Currencies valuations fluctuate against each other all the time. In fact, it is the largest trading market in the world. Trillions of currencies are exchanged daily.
There may be an advantage comparing countries for the most favorable exchange rate. The likelihood of a sudden shift that will affect your terms are low. Timing your medical needs will not help you in any measurable way.
The dollar seems to be strengthening recently. This may help your purchasing power over the long haul. For that matter, the destination facilities may charge a higher price to offset the difference. The net result may be that you have a better deal, but can you wait 18 months or two to three years for that currency exchange to change significantly.
Time your healthcare to your medical needs and compare two or three countries simultaneously. Premiere Medical can help with these issues. That is what a quality outfit can accomplish.
Travel Safe, Be Well.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189
Showing posts with label medical wellness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label medical wellness. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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
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
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
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
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
Is the medical care equal to, or better than the US?
As my business professors would answer...that depends.
What metrics and outcomes are you comparing and how are you comparing them? If you are comparing the World Health Organization's statistics on healthcare monitors we, in the US are doing a terrible job. If you are asking for the ability to go to a cutting edge tertiary care hospital and receive the latest greatest and hopefully best options we have more than you can imagine. They are however very expensive and not cost effective solutions to large scale healthcare issues.
Now mentally go to a community hospital or an inner city hospital faced with significant budget issues and concerns. There are less choices and less cutting edge (read more expensive) options available. Some places must transfer out heart attack patients for cardiac catheterizations. Other hospitals must transfer patients out for brain surgery emergencies and others for trauma patients. So if you had one of these conditions and the facility you wound up at does not treat that condition than you are at an potentially inferior hospital for that specific condition.
Some hospitals only specialize in a specific disease class or age groups. Examples would include cancer specialty hospital, eye institutes, orthopedics facilities and geriatric or pediatric hospitals. So arguably if you are in one of these hospitals and develop a condition outside their scope of practice you may receive inferior care or need to be transferred to receive adequate care.
Now move to a nitty gritty facility with many poor people who are very ill consuming many precious resources. They should have access to their needed medical care. But can the facility or the government spend endlessly to provide the latest, greatest and most expensive care?
Given the scenarios, I think we can agree that in the US there are different levels of care available which create a significant impact on the care received by our citizens.
Now let us move outside the US and examine this question again. Is it possible that there are hospitals outside the US who exist in countries that provide the latest, greatest care for those who can afford it? The clear answer is Yes. Then move to areas similar in capability to the US and the same gradients of care options appear.
As a medical traveler, you want to be helped in identifying the best facilities and the best providers for your condition in these locations. Then you can comfortably say that the care is comparable. On a more granular level you can say that the care is better than or equal to the US. But the question at that point is more a matter of all the amenities that you can afford when you select medical travel. These options are not even considerations when in the US seeking medical care.
Be Well, Travel Safe
Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189
What metrics and outcomes are you comparing and how are you comparing them? If you are comparing the World Health Organization's statistics on healthcare monitors we, in the US are doing a terrible job. If you are asking for the ability to go to a cutting edge tertiary care hospital and receive the latest greatest and hopefully best options we have more than you can imagine. They are however very expensive and not cost effective solutions to large scale healthcare issues.
Now mentally go to a community hospital or an inner city hospital faced with significant budget issues and concerns. There are less choices and less cutting edge (read more expensive) options available. Some places must transfer out heart attack patients for cardiac catheterizations. Other hospitals must transfer patients out for brain surgery emergencies and others for trauma patients. So if you had one of these conditions and the facility you wound up at does not treat that condition than you are at an potentially inferior hospital for that specific condition.
Some hospitals only specialize in a specific disease class or age groups. Examples would include cancer specialty hospital, eye institutes, orthopedics facilities and geriatric or pediatric hospitals. So arguably if you are in one of these hospitals and develop a condition outside their scope of practice you may receive inferior care or need to be transferred to receive adequate care.
Now move to a nitty gritty facility with many poor people who are very ill consuming many precious resources. They should have access to their needed medical care. But can the facility or the government spend endlessly to provide the latest, greatest and most expensive care?
Given the scenarios, I think we can agree that in the US there are different levels of care available which create a significant impact on the care received by our citizens.
Now let us move outside the US and examine this question again. Is it possible that there are hospitals outside the US who exist in countries that provide the latest, greatest care for those who can afford it? The clear answer is Yes. Then move to areas similar in capability to the US and the same gradients of care options appear.
As a medical traveler, you want to be helped in identifying the best facilities and the best providers for your condition in these locations. Then you can comfortably say that the care is comparable. On a more granular level you can say that the care is better than or equal to the US. But the question at that point is more a matter of all the amenities that you can afford when you select medical travel. These options are not even considerations when in the US seeking medical care.
