In case you missed it….

The last month has been a whirlwind of activity and accomplishment for IBMS, as it assumes a growing role in strengthening Medical Tourism worldwide.

Our Executive Director, Dr. David Kalin attended the 4th Annual Medical Tourism Global Healthcare Conference in Chicago, IL Oct 2011 where the 10th Anniversary dinner of the IBMS Global Medical Advisory Board was held.

IBMS attracted additional certified members at the conference and expanded interest in IBMS certification globally. We also received key endorsements for our work in developing accredited Global Continuing Medical Education.

Preliminary efforts were made in developing the IBMS e-Journal focusing on the unique content concerning aspects of medical tourism/healthcare, i.e. medical treatment guidelines, complications, case studies, transfer of medical records, language, cultural variances, infection control, unique therapies, etc.

Under the guidance of IBMS, several members of the IBMS Global Medical Advisory Board have begun the development of a Medical Tourism/Healthcare Internet Media Network at www.globalhealthcare.tv.

IBMS is preparing to begin IBMS certification of physicians, surgeons, and dentists in association with the India Medical Association during 2012.

While attending a conference on optimal age management therapies in Las Vegas during Nov 2011, Dr. Kalin had preliminary meetings regarding guidelines for stem cell treatment.

Preparations have already begun for the IBMS Regional Medical Tourism Conference in Tampa Bay during 2012-2013!

We are grateful to all colleagues and partners who have helped make this exciting growth possible, and encourage your ongoing input as IBMS positions itself for its most productive year ever.

In very strong majorities, the recently polled IBMS community confirmed and elaborated its support for Continuing Medical Education (CME) as a crucial pillar of Medical Tourism. Highlights are as follows:

88% of respondents agree that CME status and accomplishments should be conferred by a University or formal accrediting body;

As part of a CME program, 52% of respondents support a Standardized Test of Core Information for Provider participants in Medical Tourism;

The greatest perceived need for CME Courses is as follows:

Emergency/Complications/Post Op Care (77%)
Potential Complications and Case Reports (73%)
Post Op/Pre Op Standards and Guidelines for International Providers (69%)
Standards for International Certification (69%)
Minimally Invasive Medical/Surgical Techniques (62%)
Infection Control Procedures (58%)

Support also extends to active participation:

77% would attend an IBMS International Meeting or Regional Event offering CME courses;

73% are willing to represent IBMS in their specialty;

62% would submit an article related to Medical Tourism;

50% are willing to teach a CME course.

On a related note, 62% confirm that registration of the IBMS Certification Mark with the United States Patent Office has significant, positive standing for professional health care providers in their respective countries.

86% of those surveyed are professional Health Care workers, of whom a majority are Physicians. Responses spanned 6 continents with many diverse countries, from Australia to Fiji, from India to Egypt, from Argentina to the USA with many in between.

While seeking the best medical outcomes from certified providers of the highest quality, Medical Tourism patients are understandably concerned with maintaining the confidentiality of their medical records. It’s not atypical for Facilitators to request “complete medical records” from a prospective patient. But what assurance (if any) does the patient have that his medical privacy will not be compromised? In most cases he has little or no control over who looks at his information.

What is your experience in best managing this concern, alleviating patient anxiety about potential privacy breach while legitimately allowing access to his Medical Records by applicable providers in the patient care cycle?

According to the recent IBMS Survey of Medical Providers and Facilitators worldwide, Medical Tourism will continue to grow substantially over the next few years in spite of the uneven global economy. ALL those who responded to this question concurred that Medical Tourism revenues will rise, with 75% anticipating moderate to strong growth. Moreover, 54% of those surveyed declare that Medical Tourism will not belong merely to the relatively wealthy.

As a backdrop to this, 80% believe that Medical Tourism growth is significantly correlated with Patient Travel costs. Almost 50% characterize the correlation as “strong” or “very strong”. On a common-sense level, it would seem hard to argue against this.

