SAN DIEGO – August 1, 2011 – Satori World Medical has partnered with HealthFirst TPA, a leading third party administrator (TPA), to offer its global healthcare program to their clients.

Through this partnership, Satori World Medical will provide HealthFirst TPA’s clients and thousands of their employees access to a full-service, high quality medical travel program, also known as medical tourism or global healthcare. Under the program, specialized surgical procedures, such as orthopedic, cardiac, bariatric, cosmetic and major dental work can be performed at cost savings of between 40-80 percent when compared to U.S. pricing at Satori’s International Centers of Excellence

“HealthFirst TPA is excited to have Satori World Medical as our exclusive global healthcare partner. This will add tremendous value to our self-funded clients’ benefit structure, as we are committed to reducing  healthcare costs, while providing more quality healthcare options. These are the exact same values of Satori World Medical, which makes this such a unique and valuable partnership”, said Mark Hobgood, Chief Marketing Officer, HealthFirst TPA.

HealthFirst TPA, located in Tyler, Texas, has been operating in the third party administrator industry since 1983. HealthFirst TPA is considered one of the most innovative and technologically advanced TPAs in the nation.

“We are pleased to be working with an industry-leading third party administrator, HealthFirst. Satori’s global network allows HealthFirst to expand their clients’ access to quality healthcare providers”, said Steven Lash, President and CEO, Satori World Medical. “Our medical travel program creates a highly valued employee benefit, while at the same time it can reduce healthcare expense by 40-80 percent, provide more quality healthcare options, and increase employee satisfaction”.

Satori World Medical has done extensive due diligence on hospitals and physicians to find the best the world has to offer. Its network features hospitals that meet or exceed U.S. standards of care, are accredited, and monitored regularly by Satori on the quality of care delivered.

For more information on HealthFirst TPA, visit http://www.hftpa.com.

Satori World Medical provides access to its global network of board-certified doctors and worldwide centers of excellence through a high-quality integrated program, which is easily added to any health plan, reducing the costs of surgical procedures by an average of 40-80 percent when compared to the same procedures performed in a U.S. hospital. Its business model is specifically designed to deliver high-quality health care services, share the tremendous cost savings with plan sponsors and their employees and to coordinate all medical and travel services for individuals who need care. For more information about Satori World Medical, call +1 (619) 704-2000 or visit at http://www.satoriworldmedical.com.

Medical tourism, also known as medical travel or global healthcare, is the rapidly-growing practice of traveling across international borders to obtain medical care. Below are the top questions I am asked when speaking to clients regarding implementing a medical travel benefit into an employee benefit plan.

1.       What can a medical travel benefit provide my employees?

A medical travel or medical tourism benefit can provide your employees an additional option in their health plans. Typically, a procedure through Satori’s Global Network is 40-80% less than US hospital and physician fees including medical and travel costs. Your employees receive high quality healthcare with access to the top surgeons in the world and the employee can take a companion with them. There are no co-pays, co-insurance or deductibles passed onto the employee and your company can realize real significant savings.

2.       Why choose Satori World Medical?

Satori’s unique Business & Care model is unlike any other medical tourism company in the marketplace.  What sets Satori apart from other medical travel facilitators is Satori’s Global Healthcare Network. Our network is comprised of the “Best of the Best” hospitals around the world and our robust Quality Program, led by our full-time Chief Medical Officer, ensures optimal delivery of care. In addition, our proprietary Health & Shared Wealth Program shares the economic savings with all insurers, employers, and individuals, and our program includes world-class client services and a companion care program. Satori offers fixed price case rates that include air travel, luxury hotel accommodations and ground transportation for the patient and companion, all on a convenient single bill in US dollars. 

3.       Are there any costs associated with adding Satori World Medical to our medical plan?

There are absolutely no charges associated with adding Satori to a medical plan. Satori World Medical does not charge a Per Employee Per Month (PEPM), network access fee, or rental fee for our program.  There are no monthly or recurring costs for embedding Satori into a health plan. There is no downside to adding the Satori Global Healthcare Network. It truly is a new innovative benefit for employers to provide their employees.

Sherry Laboratories partners with medical travel facilitator Satori World Medical

SAN DIEGO – Jan. 5, 2011 – Sherry Laboratories, a network of analytical testing labs, now offers a medical travel program, also known as medical tourism or global health care, through Satori World Medical as an option for its employees.

Satori World Medical will provide Sherry Laboratories’ employees and their dependents with a comprehensive, high-quality medical travel benefit program, which can result in 40-80 percent cost savings per procedure.  Under the program, specialized surgical procedures such as orthopedic, cardiac, bariatric, cosmetic and major dental work can be performed.

“We are very pleased to be working with Satori World Medical. After reviewing Satori’s robust medical travel program, I knew it would give great value to our employee benefits package. Satori’s program focuses on quality health care, giving our employees access to Centers of Excellence around the world, while generating significant cost savings,” said Jim Convy, Vice President of Human Resources, Sherry Laboratories.

“Satori’s medical travel program can be easily added to any existing employer health plan with no cost to the employer,” stated Steven Lash, President & CEO, Satori World Medical. “We are excited to work with such an innovative employer and offer access to our high quality, cost-effective network to their employees.”

Satori World Medical has done extensive due diligence on hospitals and physicians to find the best the world has to offer. Its international network features hospitals that are accredited and meet or exceed U.S. standards of care, and highly trained and specialized physicians. In additional, Satori regularly monitors performance measures on the quality of care delivered.

For more information on Sherry Laboratories, visit http://www.sherrylabs.com.

