What are the qualifications of the doctors overseas?

In many case truly the best in the world. In other cases the best the countries have to offer. When we are making a recommendation, we are sure that the facility and its medical staff are appropriately trained and up-to-date. 

That verification can happen by several different methods. But the concern many may harbor of untrained or uncertified doctors is unfounded. State-of-the-art hospitals and facilities simply will not risk their reputation and business by hiring poorly trained or incompetent staff. There is a self-policing effect as they compete for patients. Of course we should, and will check. But it is foolish for them to risk bad public relations.

As a doctor practicing in the US, I have been very impressed by the skill and knowledge-base of foreign trained physicians. Admittedly, there can some initial language challenges with a slight accent etc., but the vast majority are very bright and adept at their specialties.

Travel Safe, Be Well.

Jim McCormick MD

Premiere Medical Travel Company

How long have you been dealing with medical tourism?

I started to perform my initial research into the industry in 2007. As I moved through my MBA program at Pepperdine University the research turned from an academic exercise to a business project that is my absolute passion. This is an industry that will create a genuine solution to some of the largest problems the US is facing in terms of healthcare and the expenses associated with it.

We plan on 'opening our doors' in early 2009. We will be negotiating with insurers and brokers over the next several months in order to begin our business.

Travel Safe, Be Well.

Jim McCormick MD

Premiere Medical Travel

Are there government resources to help decide about medical travel? resources

There are few formal government resources to help decide about medical travel as an option for your health needs. 

A quality medical travel company can provide guidance and background information about the choices. This should occur with the assistance of your doctor as well. We want the care and experience to be as seamless as possible. 

There is also an abundant amount of material available on the Internet. You should always take into account the bias of the source and reporting of the information. Also how current and accurate the information is as you read it.

Travel Safe, Be Well.

Jim McCormick MD

Premiere Medical Travel 

Why should I go outside the US for medical care and wellness?

The best example to help sort this out is the issue of time. How much is your time worth to you? How long of  a period in your life do you want to be less active or more uncomfortable because of scarce medical care resources?

I hope your answer is: as short a period as possible. 

When we are asked about long distance travel as an issue, I tend to turn the question towards this concept of time.  Yes some of these locations are relatively far in distance, but they are relatively close in time. Consider, a three or four month wait for an elective procedure to be performed to allow your to rehab and get back involved in your life. In some cases these waiting times are much longer. If you chose a 6 or 10 hour flight to accomplish the same procedure, you could easily be involved in your life before your turn came up for the open slot in our slow to respond healthcare system. 

There are always more than one way to look at an issue. To me, I would rather choose the option that made me healthier sooner. In many cases medical travel is the solution. Too many people are simply blind to the opportunity. 

We can help.

Travel Safe, Be Well.

Jim McCormick MD

Premiere Medical Travel

How does the facilitator get paid?

Pricing and fees are an area where people frequently have difficulty. You should feel comfortable knowing exactly what you are paying for with the company you choose.

It is important for you to know whether the travel facilitator receives commissions for referrals or has a fee for service structure. Commissions are a legitimate method of compensation in many fields. But there is growing concern that a facility may be steering referrals by the use of commissions. They appear to be the dominant method of revenue currently in place. 

There are also important value added or experience improving benefits that you can discuss with the facilitator. It is important if you are sharing the expenses with your insurer that you understand exactly what they will or will not pay for before you leave.

It is important to at least have a plan to help out should there be a complication in your recovery. Will you have access to additional cash or credit for an infection etc. 

Are you bringing a companion? How will their needs be addressed and paid for when you arrive? Good planning also includes attention to the important financial questions.

Travel Safe, Be Well.

Jim McCormick MD

Premiere Medical Travel

New Article Published!

To have another view of my thoughts and opinions on Medical Tourism, The article can be found at the Medical Tourism Association's website. It is on page 62 and discusses some of my experiences and insights on a recent trip to Asia.

More to follow as we move into the Global Health and Medical Tourism Conference where I will be a panelist and moderator. I look forward to meeting and speaking with many industry colleagues.

Travel Safe, Be Well.

