ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

New Frontiers: Medical tourism brings potential for big business but poses big questions

by Thomas R. Collins • January 10, 2011

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

More patients every year are traveling outside of the U.S. in search of lower health bills and treatments that might be unavailable to them at home.

You Might Also Like

  • Amazon Enters the Medical Supply Business
  • Computer Technology Boosts Rhinologic Surgery, but Poses Choices for Surgeons
  • Laser Treatment for Laryngeal Cancer: Good Results-and Complex Questions
  • Revision Sinus Surgery Poses Unique Challenges
Explore This Issue
January 2011

The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions estimates that 750,000 Americans went to another country for treatment in 2007, and researchers there conclude that the industry could grow by 20 percent a year, with as many as 1.6 million U.S. residents taking these trips by 2012. Researchers caution that exact numbers are essentially unattainable, however, because estimates are largely based on self-reported figures that can’t be verified.

But with medical tourism on the rise, more and more doctors are faced with the choice of whether or not to get involved. Those who do will have to grapple with important insurance and legal questions, experts say.

Popular Procedures

Most patients are traveling to India, Singapore and Thailand, where they can get the most bang for their bucks and find the most medical facilities that are accredited by the Joint Commission International, according to Paul Keckley, PhD, executive director of the Deloitte Center. Most procedures involve savings of 50 to 70 percent, even after airfare, hotel and other travel costs are considered, Dr. Keckley said.

A survey by the Deloitte Center found that 3 percent of respondents said they’d traveled outside the U.S. to consult with a doctor or receive treatment within the last 24 months. Nine percent said they would likely go abroad for a necessary surgical procedure if they could save at least 50 percent, but 67 percent said they would not be likely to do so.

A recent survey of Americans who had considered medical travel, conducted by the Texas-based Center for Medical Tourism Research (CMTR), found that 250 of the 1,821 respondents (13 percent) had traveled abroad for health care.

The most popular treatments sought abroad are not big-ticket procedures like open-heart surgeries and hip replacements, but are instead high-volume outpatient procedures, Dr. Keckley said. How well those kinds of procedures continue to catch on will determine how big the industry will get, he said. “It will be the ability of these host institutions to package products for these short-stay outpatient procedures, whether they’re cosmetic, dental … orthopedic, ENT or others that are at least 30 percent lower in out-of-pocket costs than U.S.-based products,” he said.

Less than 10 percent of the business involves otolaryngology procedures, said Rudy Rupak, who in 2002 founded PlanetHospital, which claims to be the first medical tourism “intermediary” company created to arrange medical trips for patients. According to Rupak, the most common ENT procedures patients seek abroad are laryngectomy, septoplasty, sinus surgery and sleep apnea treatment.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 | Single Page

Filed Under: Everyday Ethics, Legal Matters, Practice Management Tagged With: legal, reimbursement, TrendsIssue: January 2011

You Might Also Like:

  • Amazon Enters the Medical Supply Business
  • Computer Technology Boosts Rhinologic Surgery, but Poses Choices for Surgeons
  • Laser Treatment for Laryngeal Cancer: Good Results-and Complex Questions
  • Revision Sinus Surgery Poses Unique Challenges

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.