FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Continuation of Care and Customer Service the Foundation of The Satori Experience℠

Follow-up Video on Satori World Medical’s Hip Resurfacing Patient

San Diego, CA – March 21, 2012 – In January 2011, Edward Rucinski, an Ohio resident and employee at Orscheln Industries, traveled to Apollo Hospital in Chennai, India for a Birmingham hip resurfacing procedure. The surgery was performed by Dr. Vijay Bose, a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon and expert in hip resurfacing surgery, who has performed several thousand Birmingham hip resurfacing procedures. Satori World Medical, a leading medical travel company and global healthcare network, coordinated Rucinski’s care which was offered as an additional choice through his employer.

“It has been a little over one year since my surgery in India and I feel fantastic. I am back to an active lifestyle of backpacking and biking,” said Edward Rucinski, Satori patient. “I am extremely pleased with the outcome and the entire Satori experience. I could not have asked for better follow-up care from Satori World Medical.”

“The cornerstone of Satori’s philosophy is to provide a personalized, patient-centric, and seamless medical travel experience,” said Steven Lash, President & CEO, Satori World Medical. “We pride ourselves on the continuation of care and high-touch customer service that our Travel Care Coordinators provide.”

Satori World Medical’s Travel Care Coordinators kept in regular contact with Ruciniski, before, during, and even months after his surgery.

To view Rucinski’s follow-up video, visit http://youtu.be/Lxvd0PUo-cA

To view the latest videos on medical tourism, visit Satori World Medical’s YouTube channel.

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.

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 about Satori World Medical, call +1 (619) 704-2000 or visit at http://www.satoriworldmedical.com.

# # #

Media Contact:

Kate Roberts

Director of Marketing & Communications

Satori World Medical

+1 (619) 704-2000

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

                After spending six days in Bangkok, Thailand, I came to know a bit about the people, culture, and food, and thought I would share some of my personal travel tips: 

1.) The Thai people are extremely friendly, humble and always willing to lend a hand.  At one point when I was lost a young boy came up to me, after noticing that I was having a difficult time, and showed me the correct way.

2.) If you speak kindly, you will always receive friendly and cheerful help; however, if you raise your voice or yell, you will be denied all assistance as it is considered exceedingly rude and inappropriate.

3.) I am a huge fan of Thai food, so I enjoyed the cuisine quite a bit. It is extremely affordable, ranging from 60 cents to 5 dollars depending on the venue.  Street vendors are safe and serve incredible Pad Thai, a rice-noodle, sprouts, and shrimp dish.  Interestingly, the worst and most expensive food I had was at McDonalds so steer clear of the fast food route.  Also, only drink bottled water as many times the tap is polluted and should not be ingested.

 

No such thing as "Diet" Coke...Coke Zero Street vendor food – Safe, cheap and delicious

4.) I visited in the fall which was during the rainy season, despite temperatures being around 90-95 degrees.  It is a humid and tropical climate, therefore lightweight, cotton clothing is essential. I would suggest the best time to visit is in the Spring. 

5.) As for sightseeing, any of the temples, the Grand Palace, and a taxi ride down the river (about 50 cents) are highly recommended. 

Water taxi-50 cents. Must do!

6.) For shopping, Siam square and the MBK shopping center are the best places to find inexpensive yet quality merchandise.  Bangkok is also a great place to acquire a quality and inexpensive suit; ask your concierge to recommend a reputable shop. 

7.) The best way to travel is by the BTS, an above ground train system, as it is the fastest and least expensive.  Taxis, though inexpensive, can take three times the amount of time to reach your destination than if you were to walk.  Additionally, not only are street signs and other directions written in Thai and English, but the majority of the people speak English as well, making it very easy to get around. 

 

Tuk-Tuk-Not recommended. Noisy and a lot of fumes

8.) You will usually be greeted by a handshake or a bow with both hands in prayer formation at the chest.  Don’t hesitate to bow in return, but always wait for the other person to initiate. 

9.) Don’t speak badly of the royal family or deface the currency as this is seen as highly disrespectful, and can be punishable by imprisonment.

10.) Hotel restaurants are very affordable. Bangkok also has a very lively nightlife; you can ask your concierge for suggestions on great local bars and clubs.

Standard king room at the InterContinental

Enjoy your travels!

Kevin

Grounds at Samitivey Hospital

Satori World Medical recently arranged for a patient’s medical care and travel to HIMA hospital in Caguas, Puerto Rico. Hysterectomy surgery was performed by Dr. Castro using the latest medical technology, the da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System. The da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System provides a minimally invasive, highly precise alternative to traditional open surgery and laparoscopic surgery. Dr. Castro and HIMA hospital are part of Satori World Medical’s network of physicians and International Centers of Excellence. The patient saved a significant amount of money by accessing Satori World Medical’s network for her procedure. 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 employer and healthcare plan.

