By Keith Mendoza, Director of Sales, Satori World Medical

An article published by The Associated Press earlier this week, entitled “Insurers aim to save from overseas medical tourism,” by Tom Murphy, discusses why more U.S. insurers are starting to offer medical travel programs as part of their existing health plans.

According to the article, the four largest commercial U.S. health insurers — with enrollments totaling nearly 100 million people — have either launched pilot programs offering overseas travel or explored it. Several smaller insurers and brokers also have introduced travel options for hundreds of employers around the country.

However, in his article, Murphy also points out that growth of medical tourism within the insured market has been slow in part because patients and employers have concerns about care quality and legal responsibility if something goes wrong. Also, patients who have traditional plans with low deductibles may have little incentive to take a trip.

I completely agree that these are valid and important issues that anyone should address and consider before participating in a global healthcare program. Leading global healthcare companies, such as Satori World Medical, are addressing these common reservations by developing global healthcare networks to provide patients access to high-quality care, as well as provide more incentives for employees/individuals when they choose to travel for medical care.

First I’d like to comment on the issues of medical quality and patient safety and how medical quality is being addressed by today’s global healthcare companies. Our company has established a high-performing global healthcare network of Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited hospitals. JCI is the international accreditation arm of the U.S. hospital accrediting body, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), which works to ensure that all international hospitals meet the same quality and safety standards as leading U.S. hospitals.

Other key features of Satori World Medical’s Quality Assurance Program™ include a highly qualified Medical Quality Advisory Board, full-time Chief Medical Officer (CMO) on staff that is a Board Certified surgeon, and onsite due diligence visits made by our CMO to each of our network hospitals. As part of our program, Satori World Medical arranges follow-up care for every patient before he or she even leaves the country.

But that then begs the question, even if the quality of care is high why would somebody choose to undergo a surgical procedure outside the U.S. unless he or she had a meaningful incentive to do so? This is one of the biggest challenges to integrating medical tourism programs into the insured marketplace.  Satori World Medical has created a unique financial shared savings model that offers employees a direct financial incentive for choosing to undergo surgery at any of the hospitals within the Satori Global Network™. We feel that providing not only the employer and payor with a meaningful economic benefit to participate in our medical travel program, but the employee as well, is critical to ensuring our program’s widespread adoption within the insured marketplace.

Through Satori’s Health & Shared Wealth Program™, U.S. employees actually share directly in the economic benefits of medical travel. Through the Satori program employees are eligible to receive thousands of dollars funded in a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) by selecting the Satori Global Network™. Qualifying procedures include cardiac, orthopedic and spinal surgeries that are typically expensive within the U.S hospital system.

Additionally, there is no recurring monthly or fixed cost to employers or payors to integrate the Satori Global Network™ into their existing health plan design. On average, the cost savings per procedure, range anywhere from 40-80 percent, including the costs of travel and hotel accommodations for the patient and a companion.

We applaud the Associated Press for focusing on this important topic and as the industry continues to mature, look forward to seeing more U.S. employers, payors and patients benefit from global healthcare programs.

By Steven Lash, President & CEO of Satori World Medical

Medical tourism continues to emerge as an increasingly preferred option for many American patients seeking high-quality and affordable medical care. As a result, health authorities, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are recognizing the important need for quality information and education about global health care.

Specifically, the CDC has recently released its 2010 edition of Health Information for International Travel with new and expanded information about medical tourism. This formal, in-depth guide to medical practices and prevention abroad, also referred to as the Yellow Book, is published by CDC every two years. The latest edition includes an expansive section on medical tourism, evaluating both the benefits and risk factors of receiving medical care across international borders.

According to Dr. Gary Brunette, chief of CDC’s Travelers’ Health Branch and managing editor of the 2010 Yellow Book, in a recent press release issued by the CDC, “More people are traveling abroad for medical reasons, often to undergo medical procedures at cheaper rates than they might get in the United States. Medical standards can vary by country, and traveling soon after a medical procedure can carry its own set of health risks. We’re providing new recommendations to help people who choose medical tourism to do it as safely as possible.”

In the Yellow Book, Dr. Brunette addresses two key factors that patients must consider when choosing to undergo a medical procedure outside of the U.S.: cost and quality of care. It is a fact that the cost of health care in many other parts of the world is significantly lower than in the U.S., making it a compelling option for more Americans. However, quality is an equally important factor.

