TY - JOUR
T1 - Medical tourism services available to residents of the United States
AU - Alleman, Brandon W.
AU - Luger, Tana
AU - Reisinger, Heather Schacht
AU - Martin, Rene
AU - Horowitz, Michael D.
AU - Cram, Peter
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements: Dr. Reisinger is supported by a Career Development Award from the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Health Services Research and Development Service (CD1 08-013-1). Dr. Martin is an investigator at the Iowa City VA Medical Center. Dr. Cram was supported by a K23 career development award (RR01997201) from the NCRR at the NIH and the Robert Wood Johnson Physician Faculty Scholars Program. This work is also funded by R01 HL085347-01A1 from NHLBI at the NIH.
PY - 2011/5
Y1 - 2011/5
N2 - BACKGROUND: There are growing reports of United States (US) residents traveling overseas for medical care, but empirical data about medical tourism are limited. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the businesses and business practices of entities promoting medical tourism and the types and costs of procedures being offered. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND OUTCOMES: Between June and August 2008, we conducted a telephone survey of all businesses engaged in facilitating overseas medical travel for US residents. We collected information from each company including: the number of employees; number of patients referred overseas; medical records security processes; destinations to which patients were referred; treatments offered; treatment costs; and whether patient outcomes were collected. RESULTS: We identified 63 medical tourism companies and 45 completed our survey (71%). Companies had a meanof9.8 employees and had referred an average of 285 patients overseas (a total of approximately 13,500 patients). 35 (79%) companies reported requiring accreditation of foreign providers, 22 (50%) collected patient outcome data, but only 17 (39%) described formal medical records security policies. The most common destinations were India (23 companies, 55%), Costa Rica (14, 33%), and Thailand (12, 29%). The most common types of care included orthopedics (32 companies, 73%), cardiac care (23, 52%), and cosmetic surgery (29, 66%). 20 companies (44%) offered treatments not approved for useinthe US-most commonly stem cell therapy. Average costs for common procedures, CABG ($18,600) and knee arthroplasty ($10,800), were similar to previous reports. CONCLUSIONS: The number of Americans traveling overseas for medical care with assistance from medical tourism companies is relatively small. Attention to medical records security and patient outcomes is variable and cost-savings are dependent on US prices. That said, overseas medical care can be a reasonable alternative for price sensitive patients in need of relatively common, elective medical procedures.
AB - BACKGROUND: There are growing reports of United States (US) residents traveling overseas for medical care, but empirical data about medical tourism are limited. OBJECTIVE: To characterize the businesses and business practices of entities promoting medical tourism and the types and costs of procedures being offered. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND OUTCOMES: Between June and August 2008, we conducted a telephone survey of all businesses engaged in facilitating overseas medical travel for US residents. We collected information from each company including: the number of employees; number of patients referred overseas; medical records security processes; destinations to which patients were referred; treatments offered; treatment costs; and whether patient outcomes were collected. RESULTS: We identified 63 medical tourism companies and 45 completed our survey (71%). Companies had a meanof9.8 employees and had referred an average of 285 patients overseas (a total of approximately 13,500 patients). 35 (79%) companies reported requiring accreditation of foreign providers, 22 (50%) collected patient outcome data, but only 17 (39%) described formal medical records security policies. The most common destinations were India (23 companies, 55%), Costa Rica (14, 33%), and Thailand (12, 29%). The most common types of care included orthopedics (32 companies, 73%), cardiac care (23, 52%), and cosmetic surgery (29, 66%). 20 companies (44%) offered treatments not approved for useinthe US-most commonly stem cell therapy. Average costs for common procedures, CABG ($18,600) and knee arthroplasty ($10,800), were similar to previous reports. CONCLUSIONS: The number of Americans traveling overseas for medical care with assistance from medical tourism companies is relatively small. Attention to medical records security and patient outcomes is variable and cost-savings are dependent on US prices. That said, overseas medical care can be a reasonable alternative for price sensitive patients in need of relatively common, elective medical procedures.
KW - Elective surgery
KW - Medical tourism
KW - Travel
KW - Uninsured
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U2 - 10.1007/s11606-010-1582-8
DO - 10.1007/s11606-010-1582-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 21161425
AN - SCOPUS:79958747109
SN - 0884-8734
VL - 26
SP - 492
EP - 497
JO - Journal of general internal medicine
JF - Journal of general internal medicine
IS - 5
ER -