How to Choose the Right Facility for Your Medical Care Abroad

Copyright (c) 2008 Some 4.3 million people in the U.S.a copy of the policies and procedures and review
do not have insurance, due to the high cost ofthem prior to making a final decision.
insurance premiums. Uninsured and the under insuredWhen trying to decide which are the best facilities, be
are tired of the rising medical costs and thesure to look beyond the nice building and paintings. You
astronomical costs of insurance coverage inneed to find out what equipment the facility has and
developed countries and are looking for alternatives.how old it is. Because state of the art diagnostic
Medical tourism offers a viable alternative to the highequipment can be as costly as erecting a building,
cost procedures that would be impossible to paysome are opting to purchase outdated and second
otherwise.hand equipment. Still others have equipment that looks
Countries and corporations are realizing that in order togood in the pictures, but is malfunctioning.
draw the medical tourist to their area, rather thanIt should be pointed out that this is not the norm. Most
another, it is essential to provide a state of the artnew facilities are also equipped with the latest
facility. Many of the marketed medical tourismequipment such as heart mapping equipment, CT
destinations are state of the art facilities that moreScanners, Open MRI machines, heart catheterization
resemble a five star resort than a hospital.labs, digital ultrasound and mammogram machines and
It is not enough to offer resort type accommodationsmore. Contact with the facility to inquire about their
in brand new buildings. Administrators recognize that inequipment, reference checks and using a medical
order to attract medical tourists, it is necessary totourism travel agent are some ways to safeguard
meet the strictest of standards and provide top qualityagainst problems.
service. The majority of marketed facilities that offerMost of the doctors who work in these medical
medical tourism are accredited by the IOS (Internationaltourism facilities have studied in the developed
Organization of Standardization) and the JCI (Jointcountries and then have returned to work in their home
Commission International).countries. If you are having a medical procedure done,
The IOS is an organization made up of members fromrest assured that you will be cared for by highly
countries all over the world, as is the JCI. Bothqualified staff.
organizations offer standards that have been draftedAnyone who has had a medical procedure done
with the intent of providing a framework for operationknows that the post-operative stage is as important,
and measurable outcomes. The JCI website is andand sometimes more so, than the actual procedure.
gives a complete listing of all international facilities thatChecking the policies for recovery is important.
are accredited. Each listing gives the date ofDecisions should be made, in part, based on the type
accreditation and the date of re-accreditation, ifof care that is provided post-recovery. In developed
applicable. You can also review what some of thecountries, there are plenty of documented cases of
standards are, what the accreditation process is, andbeing discharged from a hospital too soon after a
pending standards. Both organizations have developedprocedure, and having complications develop. Medical
the standards with the input of members thattourists report the opposite, to a large degree. Most
represent all world regions. (North America, Central andtourists report that they were allowed to stay for a full
Latin America, Asia and the Pacific Rim, Central andrecovery period, and that staff were very attentive.
Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East, andMany facilities have translators standing by who are
Africa). A wise person would consult the accreditedfluent in every language. Again, taking the time to
facilities listing, prior to determining which to have acheck the specific practices and staffing of the facility
procedure done at.you are considering will save potential problems later
It is unfortunate that there are some facilities that areon.
brand new and fully staffed, but are not adhering toIt is true that all countries have good facilities and bad,
sanitation guidelines. Phone and email conversationsall countries have highly skilled doctors as well as those
with former patrons of the facility will give you criticalwho are poorly trained and running less than desirable
information concerning the cleanliness of the buildingoperations. Purchase a well researched medical
and is well worth your time and effort. Bear in mindtourism guide and/or contact a medical travel agent to
that each facility has its own set of policies andassist you with your decision. The information is
procedures and adhere to those, in addition to any putalready researched for you, and you would be wise to
forth by the IOS and JCI. A wise consumer will ask foraccess those resources.