One of the biggest reasons for the growing participation in medical travel programs among American patients is that the quality of care available outside the U.S. often rivals that of many U.S. hospitals. For instance, there are now over 200 hospitals around the world accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI), the international arm of the U.S. hospital accrediting body, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). International hospitals accredited by JCI are required to meet the same rigorous standards in medical quality, patient outcomes, nurse-to-patient ratios, training and education of doctors and nurses, etc., as U.S. hospitals. This has led to growing confidence among U.S. health care authorities, as well as patients, in the high quality of care that international hospitals offer.

As mentioned in the Yellow Book, another important reason for the growing adoption of medical travel is the recognition that more U.S. payors and employers are now including medical travel as part of their health care coverage options for employees. According to CDC’s 2010 Yellow Book:

Lower cost is often mentioned as the motivation for this type of medical tourism, and an entire industry has grown up around this phenomenon. One can search for a provider and research accreditation status of the facility online, opt for an online concierge service that will make all the arrangements or, more recently, find that health insurance coverage may include the option of “outsourced” health care.

Global health care and medical travel companies, such as Satori World Medical, have arrived on the scene to provide more U.S. employers, payors and patients access to a high-quality, fully integrated global health care benefit program that significantly reduces the costs of commonly needed surgical procedures, in fact, by on average 40-80% per procedure. Satori World Medical also only contracts with JCI-accredited hospitals to ensure that all participating patients receive the highest quality care. Other key features of Satori’s Quality Assurance Program™ include a full-time Chief Medical Officer who has personally visited and reviewed every hospital in the global network, as well as the pre-arrangement of follow-up care for the patient in the U.S. before he or she leaves the country. This directly follows the CDC Guidebook recommendations provided by the American Medical Association’s tips for planning a surgery abroad:

-  Patients should check to see if the medical facilities abroad have been accredited by recognized international accrediting bodies such as the Joint Commission International or the International Society for Quality in Health Care.

-  Prior to travel, arrange local follow-up care to ensure continuity of care when you return from medical care outside the U.S.

Taking it a step further, Satori has developed an innovative business model that for the first time leverages a tax-advantaged, employer-funded Health Reimbursement Account, to directly reimburse the patient for receiving medical care outside the U.S. through the Satori Global Network™. As a result, they receive thousands of meaningful dollars that can be applied toward their future medical expenses for the next several years.

In my opinion, CDC’s inclusion of medical tourism in its latest edition of the Yellow Book is a true testament that medical tourism is a viable option for many Americans seeking high-quality, cost-effective health care.

by, Satori World Medical

Last week, Satori World Medical’s President & CEO Steven Lash and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ron Johnson, as well as Jessica, a patient who underwent a surgical procedure through the Satori Global Network™ in February, were featured in a Newsweek article on medical tourism, entitled “Medical Tourism Appeals to 60 Percent of Americans. Are You One of Them?”

The article written by Johannah Cornblatt discusses why global healthcare is continuing to gain appeal among a larger population of Americans in search of high-quality, affordable healthcare options. It also offers expert opinions on some of the key considerations Americans have when exploring this option for their healthcare.

Jessica, a 26-year-old woman from San Diego, spoke about her experience of traveling to Costa Rica through the Satori World Medical program to undergo a procedure related to weight loss. She explained that even with health insurance, the procedure would have cost her thousands of dollars out of her own pocket had she gone to a hospital in San Diego. Alternatively, by choosing to undergo her surgery through the Satori Global Network™ in Sán Jose, Costa Rica, Jessica said she was able to save $7,500 on her procedure, including all hospital fees, travel and hotel expenses for both herself and her mother, who accompanied her.

Dr. Johnson also then commented on how significant the cost savings of global healthcare really are, particularly for common, high-cost surgical procedures that often require a patient to stay in a hospital for at least 7-10 days. For example, he said, “the average cost of heart surgery is $50,000 in the U.S., versus $10,000 to $20,000 in other countries.”

But beyond the cost savings, what are other reasons why more Americans are participating in medical travel programs and what are the common reservations that some authorities and patients still have about global healthcare?

One of factors the industry is seeing is the growing number of employers offering a medical travel benefit package to their employees. Karen Timmons, President and CEO of Joint Commission International (JCI), a nonprofit that has accredited more than 250 hospitals in 36 countries, told Newsweek readers that Americans who are underinsured are more likely to go abroad for surgery than those who are not insured at all. “That’s because insurance companies will typically cover some portion of the cost for underinsured patients while uninsured patients, who also tend to make less money, have a harder time coming up with enough cash to cover the procedure, the flights, and a hotel room on their own,” she explained.

