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.

Samantha Davis, a student at Brigham Young University and daughter of Lee Davis, an employee at Imperial County Office of Education, recently traveled to Centre Metropolitain de Chirurgie in Montreal, Canada for laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery. Satori World Medical coordinated Davis’ care which is now part of ICSVEBA’s employee medical plan.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Nicolas Christou, a world-renowned bariatric surgeon. Dr. Christou is an accomplished bariatric surgeon and is a member of many prestigious societies including the American Surgical Association, The Canadian Association of General Surgeons, The American College of Surgeons and the American Society of Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Christou is part of Satori World Medical’s network of hospitals and physicians.

Weight loss procedures offered by Satori’s global network include gastric bypass, lap band and gastric sleeve. Davis saved a significant amount of money using Satori World Medical’s network for gastric bypass surgery. The patient’s entire medical costs, as well as the patient and companion’s airfare, hotel, ground transportation and insurance were covered under Satori’s agreement with the patient’s healthcare plan.

Watch our patient’s story on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SatoriWorldMed

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By Ron Johnson, M.D., F.A.C.S., Chief Medical Officer, Satori World Medical

Satori World Medical is a payer-supported, employer-sponsored, and consumer-choice medical tourism facilitator and global healthcare network.  We use the Joint Commission International (JCI) as a “gating” issue, and our Quality Assurance Program, assisted by our Medical Quality Advisory Board and Nurse Patient Advocacy Program, goes beyond this to ensure excellent patient outcomes and service at our International Centers of Excellence. 

JCI, the international arm of the Joint Commission Resources, was created in 1994, awarded its first international accreditation in 1999, and now has accredited over 300 institutions around the world.  In 2005 the World Health Organization designated the Joint Commission and the Joint Commission International as the WHO Collaborating Centre for Patient Safety Solutions, and in 2008 the JCI announced its accreditation by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua). 

One of the reasons Satori uses JCI as a gating issue for quality and participation in our network is our focus on the financially sponsored (U.S.) patient.  U.S. payers are familiar with the Joint Commission and their standards and surveys.  Similarly, the American Medical Association and the American College of Surgeons are two of the largest and most influential physician organizations in the U.S., so when they independently came out with guidelines for medical travel, we were pleased that we already met or exceeded them.  U.S. payers know and trust the AMA and ACS on quality matters.  These are important guidelines, and Satori’s Quality Assurance Program adds on-site due diligence visits – to review JCI accreditation reports, hospital performance measures, physician credentials and outcomes, interview hospital management teams, and tour and evaluate clinical areas including the operating rooms – as well as our own proprietary medical travel and procedure eligibility guidelines, monitoring of quality and clinical outcomes and continuous quality improvement.

Working collaboratively with our comprehensive quality program, all network hospitals and physicians share in the common goal of excellent patient outcomes and services.

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.

Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG), also known as CABG surgery or bypass surgery, is performed to improve blood flow to areas of the heart, reducing the risk of future heart attacks and preventing death from coronary artery disease. Artery and vein grafts are used to bypass blocked coronary arteries.  

Medical tourism, also known as medical travel or global healthcare, is not limited to just cosmetic surgery and dental procedures. Some of the best heart surgeons in the world that perform CABG surgery are available through Satori World Medical’s Global Network at International Centers of Excellence in India, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Turkey and Mexico. All physicians in the Satori Global Network are U.S./U.K or equivalently trained and Board Certified. In addition to the world-class quality of care, there are significant financial savings when going international for a CABG procedure. While U.S. cost for CABG surgery can cost up to $100,000, CABG surgery through a Satori’s Global Network provider, would cost around $30,000.

Kristen Montez, Director of Legal and Regulatory Services of Satori World Medical, provides insight on stop loss insurance in the medical travel industry in the February online issue of Agent’s Sales Journal.

The passage of PPACA has caused many agents to consider alternative health care products for self-insured clients. Among those products is an international provider network through a medical travel facilitator — a medical travel health care benefit.

Medical travel is the practice of traveling across international borders to receive high-quality health care at a fraction of its U.S. price. A medical travel facilitator oversees the medical travel process, from managing the international provider network to coordinating the procedure and travel arrangements for the patient and companion. Many U.S.-based medical travel facilitators provide an international network of hospitals and providers that can be easily added to an employer’s existing self-insured health plan. Typically, adding a medical travel health care benefit to an existing health plan costs nothing with no compromise on the quality of care, and the medical procedure savings range from 50 to 80 percent of U.S. prices.

Read the entire article online:

http://www.asjonline.com/Exclusives/2011/2/Pages/Offering-Stop-Loss-Insurance-Through-a-Medical-Travel-Facilitator-.aspx?k=satori

In the January issue of California Broker Magazine, Steven Lash, President & CEO of Satori World Medical provides insight on why implementing a global medical travel program can be an attractive option for the growing number of minorities in the United States.  Below is part of the article “Medical Travel: A Proven Resource to Market an Ethnically Diverse Population”.

Read the entire article in the January issue of California Broker Magazine or online here.

Minorities make up more than one-third of the United States population, according to the Census Bureau. By 2050, ethnic Americans are expected to represent close to half of the U.S. population. Among the fastest-growing ethnic populations are Hispanics and Asian Americans (including Asian Indians). In the next 25 years, more than half of the U.S. workforce will be of second and third generation descent. A large share of the labor force is comprised of Hispanics, Filipinos, Asian-Indians, Vietnamese, and Chinese employees.  Companies with largely diverse workforces have a vested interest in meeting the health and welfare needs of their employees and being responsive to these cultural ties.

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.