August 7, 2007 
I find the whole concept of Medical Tourism fascinating. The fact that it can be less expensive for someone in the US to fly to a foreign country and get an operation done is logical while also amazing. When I was trying my start-up, one of my board members had a friend raising $2B to develop a medical center in Asia to bring people there for long-term surgery and recovery periods.
Business 2.0 had an article about medical tourism that predicted it would be a $40B market by 2010. A great opportunity?
Example from the article “GlobalChoice sent a patient to Punjab for a hip replacement that cost about $13,000, including airfare and a 20-day hotel stay. The estimated cost in the United States for the surgery alone? $40,000.”
I also found it interesting in a April 2007 Wired article called “Organs for Sale” to see the prices for transplants overseas (with much higher availability also).
- $15,000 – $145,000 for a kidney
- $150,000 – $290,000 for a lung
- $25,000 – $290,000 for a liver
- $110,000 – $140,000 for a pancreas
- $90,000 – $290,000 for a heart
My key point with blog (other than just interest) is that there is a market for companies to provide these services, insure the patient, manage the quality of care, and offer incentives (even for insured people) to get this care.
Enabling Healthy Decisions 
The medical tourism field is an exciting one. In addition to cost savings and high quality, patients can have the opportunity to experience much better hospitality and customer service at many overseas hospitals than what they’re used to in the US.
After writing about the topic a few times on my Health Business Blog, I’ve started a website devoted just to this topic: http://www.MedTripInfo.com
David Williams
CEO, MedTripInfo
A BUSINESS APPORTUNITY
THAT SAVES LIVES
Dear Friend,
Here is a chance to help people and make a handsome profit with no investment.
If a loved one or some one you know have a health problem that is causing concern about
The cost or quality of available care,
We suggest you consider the excellent, high-quality treatment options available in India at a fraction of the cost in a U.S. hospital.
Those who will benefit the most are
Uninsured individuals who may face staggering medical bills for serious procedures. It’s notable that half of U.S. bankruptcies are a direct result of catastrophic medical events and their associated costs.
• Patients seeking treatments that are routinely performed in India, but not approved in the U.S. (robot assisted joint replacement as an example)
• Patients that want to take personal accountability for their healthcare decisions, and make the best choice
People who find themselves forced to choose between suffering with a health problem or facing significant damage to their finances.
• Wait-listed patients with chronic pain or disability (Canada)
People considering procedures that are elective or not otherwise covered by insurance plans such as cosmetic surgery
People needing dental care (like root canals).
Anyone facing a serious medical procedure, such as heart or orthopedic surgery with limited financial resources to pay for it. Such resources typically include personal savings, health insurance or a combination of both. Treatment in India may make the difference in being able to have a corrective procedure performed or not.
SAVINGS
Savings will vary but typically the cost of medical care provided will be 70-80% lower than the fees typically charged in the U.S. health care system.
The payment system that has evolved in the U.S., it is nearly impossible to get an estimate for a procedure
Indian super-specialty hospitals are accustomed to dealing with the needs of international patients, they provide a concise estimate for the procedure, including physician fees, nursing care, room and food It is simply a matter of the health care cost structure in India. Physicians and hospitals charge less, medications are less expensive, there are no additional costs (such as malpractice insurance) borne by doctors and passed along to patients through increased fees, staff salaries and other overhead costs are considerably lower, and so on.
Also Indian Hospitals do not have the Costs associated with frivolous lawsuits result in the unusually high cost of malpractice insurance in the U.S.
TRAVEL COSTS
The majority of all new airliner sales into the foreseeable future are going to Asia, ultimately providing cost advantages to passengers. The cost of travel to India is now becoming very competitive with the cost of travel between major U.S. cities. For example, a patient from Raleigh would find it costs less to travel to New Delhi than to Houston mid-week…and a heart valve replacement would be $7,000 rather than $150,000. Besides:
In many cases, the price advantage of India can also include the travel expenses of a partner traveling with the patient
DOCTERS
Indian Doctors are board-certified physicians, many of whom have previously trained in top U.S. medical programs and practiced medicine in the United States. Their quality of care is equal to and in many cases exceeds that available in this country.
Indian Hospitals are among the best in the world and boast an excellent professional staff, as well as the most modern facilities and equipment available. In most cases, the success rates for medical procedures performed in our hospitals exceed those for U.S. institutions.
• The Medicare program in the U.S. recognizes JCAHO accreditation as an indicator of quality…and in fact a requirement for Medicare payment to the hospital. In addition to existing International accreditations, such as ISO, Indian hospitals are seeking JCI accreditation. JCI is the international arm of JCAHO.
• Indian super-specialty hospitals have success rates that are in many cases superior to their American counterparts, because they are focused on the international patient. Hospitals have treated more than 150,000 foreign patients
India is one of the most populous countries in the world with a lower standard of living and higher incidence of poverty than in most Western countries. On the other hand, India is of one the world’s most dynamic emerging countries and has an increasingly strong economy. Indian specialty hospitals have made large financial investments in recent years to ensure that their equipment and care facilities compare favorably with leading hospitals in the U.S. These hospitals have also attracted some of the best physicians in the world. India is fast becoming a worldwide health care destination.
Physicians often find themselves unable to suggest any viable alternatives to patients who cannot afford the high costs of treatment here at home. Since all physicians are committed to helping patients in any way they reasonably can, they are increasingly looking elsewhere for help. Physicians who are part of our Network are familiar with the facilities and benefits offered by our overseas providers. US-based physicians are universally glad to offer an excellent alternative for patients to receive treatments that otherwise may be out of their financial reach.
We provide comprehensive end-to-end services for medical care including tourism combined with health care.
Our staff will look after the customers every need even before their feet touch Indian soil.
Transport Doctors appointments accommodation special requests for food every aspect is catered for.
We pay reasonable compensation to people who refer customers to us.
e mail mahesh@allcareinternational.com or call 91 9224475540
Healthbase.com is one such medical tourism facilitator that provides medical travel services to those in need of low cost high quality health care. They helped me get rhinoplasty (nose surgery) in Thailand at a 20% of what was estimated here in the US.
The world is changing in the way that its citizens are seeking healthcare. People don’t mind taking long flights even when they are seeking treatment for the heart. It’s fascinating how much money one can save just by choosing to have their surgery overseas. Nothing else changes because many of the overseas hostpials are internationally accredited by JCI, the surgeons are US board certified and US trained, the facilities are as modern as in the US, and the service quality surpasses US standards. It’ll be exciting to watch as this industry grows.