Of course, there are certain risks that patients need to consider when choosing to undergo surgery in a foreign hospital. Dr. T. Forcht Dagi, co-chair of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Perioperative Care, commented that Americans should not confuse cost with value.

In response to Dagi’s point, it’s important to recognize that the quality of care available internationally rivals some of the most, well-respected U.S. hospitals. In fact, many international hospitals are affiliated with top medical universities and hospitals, such as Johns Hopkins and Harvard Medical.

That is why it is highly recommended, as well, for employers that do offer global healthcare benefit plans to their employees to only contract with a reputable medical travel company, such as Satori World Medical, which offer an integrated medical benefit program that ensures the highest-quality care for its patients.

Dagi also emphasized the importance of follow-up care. In general, patients should think about follow-up care before they cross borders, he said. “Find out what your responsibility will be in the U.S. afterwards. Who is going to take care of a complication if God forbid, there is one?” Satori World Medical ensures that all follow-up care is arranged for the patient before he or she even leaves the country, and its all-inclusive benefit program includes a Personal Accident Insurance Policy for the patient.

Finally, Cornblatt asked Nethersole, who is quoted in the article, if American interest in medical tourism will dwindle if national health care becomes a reality in this country? She said no. Industry experts share the consensus that medical travel is here to stay.

By Keith Mendoza, Director of Sales Satori World Medical

Experts say that consumer-driven healthcare will continue to play an important role in U.S. Healthcare Reform by helping to contain healthcare costs across the board, while giving consumers more control over their own healthcare choices and expenses.

According to a recent study of 589 large U.S. employers, conducted by Watson Wyatt and the National Business Group on Health, more U.S. employers say they will offer consumer-directed health plans (CDHPs) in 2010 in order to help control employees’ healthcare costs. A CDHP is an insurance coverage option with a high deductible that is typically combined with a tax-advantaged Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), funded by the employer or Health Savings Account (HSA), funded by the employer or employee.

The study found that 51 percent of companies now offer workers a CDHP, up from 47 percent in 2008. These plans invite workers to choose from insurance coverage with a menu that usually makes the cost of medical care clear. There are currently an estimated 160 million Americans (nearly half of the population) who receive health insurance through an employer.

Another study by CIGNA revealed that more than 400,000 client employees found the ultimate cost of health coverage for both the employer and employee was typically 13 percent less for those enrolled in a CDHP than for those with a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) or Health Maintenance Organization (HMO).

The growing adoption of CDHPs among U.S. employers, in particular, has created an extremely bright opportunity and future for the medical tourism industry. An example of medical tourism is when American employees travel to countries outside the U.S. to receive high-quality healthcare at a fraction of the cost.

Satori World Medical has created the industry’s first global healthcare program whereby U.S. employees actually participate directly in the economic benefits of medical travel. Through the Satori program, for the first time ever, employees are eligible to receive thousands through an employer-funded HRA or HSA by undergoing certain surgical procedures through any of the Joint Commission International (JCI)-accredited hospitals with the Satori Global Network™. Qualifying procedures include cardiac, orthopedic and spinal surgeries, just to name a few, that are typically cost-prohibitive within the domestic hospital system.

Additionally, there is no monthly or fixed cost to the employer or payor to integrate the Satori Global Network™ into their existing health plan design. On average, the cost savings per procedure, range anywhere from 40-80 percent through Satori’s program, including the costs for travel and hotel accommodations for the patient and a companion.

So how do medical travel programs like Satori World Medical specifically fit into CDHPs?

Well for one, they offer healthcare consumers the ultimate choice of quality care and control over their healthcare cost, which is the primary premise of CDHPs.

Medical travel programs offer tremendous cost savings, which will only further accelerate the adoption of CDHPs. Global healthcare programs are proven to dramatically reduce the cost of healthcare across the board for all participants – U.S. employers, payors, and employees.

Finally, it is important to recognize that both above cost and quality objectives are achieved through medical travel programs.  In fact, all of the hospitals in the Satori Global Network™ are JCI-accredited, staffed by doctors that are U.S./U.K. or equivalently trained and Board Certified, and offer some of the best medical care and technology available anywhere in the world.

As we continue to explore and find ways to provide more Americans with access to quality and affordable healthcare, it is very promising to see the growing mainstream demand for and success of progressive options like CDHPs and globalized healthcare.