Jim McCormick, M.D.
Premiere Medical Travel Company

What are my options if I am immobile or paralyzed?

Conventional travel has its challenges for those who are less mobile.

Has anyone discussed the medical issues you need to be aware of and how to prevent complications?
Has the destination hotel been enhanced to ensure that a wheelchair can into rooms? Are there accommodations for the bathroom? There are many other questions that need to be asked and answered before signing and sending money.

For those seeking healthcare abroad, the need to be sure about the process and have services in place to receive you are important. A good facilitator can ensure that the your needs are met and service the best possible.

Travel Safe, Be Well

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Should I choose to arrange everything myself?

You can change the oil on a car, but can you switch out a transmission. Even changing the oil has become more complicated. Which oil is right for your car, there are many grades and choices? Where do you dispose of the oil and filter? You can buy the oil and filter, but where is the best deal available. Do you have the oil pan? Do you have a filter wrench? How about the lift or ramps to get the car high enough to crawl under? Do you have a way to slide under the car? Or can a company do this for $20 and be done in 20 minutes? It appears that changing the oil is simple, but it is more efficient, quicker and cheaper to have someone perform this task for you.

Medical travel is far more complicated than that. It may seem only a travel issue, but it is not. There are many areas where poor planning and misunderstood process issues can greatly increase your costs. You choose this for value and quality, not price. We can help to ensure you receive that: value and quality.

Travel Safe. Be Well,
Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

How much does medical tourism typically cost?

This question which is frequently asked and is difficult to answer. Another approach is to know what you have, know what you need and then you can begin to search for a solution.

Premiere can create a package for a procedure in different locations throughout the world. The price will change dependent upon the destination, procedure, number of travelers, the duration of recovery care and several factors.

This is where a good facilitator can help by creating a needs list and define a price structure that is within your budget.

Travel Safe. Be Well,
Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Why won't insurance companies pay for this choice?

The question is probably better phrased "When will insurance companies pay for medical tourism?"

In my estimation they will, but there needs to be some significant developments in the industry before they fully enter the arena. These large businesses require structure to enter. The issues of lines of responsibilities and where transition points occur are very important. The clarity here must be crystal clear. There can not be an excess number of unanswered questions.

There is a very compelling reason for insurers to enter the space. My intuition says that the landscape must be formed and refined. Quite likely there are activities happening in the back ground that are creating the fog-shaping which leads to more certainty and clarity. The clarity leads to entry.

The First World Congress on Global Healthcare and Medical Tourism will be happening in San Francisco this September. The companies and entities attending will be meeting to help shape the environment. You will see them enter, but when the time and environment is well defined.

Be Well, Travel Safe

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Do I need a visa to go to these countries?

Most of the countries we will be helping you with do not require a formal pre-approved Visa to enter. A simple card is filled out on the flight describing why you are entering the country. There are some governments who are developing online registration options. In either case these are country by country specific issues.

We at Premiere can help you to be sure that you entry, stay and exit are as seamless as possible.


Be Well, Travel Safe

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Can our company help with financing my trip?

This is a good question fro a few reasons.
We at Premiere are strongly considering a financing arm to assist people with this option. Our impression is that it would help clients meet their medical needs. Arranging for financing requires a significant process to be developed on our part. We aim to eventually provide this service to qualified clients. We do not have it available at present.

WHen looking to finance an investment it is an interesting proposition to consider financing your health care needs. Cars for example depreciate with time, while investing in your health would carry implications that your life got better and you are able to potentially earn more money.

We will surely include this option as the company grows.

Be Well, Travel Safe

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Do they understand who I am and what my culture is?

The facilities that I have visited make great efforts to blend US culture AND the cultures of many of their visiting patients. It was not unusual to find special areas with special scents to remind people of their home. They catered to cultural and religious dietary needs.

If your religion prohibits a male doctor examining a female patient that would be respected and addressed.

Time was also permitted for prayer services with directions to point towards Mecca.

In the lobby of the Bumrungrad Hospital I sat and simply observed the cultural flow in and out of the lobby for a few hours. It was clear that the people entering and exiting, at least outwardly, were at ease. For my culture specifically: McDonalds had a small location, Starbucks had a small area with Neil Young and similar notable songs were playing.

