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 Conni Nelson, Satori World Medical

Faced with the unrelenting rising costs of healthcare in the U.S., affordable medical insurance remains a critical issue for millions of early retirees (ages 55 to 64) who are not yet eligible for Medicare benefits. Currently there are about 80 million baby boomers heading towards retirement, and an estimated 3.8 million early retirees and dependents that rely on their employer for some sort of health insurance.

But with medical costs increasing at staggering rates and more companies significantly scaling back on retiree health benefits, the status of employer-sponsored retiree medical coverage has become an issue of considerable concern.

In fact, according to Reuters, a recent study conducted by Fidelity Investments, the world’s largest mutual fund company since 2002, the amount retirees need to cover healthcare costs has risen 6 percent a year on average in the U.S. — about double the average U.S. inflation rate in that period.

In response to the rising costs of healthcare and loss of medical benefits into retirement, global healthcare benefit programs are becoming an intriguing option for more U.S. companies due to the enormous cost savings available on high-quality medical care in other countries around the world.

For instance, heart surgery in Singapore, Thailand, or Turkey costs anywhere from 40 to 80 percent less than in a U.S. hospital (including the costs of travel, hospital fees, etc. for the patient and a travel companion). Meanwhile, the quality of care delivered rivals many leading U.S. hospitals.

These hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the global arm of the organization that accredits U.S. hospitals. They have U.S./U.K. trained and Board Certified surgeons, medical staff that is fluent in English, state-of-the-art amenities, and the latest innovations in medical technology and techniques. Many of these hospitals even have direct affiliations with top U.S. hospitals and medical universities, such as Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical and Tufts University School of Medicine, to name a few.

Many common procedures that early retirees need, such as orthopedic and cardiac procedures, are eligible for reimbursement from their employer via a tax-advantaged Health Reimbursement Account (HRA). These funds can then be used to cover the patient’s future medical expenses for years to come. Specifically, under Satori World Medical’s proprietary business model employers will fund a portion of the savings to their employees through a HRA and, as an added incentive, waive all out-of-pocket costs including co-pays and deductibles when an individual selects the Satori Global Network™ for their medical procedure.

As a result, not only does the employer and payor receive a financial benefit through dramatically reduced healthcare expenses, but the employee does as well. This offers early retirees a real and meaningful financial incentive to opt for receiving medical care outside the U.S. Meanwhile, there is no cost to the employer or plan sponsor to provide this benefit option to retirees as part of their existing employee health plan design.

As healthcare costs continue to escalate and more Americans are heading toward retirement, there is now more than ever a need for cost effective alternatives to delivering healthcare.    With high-quality healthcare available outside the U.S., thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses that consumers can save and an economic benefit of $5,000-7,000 on the table to offset future expenses, medical travel is becoming a more attractive alternative for many Americans.

By Steven Lash, President & CEO, Satori World Medical

America’s crippling healthcare costs, coupled with the availability of high-quality medical care in other parts of the world at a fraction of the cost than in the U.S., are just a couple of the key factors fueling an increased national interest in medical tourism.

As the industry continues to mature, more U.S. employers are beginning to offer medical travel programs to their employees as part of their health insurance.  As President & CEO of Satori World Medical, the leading global healthcare company, I am often asked to provide insight into why every employer isn’t offering a medical travel program in their benefit plan design.  It is evident that there is high quality, cost effective health care available outside the U.S, however, common concerns over medical quality, patient safety and a general lack of understanding about medical travel and the differences that exist among the various facilitators, seem to be challenges to widespread adoption. That of course then raises the question:  How are these challenges overcome? So, let’s explore each of these specific concerns, and their possible solutions.

Medical quality and the lack of universal quality standards in place for medical travel:  There are well-respected regulatory agencies around the world, such as Joint Commission International (JCI), established to ensure high-quality standards in medical care at international hospitals. However, medical travel companies and international hospitals are not actually required to meet any specific universal set of quality guidelines. So how does one ensure the quality of care for a patient undergoing surgery in a foreign hospital? Well the answer to that question is to be well informed about the specific quality assurance programs that different medical travel companies offer.  Only participate in a global healthcare program that SOLELY contracts with JCI-accredited hospitals, conducts regular on-site due diligence visits to every international hospital within its network, and has a full-time Chief Medical Officer on staff that is a Board Certified surgeon.