Clearly, the survey participants believe that global economic volatility, rising fuel costs etc. will not inflate travel costs to levels deterring patient travel for broad economic groups. Many already enjoy healthy revenues from Medical Tourism. 30% of the Providers (Physicians/Surgeons/Dentists) who responded indicated that Medical Tourism patients already comprise at least 20% of their total number of patients, with many providers performing new procedures in recent years.

Not surprisingly, when asked to weigh the most significant obstacles to growth the top 2 choices were “Inadequate Patient Knowledge of International Treatment Options” and “Inadequate or Inconsistent Credentialing, Standards and Certification of Providers”. Many respondents offered detailed commentary and advice on overcoming these obstacles, which will be shared in forthcoming posts.

Medical Providers and Facilitators typically stay abreast of Medical Tourism through multiple information channels. The Internet is very important, as are professional associations and journals. 80% rely on the World Wide Web, 59% on Professional Associations, 56% on Email, 50% on Professional Journals. At least 25% also showed heavy reliance on each of the following: Social Media such as Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook; Trade Publications; Trade Shows and Conferences.

To view the Survey Summary report, go to:

http://www.ibms.us/media/IBMS_Survey_1.pdf

Did anyone notice this recent case of Korea’s exceptional entrepreneurial initiative to raise its profile for Medical Tourism? http://bit.ly/gXIlzO

It would seem this kind of positive press can only benefit the inbound country, with the happy industry-wide effect of raising patient awareness of the broad possibilities of Medical Tourism in general. Does anyone know of other governments taking similar initiatives these days – actively promoting, facilitating and publicizing?

With the increased penetration of the International Board of Medicine and Surgery (IBMS) in global healthcare marketplace more and more individuals not only view the internet site of IBMS but also call to verify credentials and seek additional confidence in deciding to seek medical care abroad. Many have already done a great deal of research into their quest, and yet they still seek additional confidence in formulating an informed decision.

Dr. Prem Jagyasi,an IBMS Medical Advisory Board member, has just released a digital medical tourism guidebook, presently available at Prem@Jagyasi.com and www.DrPrem.com. This comprehensive medical tourism guidebook by a leader in the development of this industry sheds a global perspective on the medical tourism industry and what one needs to do and expect from such an experience. Dr. Jagyasi discusses all facets from finding a doctor, traveling, facilitators, accreditation, and focuses on specific countries and their medical tourism programs—another effort in helping the individual make an informed decision.

In the meantime, the medical tourism industry is working diligently to upgrade standards of facilitators who lead the potential patient to a speicalized healthcare service. The Medical Tourism Association (MTA) under the guidance of Renee Stephano, Esquire and President, has developed a facilitator certification program, and additional certifying companies are working to train medical tourism and travel company representatives in the specifics of facilitating not just a travel experience, but a unique accommodation to the health and well-being of the individual, especially one requiring post-operative care in a culturally different setting.

In the end, the goal is patient satisfaction with the intimate union created in this effort to develop global initiatives in the patient/doctor relationship, hopefully achieving the goal of “better health”, more productivity, overcoming physical/mental impairments, and finding unique solutions to one’s personal desire to actualize oneself.

First, their medical facilities are demonstrably world-class. One does not continue attracting Prime Ministers and the Hollywood glitter crowd for various procedures without demonstrable clinical excellence and quality results. This reputation is deservedly not limited to the very wealthy. An American friend of mine while touring Switzerland last year had a nasty accident, with a bad head gash. He immediately received superb ER attention and skillful (plastic surgeon quality) stitching for the best outcome. His cost – $200.00! (This was later reimbursed by his USA-based insurance company upon appeal.) Such experiences not only leave a life-long impression, they rapidly “go viral”.

Secondly, the Swiss have made a conscious effort to promote Medical Tourism. The Genolier Swiss Medical Network which operates a clinics network and performs surgery, imaging techniques, and other specialties explicitly courts foreign patients, who already account for 5% of revenues. More international promotion is underway.

Already a $1 Billion revenue stream inside Switzerland, Medical Tourism there could easily reach $5 Billion by 2020. As this video from Bloomberg news cleverly shows, that’s a much more lucrative export than Swiss chocolate.

