen have not practiced medicine and they do not understand in an operational sense which elements bring value at the bedside. Somebody other than Congressmen must guide us to increased efficiency at the bedside.

Nobody is better trained and experienced to keep the substance and throw out the waste at the bedside than doctors. Doctors know that a brand medication is more expensive but no more useful than a generic medication. Doctors know that the redundant accumulation of capital equipment by neighboring hospitals adds cost but not value. They know that there is no reason to have a state-by-state medical licensing system when a single national DEA license suffices. They can identify third-party overhead that adds nothing that patients would value. There are many examples that would lead doctors to propose legislation that was not mentioned this year.

We may experience a long period of instability and controversy because of the health care bill. At stake is the quality of health care. Given that demand was increased but supply and efficiency were not increased, we will almost surely see decline in quality. Other than repeal of the recent legislation, the only potential remedy is increased efficiency, to which doctors are uniquely suited.

Will doctors guide us to greater efficiency at the bedside? They already are.
 
Arnon Krongrad, MD is CEO of Mobile Surgery International, a surgeon-led company that optimizes choice, quality, and cost for individuals and groups needing to deliver major surgical services.

SPOTLIGHT: Amy Rees Anderson

Amy Rees Anderson Chief Executive Officer, MediConnect Global

Editor's Note: Recently MediConnect, a privately held medical record retrieval company in Salt Lake City, Utah, acquired the consumer-directed health care information company, PassportMD, Inc.

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

Medical Travel Today spoke to Rees to learn more about how the acquisition enables the company to better assist organizations in the medical travel arena.

Medical Travel Today (MTT): Let's start with what services MediConnect offers as they relate to medical travel.

Amy Rees Anderson (ARS): Sure. MediConnect specializes in providing medical record retrieval services to a variety of organizations including physicians, hospitals, lawyers, insurance brokers, and so on.

Our medical record retrieval system, RapidRetrieve™, offers a way to quickly retrieve large volumes of medical records, scan and save them in a uniform digital format, and deliver them to a central web-based location.  This kind of system is essential for a number of players in the medical travel field.

MTT: What are the types of medical travel organizations you're working with and what's the appeal of your service to them?

ARS: Well, certainly we work with insurance companies, and we work with medical travel facilitators.

The appeal of our services is different for each group, but I think I can point to a few things that have universal appeal.

The first is the obvious recognition that they need to provide their clients with a safe, easy way to move their records from one office to the next.

However, they don't want the responsibility of hosting records. With our system, they get to keep control of records, but they don't have the liability.

Another reason people like working with us is that we don't charge a set-up fee.  Many of these companies are start-ups so every dollar matters.  With us, there's no cost to start a relationship.

Another key factor is our "per transaction" fee structure. Again, for many start-ups the idea of a retainer fee simply doesn't work. A per transaction structure allows them to immediately pass along and recover costs while providing a necessary service.

Facilitators also love the fact that we handle the whole transaction. Using RapidRetrieve, they don't have to understand the intricacies of medical records retrieval.  We do it all.
We provide the forms; we communicate with patients about the status of their records; and we even allow them to set up access parameters. They can set up the data to allow, say, their orthopedist to see records relevant to their orthopedic needs -- but block that physician's access to other records. It's a very sophisticated structure and consumers truly appreciate it.  And it definitely helps with the coordination of care and preliminary reviews.

MTT: How is your service presented to the consumer? Are they aware that the service is being outsourced?

ARS: That's really up to the client. For most clients we create a private label page that features their logo. That's a pretty seamless approach from a consumer experience perspective.

Others opt to put a hyperlink on their site.

But no matter how it's done, the transaction carries the same log-in and level of security.

MTT: Because MediConnect is a global company, I imagine you have a good sense of how sophisticated different countries are in terms of electronic medical records keeping and transfer. What's your sense of which countries are doing this well?

ARS: I can tell you that less than 10 percent of the records we handle in the United States are electronic.  You've got to realize, though, that while a lot of hospitals have electronic record systems, most of the records we handle are coming from doctors that, for the most part, are still operating on a chart and paper system.

Looking globally, if I had to pick a country or region that's ahead of us, I'd go with Europe and Australia. Australia has made a great effort to digitize, and it's paying off.

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 health care provider services. For more information please visit (http://www.mediconnect.net) or call (801) 545-3700.

About Amy Rees Anderson
Amy Rees Anderson serves as the CEO of MediConnect Global, Inc. (www.mediconnect.net) and is responsible for all aspects of the business including the overall management and strategic direction of the company. Under Amy’s direction, MediConnect launched an aggressive domestic and international expansion, and posted three consecutive years of record sales growth more than doubling revenues year over year. Prior to joining MediConnect, Amy founded and managed several successful health care technology ventures. As an entrepreneur and business leader she has raised over $50 million in capital, is a well-respected public speaker, and teaches courses on entrepreneurship at several universities. In 2007 Amy was awarded the prestigious Ernst &Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for her numerous accomplishments.  

INDUSTRY NEWS

Savings Draw Consumers In, but Provider Buy-in Lacking

by Laura Carabello, Chief Creative Officer, CPR Strategic Marketing Communications
 
The global recession has produced dramatic changes in health care, bringing this year, bringing with it unexpected opportunities. Last year the medical travel health benefit option reached a crossroads, and this year it promises to take a bold new direction. Analysts predict an economic recovery in the coming year, and according to a report by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, this could spur a sustainable 35% annual growth rate for the medical tourism industry.