 Satori World Medical provides access to its global network of board-certified doctors and worldwide centers of excellence through a high-quality integrated program, which is easily added to any health plan, reducing the costs of surgical procedures by an average of 40-80 percent when compared to the same procedures performed in a U.S. hospital. Its business model is specifically designed to deliver high-quality health care services, share the tremendous cost savings with plan sponsors and their employees and to coordinate all medical and travel services for individuals who need care. For more information about Satori World Medical, call +1 (619) 704-2000 or visit http://www.satoriworldmedical.com. 

In this month’s online issue of Agent’s Sales Journal, Steven Lash, President & CEO of Satori World Medical provides insight on what is in store for the medical travel industry in 2011.  Below is part of the feature “7 Markets in 2011: Industry Experts Predict the Future”.

Read the entire article in the online December issue of Agent’s Sales Journal here.

As we prepare to enter the New Year, there is one word that comes to mind when taking a look at projections in global health care: growth.

Health care as we know it is changing and those changes will be implemented during 2011. While many of the changes impacting global health care stem from U.S. health care reform, there are also paradigm shifts in the acceptance of medical travel as a realistic option for receiving high-quality medical care, and at the same time being responsive to lowering health care expense.

According to a report published in the August 2010 Journal of Health Affairs, physicians trained in other countries provide care that is just as good as U.S. doctors. The article reported that patients of foreign-born, internationally trained medical school graduates had the lowest death rates. Patients of U.S. citizens who attended medical school in other countries had the highest death rates; U.S.-born and trained doctors fell in the middle. Moreover, 25 percent of all doctors practicing in the United States are educated abroad.

Due to these findings and the ethnic diversity in the United States, more consumers are accepting medical travel as a viable ay to receive high-quality health care. Medical tourism, also called medical travel and global health care, has seen steady growth in the past three years. Industry experts anticipate the growth to continue at a 35 percent year-over-year growth rate.

Satori World Medical Partners with ICSVEBA as Medical Travel Facilitator

In this month’s issue of Agent’s Sales Journal, Satori World Medical provides insight on why medical travel is a viable option for every health plan.  Below is part of the article “Innovations in Employer-Funded Health Care: Medical Tourism”.

Read the entire article in the November issue of Agent’s Sales Journal, or read it online at: http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2010/11/Pages/Innovations-in-EmployerFunded-Health-Care-Medical-Tourism-.aspx

The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) addresses access, but most health care economists agree that medical expenses will continue to rise. As this happens, more employers will be forced to shift a larger portion of health care costs to their employees in order to remain profitable. Medical travel, which has received increased interest from U.S. residents and employers, is now a highly attractive and viable option to businesses and their employees that may help consumers deal with the increased load that they must bear.

Medical travel defined

The practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care – medical travel, also known as medical tourism or global health care – has increased significantly in popularity over the past decade. Travelers seek both elective and specialized surgical procedures, such as joint replacement; cardiac, bariatric, and cosmetic procedures; and major dental work.

A number of factors are driving this trend, including:

• The high quality of international medical care and the ability to reduce a U.S. patient’s out-of-pocket expenses for typically high-cost surgical procedures
• The cultural diversity of the US workforce
• The ease of the adoption and integration of global health care benefits into a plan design

By Angie Robert, Director of Marketing & Communications at Satori World Medical

Buncher Brings Nearly 40 Years of Health Care Management Experience

Satori World Medical, the leader in medical travel, announces the appointment of health care management leader James Buncher to its board of directors.

Spending nearly 40 years in the formation, financing and delivery of health care, Buncher will provide strategic input on the development of Satori and the overall Satori Experience™.  

“Jim’s joining the board comes at an exceptional time of growth for Satori,” said Steven Lash, president and CEO, Satori World Medical. “Jim has experience in successfully leading health care organizations, including his most recent position as CEO of Safeguard Health Enterprises – a dental and vision insurance company. We are expanding our dental network worldwide and his expertise in the dental industry will prove to be valuable in the build-out of this program.”

 Read the full press release here: http://www.satoriworldmed.com/content.php?id=109

By, Kevin Poling, Director of Travel & Patient Services at Satori World Medical

The trend of medical tourism, where Americans are traveling outside the United States for medical care, is becoming more common due to the high cost of surgery in the U.S. Countries all over the world such as Thailand, India, Costa Rica, and Mexico are world-renowned for their medical and dental care.  Below are a few of the most popular procedures among medical tourists:

• Cardiac Surgery: Cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart disease, stroke and other vascular problems, is one of the deadliest and costliest health problems in the U.S. However, top quality healthcare for heart disease can be obtained internationally at a fraction of the cost than within the U.S. The average heart procedure in India costs a tenth of what it would for the same procedure in a U.S. hospital. The Asian Heart Institute, located in Mumbai, India, performs over 1,200 Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) procedures per year. They are affiliated with the prestigious American hospital The Cleveland Clinic, and provide world-class cardiac care. 
• Joint Replacement: Orthopedic procedures, such as hip/knee replacements are becoming more frequent due to the aging Baby Boomer population, and as Americans remain leading active lifestyles. Having an orthopedic procedure can be done overseas in high quality facilities that can save as much as 50% compared to having it done domestically.
• Cosmetic Surgery: Costa Rica, Thailand, Mexico, and Brazil are known for their plastic surgery. Average savings on plastic surgery procedures can be as much a 50%, while the quality of the care delivered rivals that of top U.S. hospital institutions. Top plastic surgery procedures include tummy tucks, breast augmentation, facelifts, and rhinoplasty.
• Dental Procedure: Having dental work done abroad has become popular since most health insurance plans do not cover dental procedures and the average cost savings for dental treatments can be as much as 75%, when compared to the cost in the U.S. Every year, highly trained reconstructive and cosmetic dentists provide dental treatments to thousands of patients travelling abroad for economical dental procedures. Popular dental tourism locations include Mexico and Costa Rica.