The US laws overseeing the release of medical record information and patient confidentiality laws is called HIPAA. While in the US as a patient these regulations oversee your privacy. That does not guarantee your privacy. It ensures that every step is taken to protect your concerns and if a breech occurs you are told about it and the individuals who were unauthorized to view your records are held accountable. This can mean criminal prosecution with financial penalties and jail time. You as a patient may have civil recourse as well. For that you would seek legal counsel.
Protecting your privacy overseas has its challenges. Consistently the facilities I have visited express a desire to ensure your privacy was a priority. However the legal remedies and accountability are inconsistent. Having said that, any destination facility that wants to continue working in this space will need to move closer to the customers (your) needs and make these issues more defined and favorable for our clients privacy needs. It is my belief that they are doing that and actively work to ensure your best interests are served.
We need to be careful in assuming that everything needs to be enforced in a legally binding manner as in the US. It may be that culturally violating a confidence is unacceptable and perhaps carries more impact than our system. Issues like privacy can be different and better outside our borders than the methods we choose to address them locally. It is worth asking your medical travel company how the destination(s) you are choosing are working to ensure your privacy.
Be Well, Travel Safe
Jim McCormick MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company
818.917.6189
Sunday, August 17, 2008
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
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
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
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Medical Travel Speaking Engagements!
A conference is coming up you do not want to miss! Itwill be a terrific opportunity to meet and speak with so many of the individuals who are active in Medical Travel and Tourism. From September 9th through the 12th The Medical Tourism Association is conducting the First World Congress on Medical Tourism and Global Health. Many leaders and contacts will be available for you to get important insights and networking.
I am going to be a panel speaker on developing a business in this space along with three other companies in different phases of development. A second speaking engagement will have me moderating a key aspect of medical travel and tourism: Aftercare and Continuity of Care. For those interested in understanding how to generate a successful business in medical travel, join the conference: www.medicaltourismcongress.com.
We, at Premiere Medical Travel Company, look forward to helping you become successful. We are available to consult and provide expert advice on how to approach and build a successful company. There is far more to this than a quick website.
Enjoy!!
Travel Safe, Be Well.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
I am going to be a panel speaker on developing a business in this space along with three other companies in different phases of development. A second speaking engagement will have me moderating a key aspect of medical travel and tourism: Aftercare and Continuity of Care. For those interested in understanding how to generate a successful business in medical travel, join the conference: www.medicaltourismcongress.com.
We, at Premiere Medical Travel Company, look forward to helping you become successful. We are available to consult and provide expert advice on how to approach and build a successful company. There is far more to this than a quick website.
Enjoy!!
Travel Safe, Be Well.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
Monday, August 11, 2008
What do the AMA guidelines for Medical Tourism mean?
They are a set of principles that are a balance between the acknowledgment that this industry exists, is here to stay and a need to meet their member's concerns. Medical Travel and tourism are future competitors with general US medical practice. The industry is not large enough to be a business concern, but it is predicted to grow to that point.
The guidelines are available at the AMA website. It is worthwhile to discuss them. The first one: Medical Tourism must be voluntary. Yes I agree voluntary, but who or what company would force this option upon an unwilling client? Forced care overseas is a recipe for a medical and public relations disaster. So I agree voluntary, but the Medical Tourism industry has ethical participants.
In the second, third and fourth, there are important issues that are discussed. It is very important for many reasons to have Joint Commission International or International Society for Quality in Health Care certification. These two bodies ensure that facilities are using the right process and procedural mechanisms to ensure patient safety. The countries and facilities have the same quality assurance that we do or a different, but equivalent, process for assurance. This is important to the longevity of the industry. They are benchmarks that help us interpret important safeguards across cultural, political and language barriers.
The next two are intimately tied together. Follow-up care must be financed and coordinated prior to departure. A less well defined one: coverage for travel outside the US for medical care must include the costs of necessary follow-up care upon returning to the U.S. I am a strong proponent of aftercare. It is essential that this is available to the patient. Who should pay for the cost of after care is a more difficult question. Should the insurance company who receives the financial benefit of success care rendered abroad? Should the patient who is uninsured seeking the care overseas at a steep discount to the price a U.S. physician and hospital would charge? Should the destination facility be responsible for this fee? Should the facilitators? The premise is medically correct, aftercare should be available upon return. The business aspects of who pays for are open for discussion.
Physician outcome data and HIPAA Compliance issues are reasonable requests as goals. We do not have full transparency on specific physician outcomes and do not fully enforce HIPAA in the U.S. that is our goal, to move the country in that direction. It is the right goal for everyone. Our colleagues abroad may feel it is unreasonable to ask for a perform better than we do on our own metrics. But the goal is valid.
The last one we fully embrace at Premiere Medical Travel. First and foremost is the healthcare. We have taken a particular stance in calling ourselves medical travel and not medical tourism. We believe tourism highlights the tourism component too much. For simple procedure or health check ups, this is feasible, but to recover from major surgery while on safari is unreasonable. Health first, experience next and everything should follow properly.
In general the AMA has it right in our view. There are some gaps in expectation and performance domestically on the aftercare, payment, outcome measures and HIPAA issues that warrant further examination. We can only expect others to perform at the level we set, embrace and enforce for ourselves.