To read more, click here.

Medical Tourism: Are The Savings Worth The Risk?
Maybe it's happened to you: you need an expensive medical procedure, but you don't have the health care coverage to pay for it. Whether it's heart surgery with the price tag of a house, dental work or plastic surgery, medical care is very expensive in the United States. So what about countries like Belgium, Mexico and India, where you can get surgery at a fraction of the cost? It's called medical tourism, but is it safe? Here are the pros and cons, and what you should consider before going abroad to get surgery.

To read more, click here.

Malaysia’s Medical Tourism Eyes Singapore Market

MANILA, Philippines—Industry players in Malaysia’s medical tourism are undertaking a variety of measures to welcome the expected surge of Singaporeans seeking medical treatment and therapies there.

To read more, click here.

Retail Travel Agencies Can Finally Benefit From Medical Tourism

Global Surgery Providers

Atlanta, GA -- March 31, 2010 -- The international tour industry has been in a serious slump since 9/11, but a new product -- medical tourism—is finally providing the means for a positive recovery.

Last year, more than one million Americans traveled overseas for medical treatment such as hip replacements, cosmetic surgery, dental implants, and even open heart surgery. These procedures cost an average of 65 percent less in countries like Costa Rica, Panama, India, and Thailand than in the U.S.

Fears about the quality of offshore surgery soon vanish when prospective patients discover that Harvard Medical, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, and 18 of the leading U.S. medical schools anticipated the growing demand for the outsourcing of medical procedures and are all operating leading-edge hospitals overseas.

Congressional approval of the new U.S. health care initiative is expected to give medical tourism an even further boost. Industry experts who had anticipated a two-fold growth in overseas medical travel now foresee its expansion by five times in the next two years. That translates into five million new customers shopping for travel agents.

Now an Atlanta company is making it easy for travel agencies to serve this burgeoning market. Global Surgery Providers (GSP) has announced a new program for training and licensing travel agents for medical tourism. GSP founder and CEO Jack Schafer has been a wholesale leisure tour operator since 1985. He became a pioneer in medical tourism and earned distinction as the first and only wholesale medical tour operator in the industry.

"We are providing retail travel agencies with a proven distribution channel," Schafer says. "We will train their agents, qualify them, give them the best medical tourism product in the industry, and license them to sell it for full commissions."

GSP's medical tourism product works the same as any other packaged tour, with the wholesaler assembling a desirable medical tourism package and the agency handling the transportation side. Global Surgery Providers is now offering exclusive territories on a first-come first-served basis. They are currently still serving retail medical tourism clients, but as of June 1, 2010, all of GSP's leads will be sent directly to their licensed agencies.

"We are eagerly looking forward to the launch of this new distribution channel that will better serve both the travel industry and their clients,” adds Schafer.
Medical tourism licensing information is available by calling 877-866-8558 or by email to: Jack@GlobalSurgeryProviders.com.

Contact:
Jack Schafer, CEO
Phone:  770-475-4100
Toll-free: 1-877-866-8558
E-mail: jack@globalsurgeryproviders.com

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

Costa Rica Hosts the First Latin American Global Medicine & Wellness Congress

More than 200 participants, 55 exhibitors, and 60 expert speakers have confirmed their participation in this medical tourism to conference. Organizers anticipate having up to 400 attendees/delegates from all the Americas: U.S., Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Argentina.

San Jose, Costa Rica (PRWEB) March 29, 2010 -- Costa Rica is proud to be hosting the First Latin American Global Medicine & Wellness Congress in San Jose on April 26-28th, 2010.

More than 200 participants, 55 exhibitors, and 60 expert speakers have confirmed their participation in this medical tourism to conference. Organizers anticipate having up to 400 attendees/delegates from all the Americas: U.S., Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Argentina.

The Global Medicine and Wellness Congress will focus on opportunities in medical tourism, wellness, and retirement living to Latin America. Millions of Americans and Canadians are traveling to Latin America for high quality health and dental care. A recent Deloitte report estimates that as many as 23 million Americans could be traveling internationally by 2017 and will be spending up to $80 billion dollars a year.

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias has declared the Medical Tourism Industry of national interest in Costa Rica. Costa Rica is one of the top five medical tourism destinations in the world, according to McKinsey & Company. President Arias, along with four Ministers of the Republic of Costa Rica, will be officially inaugurating the Congress on April 26th. Costa Rica is the only country in the world with 100 percent of the private hospitals attaining Joint Commission International accreditation.

Visit the conference website at www.globalmedicinecongress.com for more information on the agenda, expo, and hospital tours. You may also register to attend the three-day event and have a first-hand opportunity of exploring the fine quality of affordable medical and dental care available in Costa Rica.

When choosing a country for a medical procedure comparing costs is important, but travel time should be high on your list of priorities. Costa Rica provides a high-quality option closer to home than options on the other side of the world.

“With passage of the health care bill, now is the time to see how you can save money and time by traveling outside the U.S. for your medical procures,” says Tim Morales of Costa Rican Medical Care. “We are extremely pleased with the number of insurance company executives, employee benefit mangers, health underwriters, insurance agents, third-party administrators, and other interested parties who have signed up to experience first-hand what the hospitals and physicians of Costa Rica and other Latin American countries have to offer.”

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