Lenient malpractice laws in some foreign countries and financial protection if something goes wrong: Another common concern among patients considering medical travel is built-in protection from an unforeseen health complication that might take place while they are traveling or receiving care in a foreign hospital. Patients should protect themselves from such risks by 1) participating in a program like Satori World Medical, which follows the same quality standards as today’s leading domestic health networks and 2) verifying that the company offers a comprehensive personal accident insurance policy in the unlikely event that something goes wrong.

The stresses and safety of international travel and long flights: Patients also commonly fear the stresses and health issues that can occur when traveling to foreign countries or taking long flights. Patients can avoid this problem by choosing a medical travel company or program that does all of the planning and legwork. A couple of important questions to ask include:

-   Does the company offer a comprehensive, preliminary medical screening of all patients to assess their overall health and determine whether they are eligible candidates for medical travel? If so, what does that process entail?

-   What are the types and levels of services provided to ensure a comfortable and safe medical travel experience? For instance, only work with a company that handles all details for patients and their travel companion, such as making flight reservations and hotel accommodations, arranging ground transfers to/from the airport, etc. Also, inquire about whether the program covers the cost of a travel companion. Travel companions are important to helping medical travel patients feel safe and comfortable.

When it comes to all matters of healthcare, knowledge is the key to success. While there are certainly understandable concerns surrounding medical travel, with the right information and decisions, medical tourism can be an extremely safe and viable cost-saving option for many U.S. companies.

One of the biggest driving factors fueling global healthcare and medical tourism in America, whereby patients seek medical care outside of the U.S., is the high quality of care now available in international hospitals. But what are the crucial attributes to look for in a high quality global health care program? If you are considering a medical tourism program, here are some important tips to help you ensure the medical care is of the highest quality and safety.

Make sure all hospitals in the network are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI): More than 220 public and private health care organizations in 33 countries around the world are now accredited by JCI, the international arm of the U.S. accreditor of hospitals.

1. Look for a global health network comprised of U.S./U.K. or equivalently trained and Board Certified physicians
2. Check to see if the hospitals in the global network have affiliations with prestigious medical universities and hospitals: There are several top-tier international hospitals that are directly affiliated with Harvard Medical, Johns Hopkins, The Cleveland Clinic, The Mayo Clinic, and other leading medical universities and hospitals.
3. Partner with organizations that follow AMA guidelines on medical travel: The American Medical Association (AMA) has set specific and important guidelines pertaining to medical travel. Global healthcare organizations should follow these established guidelines.
4. Determine if the program has a full-time Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and quality assurance team in place: The best global healthcare companies have a full-time CMO and Medical Quality Advisory Board to ensure ongoing quality improvements in patient care.
5. Work with an organization that offers dedicated support for the patient throughout the entire experience: Choose a medical travel program that offers a team of experts, comprised of Nurse Patient Advocates and Travel Care Coordinators, to ensure optimal delivery of healthcare services and a rewarding experience for the patient and his or her travel companion. Ideally, the Nurse Patient Advocates should be Registered Nurses with surgical training.
6. Find out if the program covers all costs for not only the patient, but a companion as well: Another important part of ensuring patients’ safety and comfort when undergoing surgery in another country is that they have a trusting companion to accompany them and be on hand to help them through the entire experience. That’s why a key distinguishing factor to look for in a global health care program is whether or not the costs of travel and accommodations for a companion are included.
7. Visit some JCI-accredited international hospitals online: To view the amenities and features international hospitals offer, take a virtual tour of them online. For instance, Clinica Biblica, a top, JCI-accredited hospital located in Costa Rica offers a virtual tour of their facilities, as well as National University Hospital in Singapore.