Cultural awareness is essential to a quality experience. US culture was not the only emphasis The destination facilities are aware that in order to succeed, the culture of the people coming for care is very important. It is my expectation that this practice will grow and become more common in the future.


Be Safe, Travel Well.

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

What is a Wellness Center?

We at Premiere define medical wellness clinics as a destination for you, a traveling patient, to gain powerful new insight into your particular disease or illness and how to best manage it.

In our view, having a pile of paperwork handed to you in an office after a hasty visit is not an effective way for you to learn about your illnesses and their management. We are developing offerings where in addition to your procedure, you receive an intense several week set of sessions that incorporate daily lessons, time to reflect, time to learn and time to renew who you are and how to best approach your illnesses.

What would daily lessons, nutritional tips, exercise instructions, yoga, meditation give you? In our belief, the best chances at a holistic and healthy life. Will you leave the experience illness free? Not likely, but you will be more empowered, more fulfilled and more likely to make the most effective changes in your life for the better.

In our view, the wellness clinic is an avenue to a new life and a rebirth or redefinition of who you are. Better nutrition, better exercise habits and healthier mindsets can change your physiology and potentially reduce the number of medications you need to take. Reducing medications, can reduce costs and medications related complications. This alone is a leading cause of preventable deaths in hospitals. Pills are easier solutions to write out when time is compressed so much in the office setting. It would seem to us at Premiere Medical that the investment in your health will pay for itself very quickly from a financial, health and well being perspective.


Be Well, Travel Safe


Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Medical Tourism: The Economist Article 8-16-2008

The Economist a prestigious business and politics magazine has a brief article on Page 12 that discusses the impact of Medical Tourism from several points of view. See Article Here

The dialogue discusses the impact on destination hospital resources and infrastructure. The contention is that the inbound traveler is adversely affecting utilization and redirecting resources from the desperate needs of the local population. There is another impact, the elevation of local economies and the active attempt to retain skilled talents in these countries to serve the growing population.

For instance, the Philippines is considering an offering to retain nurses to work in a hub of medical tourism in Cebu. The country sees the potential for this growth industry and needs to build a workforce to meet the needs of the patients. The influx of outside money is almost always beneficial to a local economy.

The article also cites a number from other recent publications that represents the lost revenue as a result of the siphon effect from domestic US healthcare by medical travel. This is a compelling example of market forces affecting price and demand curves. The price in some minds is excessively high in the US. A new competitor is entering the territory and that beneficial competition will affect pricing. That effect's positive or negative effects are centered upon where you as a business are positioned. As a consumer, you may well see prices begin to move downwards, but not enough to offset the margins that medical travel have to offer.

There is far more value available for those seeking medical travel abroad. Stay tuned!
As they say... May you live in interesting times.


Be Well, Travel Safe.

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Can my family come with me? Is that part of the cost?

Of course. We at Premiere would encourage you to have at least one significant individual accompany you. The initial excitement about going abroad for healthcare has a double edge to it. Except for the most self-reliant people, we all need our social fabric. When you travel abroad for healthcare, that fabric is disrupted at a time when support is critical.

Premiere will have cutting edge valuable options to bridge that gap and ensure you are still woven into your social network while getting the best healthcare options can offer. None-the-less if your spouse, partner, friend etc. is physically present, the intervening gap is not as wide.

Having them present has its associated costs and affects that individual. But it is well worth the money.

We will be there available to you 24x7 but a family member or friend present at the site is an even more effective solution.

Be Well, Travel Safe


Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Is it safe to go outside the US for medical care and wellness?

Yes it is safe.
No more and no less safe than walking around a major US city. Our media has a tendency to hype events overseas in order to grab your attention. None-the-less attention and due caution are reasonable actions. When in Rome act more Roman than American. Blending in can be worthwhile.

There are also safety bulletins issued by the US State Department. The CIA provides up-to-date information guides about specific countries. Ask us for them when you call or email. We will gladly facilitate your getting timely and accurate information to make decisions.

