Vic Lazzaro, BridgeHealth International Inc.’s CEO, was featured recently on the EBA Raw Bar, which is the regular podcast of Employee Benefit Adviser. The Raw Bar features “daily in-depth interviews and discussions with the leading employee benefits minds of our time,” and I’ve no doubt Vic is a little amused to be described as among such company. But that’s what happens when you’re ahead of the curve.

In the interview, he describes the role a strong network plays in creating confidence in care abroad and sheds light on the provider selection process. You can listen below — just click the arrow to play the sound file.

Browse the web and you’ll find a lot of medical tourism companies. It can be difficult to a casual observer to judge their credibility — it’s a truism that “anyone can have a web site.” One of the ways you can tell if a company is “real” is whether they behave like one in ways besides having a web site. The media release, below, gives BridgeHealth’s bonafides.

– the moderator

DENVER — With more Americans reaching beyond domestic borders to the international community for more affordable dental and medical care, BridgeHealth International, Inc. (BHI) today announced that its worldwide health care network model received a seven-figure seed round investment led by the NY-based private equity firm Jovian Holdings. Additional participation comes from Denver-based Tivis Capital, a private equity firm specializing in healthcare services and medical device companies, which will also provide a senior management team to lead BHI’s medical tourism operations.

“With strong financial backing and a seasoned executive team that has extensive experience in health care operations, BHI emerges as the industry leader in the burgeoning market niche known as medical tourism,” said Victor Lazzaro, Jr., CEO of BridgeHealth International and managing director of Tivis Capital. (photo, right)

Lazzaro has 20 years of senior management experience in the health and managed care fields and formed International Health Technology Company (IHT), a consulting firm, which has developed and managed medical clinics and hospitals in China. He serves as president and CEO of Signum US Healthcare, developing CyberKnife[R]-focused surgery clinics in China. Previously, Lazzaro was president and CEO of United Healthcare Corporation - Mountain States (UHC) and was regional vice president of Health Plan Operations, Gulf South for Prudential Insurance Company of America.

“We are assembling a wide selection of dentists, physicians and accredited hospitals, and are actively expanding the network to serve the needs of employers, insurers, benefit plan payers, third party administrators and consumers,” continued Lazzaro.

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Just a few years back, medical travel and tourism was the province of a small and select group of hospitals and medical facilities; and the United States was better known as a destination for international patients, not as a country from which patients went elsewhere for care.

Today, the infrastructure of medical travel and tourism is global. Consumers led the way and the medical and business communities have expanded to cater to the growing demand. In that context, BridgeHealth’s announcement of a global network of providers puts it at the leading edge of providing international care but patients in the U.S. shouldn’t be surprised. Providing for increased choice in destinations, facilities, surgeons, doctors and pricing is part of what medical travel *does*, as a phenomenon, as it grows.

– the moderator

DENVER - Responding to the growing demand among employers, health plans and other stakeholders for a comprehensive, “world-class” network of international healthcare centers of excellence, BridgeHealth International, Inc. (BridgeHealth) today unveiled its initial system of providers comprised of over 25 hospitals and 600 physicians, dentistsand health professionals in ten countries. With a focus on serving businesses and individuals for the delivery of international medical care, BridgeHealth developed its World-Class Provider Network™ to offer an extensive range of medical and dental procedures, a wide choice of hospitals and destinations, and options for accessing providers with experience, expertise and high standards of safety.

“The BridgeHealth network is the first-of-its kind in the industry, bringing to the marketplace a best-of-breed option for delivering high quality care and treatments to medical travelers,” says Victor Lazzaro, Jr., CEO of BridgeHealth. “Backed by decades of executive experience in healthcare delivery, BridgeHealth has assembled a network of breadth and depth, with a focus on promoting provider choice and offering a superior client experience. As the recognized leader and innovator in medical travel, we are committed to growing this international system while always maintaining the highest degrees of integrity and concern for quality.”

The BridgeHealth network represents the widest range of choices now available for medical travel, offering patients a vast array of options.

“Some Americans may choose to travel to exotic locations including Singapore or India while others may prefer to be closer to home and opt for Mexico or Panama,” continues Lazzaro. “We offer a broad menu of medical and dental procedures – meeting needs as varied as orthopedic procedures, cardiac surgeries, and bariatric operations. Our goal is to match patients with their location of choice, meet budget expectations, and arrange for the highest quality care available in a specific country. This is all made possible by assembling the most extensive network in the industry.”

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Will is “a bridge” for The Bridge and is a contributor to the blog, and someone with whom our readers might want to become familiar. He also does the pretty graphics for the blog.

Here’s the news release announcing his hiring. (moderator)

DENVER– BridgeHealth International, Inc. (BridgeHealth; www.bridgehealthinternational.com), the premier service provider with a focus on serving businesses and individuals for the delivery of international medical care, today appointed Will Garin to the position of vice-president of marketing. Garin will help to guide the evolution of BridgeHealth products and services in the medical tourism industry, with a focus on business-to-business and direct-to-consumer initiatives.

“Will brings to BridgeHealth twelve years of experience in the strategic development, implementation, brand building and management of many successful marketing programs, including high-profile healthcare initiatives,” says Victor Lazzaro Jr., CEO of BridgeHealth. “He has the tools and expertise to help build our corporate imprint as the most innovative and quality-oriented organization in the fast-growing medical tourism industry. We will rely on his leadership to guide all online architecture, branding, optimization and marketing initiatives to meet our business goals.”

BridgeHealth International, Inc. serves health plans, insurance carriers, employers, third party administrators, and individuals accessing benefits via voluntary benefits plans, health card programs or Consumer Directed HealthCare Plans (CDHP). BridgeHealth also assists consumers seeking medical travel options. Read the rest of this entry »