One of the most beautiful places in the world, Switzerland enjoys a natural advantage as a prime tourist destination. But in their case it’s more like the icing on the cake. All the ingredients are there – the Right Stuff.

Patients considering leaving home for care want to know  some basic things.

First, is it safe? Second, who do I seek a remedy if things go wrong? Third, who is going to take care of me before and after my surgery or treatment? And  , finally, why should I leave home for care?

Doctors participating in global care provision, like readers of this site, need to do a better job of convincingly and honestly answering those questions. Here are some of mine:

Is it safe?: Generally, yes. The same organizations that accredit  healthcare facilities in the US, do the same thing outside of the US. However, you need to understand that these organzations, like the Joint Commission International, accredit facilities, not doctors, and they base their accreditation on mostly structure and process, not outcomes. In addition, a lot of work needs to be done to standardize outcomes so we can compare apples to apples.

What do I do if things go wrong?: If you are under the jurisdiction of a country outside of the US, the rules, regulations and customs are obviously different. You need to do some homework and understand the risks involved. That said, you can mimize your  risk by choosing the right provider, ask questions, and communcate with your doctors as much as possible. At this point, even international legal experts are trying to figure out how to resolve this pressing issue.

Who will take care of me before and after my surgery or treatment?: The best option is to identify a local provider at home who is willing to help you get treatment , will provide care before and after you come home, and will communicate with your consulting physician overseas. In the real world, however, there are barriers to doctors doing this so don’t be surprised if your doctor refuses to help.

Why should I leave home for care?: There are five basic reasons why patients leave home for care-1) they get better value i.e.quality at an affordable price, 2) they can get access to treatments that are valid but not approved by the US FDA, 3)they can get treatments quicker than they can get them at home, 4) they want to combine a travel experience with medical treatment, and 5) they want to keep their care secret. Cost used to drive the decision. Given the disruptions in US heathcare and reform proposals, more and more the issue is quality and access.

Our vision is to create a global healthcare referral network offering patients information they need to choose quality,  accessable care for an affordable price anywhere in the world. I look forward to working with my colleagues who share that vision.

Arlen D Meyers, MD,MBA

www.medvoy.com

www.careconnectix.com

In my mind, one to the biggest barriers to implementation of global care referral and coordination is convincing doctors around the word of the value propostion of medical travel and providing them enough incentive and the tools to participate.

The present medical facilitation model often bypasses doctors at the primary contact point for patients, instead connecting them to a host of middlemen like facilitators, ground operators, and hospital based international concierge help desk personnel. As a result of this disintermediation, providers are reluctant to participate.

To improve patient and provider communication, and in an attempt to remove firewalls and barriers, we’ve created Careconnectix at www.careconnectix.com  , a global healthcare social network for doctors and their patients.

Please join us in the conversation and share your experiences about leaving home for care.

Arlen D Meyers, MD, MBA

www.medvoy.com

Finally after refinancing our home, eliminating all other debts and reconciling with my wife over our domestic financial obligations, she informed me she had been seeing an acupuncturist, was taking herbal medications and would be leaving for South Korea, her homeland, where she found a doctor to perform in vitro fertilization.

After living with her sister in Korea for 3-4 months, she called me to come over from the USA. I said, “I’ll send whatever you need Federal Express.” She said, “No.” And the next week I took off from my busy medical practice and flew to Seoul, South Korea.

I was exhausted and at the same time had been requested to enter this small room with xxx videos and a cup. Needless to say I could barely stay awake. After a while my wife walked me several blocks to her sister’s house, “got what she needed” and scampered back to the clinic holding “the” cup in a brown bag protected from the light.

The next day, the embryos were impregnated, and after another several months, I met my wife back in the USA. Six months later we had a little boy who now is almost 8 years old, and whereas I could count to ten and recite the ABCs at his age, he has captured first in State in piano competition; has played the violin at weddings, funerals, birthday parties and concerts; breaks boards as a black belt in taekwando; has the beginnings of 3-4 languages; and basically is just a normal good kid.

Is this a solid reason to try to advance the idea of a global healthcare marketplace? I think so.