Be Well, Travel Safe
Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189
Friday, August 8, 2008
Healthcare Travel or Tourism?
Can we be both to you, our customer and patient?
Frankly, I am a bit skeptical. There are conditions that suit themselves to a combination trip. But can that brush be applied so broadly? Can you have heart bypass surgery and spend time traveling around a country with relatively fresh wounds that are still healing? Will your hip or knee replacement allow you to walk with enough ease to cover a significant amount of touring 1 week post operatively?
There are companies in this industry that are marketing themselves to be all things, to all customers, for all occasions and at all times. This is an impossible goal to achieve. It can lure many people in and then disappoint many as well. The providers, the facilitators, the customers need clarity.
Who wants to provide, or receive, what service(s) to, or for which patients?
Clarity:
The first issue and choice is the Quality of the Healthcare.
The second issue and choice is the Quality of the Value proposition.
The third issue and choice is the additional components built around the first two core questions if it is possible.
Does it make sense to you as a customer of healthcare providers to simply book a procedure on-line, book the travel on-line and jet off to a destination around the world and not fundamentally understand the first two core concepts?
Some companies break this down into a simple process map. Components of that process can be mapped and defined. It is a process that can be broken down into enough granular detail so any given set of details appear to make sense. But when you pull back up to the macro level, does it all still fit together in a manner that makes sense?
Yes; you can get a bypass for a great value. Yes; you can travel around an exotic country. Yes; you can fly to and from that location. Is it realistic to expect that the wounds will be healed sufficiently at 1 or 2 weeks post operative to have you truly enjoy the tourism? A critical question for you the consumer and purchaser: Are you expectations for the trip in line with the proposition offered and reality? If not, are you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
The investment, even at a huge discount to domestic care, still requires thought, planning and guidance. That is where a skilled professional services company can provide valuable guidance and assistance. The booking is the easy part.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
818.917.6189
Frankly, I am a bit skeptical. There are conditions that suit themselves to a combination trip. But can that brush be applied so broadly? Can you have heart bypass surgery and spend time traveling around a country with relatively fresh wounds that are still healing? Will your hip or knee replacement allow you to walk with enough ease to cover a significant amount of touring 1 week post operatively?
There are companies in this industry that are marketing themselves to be all things, to all customers, for all occasions and at all times. This is an impossible goal to achieve. It can lure many people in and then disappoint many as well. The providers, the facilitators, the customers need clarity.
Who wants to provide, or receive, what service(s) to, or for which patients?
Clarity:
The first issue and choice is the Quality of the Healthcare.
The second issue and choice is the Quality of the Value proposition.
The third issue and choice is the additional components built around the first two core questions if it is possible.
Does it make sense to you as a customer of healthcare providers to simply book a procedure on-line, book the travel on-line and jet off to a destination around the world and not fundamentally understand the first two core concepts?
Some companies break this down into a simple process map. Components of that process can be mapped and defined. It is a process that can be broken down into enough granular detail so any given set of details appear to make sense. But when you pull back up to the macro level, does it all still fit together in a manner that makes sense?
Yes; you can get a bypass for a great value. Yes; you can travel around an exotic country. Yes; you can fly to and from that location. Is it realistic to expect that the wounds will be healed sufficiently at 1 or 2 weeks post operative to have you truly enjoy the tourism? A critical question for you the consumer and purchaser: Are you expectations for the trip in line with the proposition offered and reality? If not, are you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
The investment, even at a huge discount to domestic care, still requires thought, planning and guidance. That is where a skilled professional services company can provide valuable guidance and assistance. The booking is the easy part.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
818.917.6189
Saturday, July 5, 2008
What can Medical Wellness offer our clients?
A growing movement to encourage wellness AND medical travel is important to build client traffic. Medical wellness may mean different things. I was able to recently engage in a conversation with well placed individuals on this subject.
Here is what we discovered. Clients devote time in a more introspective and exotic location to learn about themselves and their medical conditions. Trained professional dietary consultants, physical trainers, medical specialists, cooking teachers and the host facilities would help the clients learn about the management of the illnesses.
How to manage diet, habits, physical activity and weight all prevent future medical complications. Not just booklets, but committed everyday learning and activity. Teaching these concepts in a more self-intensive location, allows more time to focus and learn.
This pattern strengthens the teachings by incorporating these new habits into daily routines. Teams can develop to support each other at the destination. There is time to fully embrace and live this new life, free from the distractions of modern life.
In building this state of mind, strength of mind and habit changing activity, clients have a better chance of returning as a stronger person with new habits and learnings to successfully maintain their new found lives.
We want to develop groups of similar people who will travel, live, learn and return together. This team building approach also builds a better support network for when they return and challenges appear.
Best of health!
Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel
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