No one can guarantee your complete safety outside the US. Perhaps the better question to ask would be: is it more unsafe abroad than when you are inside the US? We have significant violent crime issues in most of our major cities and suburbs. So asking a more precise question may help to clarify this question in your mind.

Be Well, Travel Safe

Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Does the American Medical Association support medical travel?

The American Medical Association (AMA) acknowledges that the industry exists. Recently, they published a set of guidelines that can be found at their site and are general principles.

The AMA will need to speak for itself as an entity regarding active support, passive support, acknowledgement and resistance postures and statements. Speaking for myself, it is good to see the guidelines. It is a new level of dialogue. Nearly all dialogue is beneficial and productive. I can envision that the AMA will see the value and quality available. However, as an organization representing US physicians, their mission and goals are potentially geared in a different direction.

Time will tell how this new mode of healthcare delivery works its way into the public mindset.

Be Well, Travel Safe

Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

What is Medical Travel and Tourism?

There are several running definitions.

We, at Premiere, consider the emphasis of the trip to be the important determinant. For those who travel specifically to receive medical care then we feel that medical travel is more appropriate. This does not make other definitions wrong, it is how we choose to characterize the process.

There are those who travel for business reasons and become ill or injured. They are not medical tourists or travelers.
Similarly those who travel for tourism and become ill or injured are not medical tourists or travelers.

Those whose emphasis for the trip is to seek medical care as a by-product of a tourism related trip would be characterized as a medical tourist. The medical care is an incidental to a vacation trip.

Jim McCormick MD
President and Founder
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189

Why is a pre-trip assessment and prearranged aftercare potentially beneficial?

Comprehensive end to end services. Simple words, complex solutions.

That is the basis for what we believe will be a successful company going forward. Those companies that provide simple elements without having the necessary options available for clients to purchase are making potential mistakes for their company and the industry. Clients who seek medical care abroad may not realize the complexity of the undertaking. We should be there to help them understand what is needed and what is required. Simple price points do not address issues such as who will care for wounds when you return home.

Medical Travel companies should consider these problems solved long before you book your first client. Having solutions already built into your business plan will save time, money and reputation when a problem surfaces. Your company should know who will manage the care and how it will be paid for. This complex issue happens occasionally when clients return with a problem and no one was willing to assist them.

There are expectations for continuity of care from the patient through the insurer/payer to regulatory agencies. As a participant in arranging a trip for the clients, our companies may appear to be their contact for services going forward. Simply letting them dangle to find their own aftercare does not help anyone in the arena.

You will get the commission on the first client, but that will not propagate into recurrent trips or referrals for friends and family. Good service and a comprehensive approach is one of the best methods of advertising. One satisfied customer can generate many new leads, while one unhappy client can lead to dozens of negative reports that amplify themselves and suppress potential leads. Is it worth the short term profit to create a self destructive cycle of negative advertisements?

How about screening people before they leave? Is there a value added service in providing this to your client? At first pass who would want to say no to a client. We all want to say yes to a sale. But look a bit deeper and there is a compelling reason to screen and say: ' No our services are not for you. Thank you for your inquiry.'

If you compete in a market on cost than you will need to accept nearly everyone to make up for small margins. The dilemma begins when a client purchases a package from your website and company and something was not screened well or reported by the client. Perhaps they were inaccurate about a condition or they had inappropriate expectations. They traveled with your company name and spent a good portion of their money on the roundtrip flight and some hotel expenses.

Then they arrive at the hospital. They are not candidates for the procedure. What happens next? Who refunds what to whom? Policies can help, but this will be a mess and quickly mushroom.

The patient almost always has the upper hand initially. It can be a very difficult situation to defuse. It is a battle of words. Regardless of the true findings later on, the initial PR stain can hurt your brand. Document can help but it is a reactive approach to the entire set of events and interactions.

You could develop a process and value added package that allows for both parties to meet, assess decide together whether this is the right person, right facility and right service(s) prior to engaging in a more expensive transaction.

Food for thought. Proactive preemption will nearly always beat reactive post hoc solutions.

Be Well, Travel Safe,

Jim McCormick MD
President and Founder
Premiere Medical Travel Services Company
818.917.6189