Comments on: Data Smog and Medical Tourism

By: Sandy Pennington

Sandy Pennington — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:01:06 +0000

Good points from both of you. In fact this is, as often happens, an industry borne of necessity. Many people are not able to afford healthcare in the USA. In the UK and Canada as well as other countries, people who have serious problems have to stand in line for life threatening illnesses.

In our highly entrepreneurial small business environment, more and more people do not have insurance. And, because of the insurance-based inflated medical price structure in the USA people must look for a more cost-effective solution. Added to this is the aging of the USA population and the health needs of what is called the “baby boomers”.

Fortunately, because of demand, many countries have made it a national goal to set high standards for healthcare in the hope of attracting medical travelers.

This industry is also aided by the international arm to our independent credentialing agency, Joint Commission International (JCI), taking on accreditation of hospitals around the world.

Fortunately, for those of us who are self employed and of an age to have healthcare needs, this is a convergence that will benefit all the parties at the table if the worldwide providers of care are truly committed to quality care.

Thank you for your comments and keep up the good work.

By: ssulger

ssulger — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:21:04 +0000

It’s interesting to me that years ago when medical tourism wasn’t part of many conversations and certainly wasn’t blog material that it wasn’t called anything but, “don’t tell anyone where I’m going or what I’m going for.” Who could have predicted that, in 2008, you would open a magazine like “Good Housekeeping” or a newspaper like “The New York Times” and see stories about US citizen’s having hysterectomies or hip replacements in foreign countries because they couldn’t afford to have needed surgery done in the States.

By: -- the moderator

-- the moderator — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:58:01 +0000

Thanks, Steph. You know, I’m a fan of yours as well …

I always remember, though — as you know, there are some plastic surgeons in Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico … who have had entire careers in what people came to call medical tourism, and are now retired or nearing it. Dr. Pitanguy in Brazil is probably the best-known name, but there are others.

-jeff

By: ssulger

ssulger — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:30:40 +0000

Jeff. You’ve been around this business for a long time. I’m glad to see we have someone who will be able to serve as an historian on how the industry of medical tourism grew and developed.

I read “Beauty from Afar” in 2005 when it was published and believe it is still a great resource for those seeking quality information about medical, surgical and dental care outside the United States.

Stephanie