Travel Safe, Be Well.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
818.917.6189
The guidelines are available at the AMA website. It is worthwhile to discuss them. The first one: Medical Tourism must be voluntary. Yes I agree voluntary, but who or what company would force this option upon an unwilling client? Forced care overseas is a recipe for a medical and public relations disaster. So I agree voluntary, but the Medical Tourism industry has ethical participants.
In the second, third and fourth, there are important issues that are discussed. It is very important for many reasons to have Joint Commission International or International Society for Quality in Health Care certification. These two bodies ensure that facilities are using the right process and procedural mechanisms to ensure patient safety. The countries and facilities have the same quality assurance that we do or a different, but equivalent, process for assurance. This is important to the longevity of the industry. They are benchmarks that help us interpret important safeguards across cultural, political and language barriers.
The next two are intimately tied together. Follow-up care must be financed and coordinated prior to departure. A less well defined one: coverage for travel outside the US for medical care must include the costs of necessary follow-up care upon returning to the U.S. I am a strong proponent of aftercare. It is essential that this is available to the patient. Who should pay for the cost of after care is a more difficult question. Should the insurance company who receives the financial benefit of success care rendered abroad? Should the patient who is uninsured seeking the care overseas at a steep discount to the price a U.S. physician and hospital would charge? Should the destination facility be responsible for this fee? Should the facilitators? The premise is medically correct, aftercare should be available upon return. The business aspects of who pays for are open for discussion.
Physician outcome data and HIPAA Compliance issues are reasonable requests as goals. We do not have full transparency on specific physician outcomes and do not fully enforce HIPAA in the U.S. that is our goal, to move the country in that direction. It is the right goal for everyone. Our colleagues abroad may feel it is unreasonable to ask for a perform better than we do on our own metrics. But the goal is valid.
The last one we fully embrace at Premiere Medical Travel. First and foremost is the healthcare. We have taken a particular stance in calling ourselves medical travel and not medical tourism. We believe tourism highlights the tourism component too much. For simple procedure or health check ups, this is feasible, but to recover from major surgery while on safari is unreasonable. Health first, experience next and everything should follow properly.
In general the AMA has it right in our view. There are some gaps in expectation and performance domestically on the aftercare, payment, outcome measures and HIPAA issues that warrant further examination. We can only expect others to perform at the level we set, embrace and enforce for ourselves.
Travel Safe, Be Well.
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
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
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bangkok Hospital Medical Center Offers Valve Replacement
The facility is terrific, the staff excellent and the offer appears to be a great value.
The BHMC released a statement offering heart valve replacement with an inclusive package that seems quite attractive. The ~$17,000 fee covers the hospital charges (labs, imaging, OR time, CCU time) and the service fees for the physicians. Having visited the facility earlier this year, I would feel very comfortable receiving my care here.
The charges a US citizen would incur for this procedure domestically would be more than 10 times the price above. Even adding in the airfare, lodging for a companion and a short stay trip for yourself post-op and the charges between the two countries are very far apart.
Government data for the year 2006, the latest available, shows US hospital charges were around $120,000 for valve replacement surgeries. This is the hospital inpatient charges which, in many cases, will not cover: cardiothoracic surgeon, anesthesiologist, cardiologist, CCU attending (Intensivist), pulmonologist, hospitalist or internist, radiologist, pathologist and other assorted professional service fees.
Each physician charges for the professional services that they provide to you the patient. These fees can be a few hundred to several thousand dollars each. It adds up quickly. Commonly patients see a hospital bill and assume that this is the total. Often it is not. Additional bills can arrive after you are discharged.
This package offered by BHMC has an attractive value offering to US clients in need of valve replacement. It is unclear from the new release whether a complication is covered. Air fare lodging and other costs do need to be factored in. But there is still no comparison if you have no insurance or are significantly underinsured.
A high quality medical travel or medical tourism company can help guide you with choices and options for you and a companion. We can help.
Be Well, Travel Safe
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
818 917-6189
The BHMC released a statement offering heart valve replacement with an inclusive package that seems quite attractive. The ~$17,000 fee covers the hospital charges (labs, imaging, OR time, CCU time) and the service fees for the physicians. Having visited the facility earlier this year, I would feel very comfortable receiving my care here.
The charges a US citizen would incur for this procedure domestically would be more than 10 times the price above. Even adding in the airfare, lodging for a companion and a short stay trip for yourself post-op and the charges between the two countries are very far apart.
Government data for the year 2006, the latest available, shows US hospital charges were around $120,000 for valve replacement surgeries. This is the hospital inpatient charges which, in many cases, will not cover: cardiothoracic surgeon, anesthesiologist, cardiologist, CCU attending (Intensivist), pulmonologist, hospitalist or internist, radiologist, pathologist and other assorted professional service fees.
Each physician charges for the professional services that they provide to you the patient. These fees can be a few hundred to several thousand dollars each. It adds up quickly. Commonly patients see a hospital bill and assume that this is the total. Often it is not. Additional bills can arrive after you are discharged.
This package offered by BHMC has an attractive value offering to US clients in need of valve replacement. It is unclear from the new release whether a complication is covered. Air fare lodging and other costs do need to be factored in. But there is still no comparison if you have no insurance or are significantly underinsured.
A high quality medical travel or medical tourism company can help guide you with choices and options for you and a companion. We can help.
Be Well, Travel Safe
Jim McCormick, MD
Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC
818 917-6189
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