View her testimonial video here: http://youtu.be/U3TO8o52F_0

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Satori World Medical’s Innovative Healthcare Savings Patent

United States Patent & Trademark Office Issues Notice of Allowance to Satori World Medical’s Health & Shared Wealth Program

San Diego, CA – March 9, 2012 – Satori World Medical, a leading medical travel company, is pleased to announce that U.S. Patent Application No. 12/172,941 titled, “Satori Integrated Health & Financial Benefits System and Method” received its Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office on March 1, 2012. The patent covers various implementations of systems and processes known as the Health & Shared Wealth Program, which calculates the savings generated, as well as the sharing of the savings when a patient selects the Satori Global Network™ versus a U.S. based hospital and physician for a surgical procedure.

Satori’s Health & Shared Wealth Program supports organizations by lowering their cost structure for health benefits while at the same time providing their employees with a new, highly-valued benefit option at no cost to the plan sponsor or employees. The Program also allows the employer to share the financial benefit of global healthcare. Due to this patent allowance, Satori World Medical is the only global healthcare network that can offer sharing of savings which includes a 100% medical benefit to patients that choose to have surgery from the Satori Global Network™.

“While high quality of care and patient service is a driving factor to receive medical treatment internationally, it cannot be ignored that the financial savings generated can be a benefit for both the patient and his/her health insurer or self-insured employer. This patent, unprecedented in the medical travel industry, qualifies and quantifies that financial savings potential, further differentiating Satori in the medical travel industry” said Steven Lash, President and CEO, Satori World Medical.

Satori’s patented model provides several methods of sharing savings. Of most significance, the program waives all co-pays, deductibles and/or co-insurance—making the selection of the Satori Global Network™ a 100% medical benefit for the patient. In addition, the program allows several methods where the savings that is generated can be shared on a cash basis between the patient and the plan sponsor.

Patent prosecution was performed by the law firm of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

About Satori World Medical:
Satori World Medical provides access to its global network of board-certified doctors and international 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 the U.S. Its program is specifically designed to deliver high-quality health care services, share the tremendous cost savings with plan sponsors and their employees and coordinate all medical and travel services for individuals who need care.

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 about Satori World Medical, call +1 (619) 704-2000 or visit at http://www.satoriworldmedical.com

# # #

Media Contact:
Kate Roberts
Director of Marketing & Communications
Satori World Medical
+1 (619) 704-2000

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

When traveling, whether for business or pleasure, it can be challenging to maintain healthy eating habits. Most people, because they cannot cook where they are staying, or because they are not familiar with the area that they are visiting, tend to make poor eating choices. Below are some tips that can help you stay on the right track.

1)      Bring your own snacks. Before you leave for your trip, pack a few healthy snacks, like bags of trail mix, granola bars, or whole grain crackers in your carry-on so you are not tempted to eat at fast food eateries or out of a vending machine while at the airport. Avoid the mini bar in your hotel room because not only are they expensive but they are typically filled with high sodium snacks.

2)      Keep hydrated. Not drinking enough water while you are traveling can lead to dehydration. This not only makes you more prone to sickness and headaches, but it can slow down your metabolism. Keep your hotel room stocked with bottled water and bring one in your bag whenever you go out.

3)      Map out your eating destinations. When planning your day, try planning your meals too. This will help you know when and what you will be eating. Look for a few restaurants close by your hotel that serve healthy dishes that use fresh, local products. This can prevent you from getting overwhelmed and eating at the first place you see, which may be a McDonald’s.  

4)      Limit your treats. When traveling, it can be tempting to try desserts native to the country and over-indulging every night at dinner. Try sharing dessert or pastries whenever possible. This way you are sampling and not feasting on high fat and high sugar foods.

For more health tips, click here

By Kristen Montez, Director of Legal & Regulatory Services, Satori World Medical

When you choose Satori World Medical to facilitate your medical travel experience, you gain access to top-notch medical facilities on a global level. I have studied medical travel from the legal perspective since 2007. My studies have bestowed upon me a medical travel mantra: “Quality of care must never compromised.” This why I chose to work for Satori World Medical. Satori World Medical lives by this mantra. All of Satori World Medical’s contracted acute care hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) and meet or exceed established U.S. standards of excellence. However, JCI accreditation is simply a gating quality standard for Satori—which means we go above and beyond JCI standards, essentially picking the best from the best.

Look at Satori World Medical’s website and pursue the photo book of our contracted facilities. http://www.satoriworldmedical.com/hospital.php Go ahead. Click on one of the country links which will bring you to a page where one of our contracted facilities is located. Then click “details” to get more information on the actual facilities. You’ll see if there are any chickens, they’re laying golden eggs.

To read all of my legal blog posts, click here.

By David Badour, Director of Client Services, Satori World Medical

A few weeks ago I attended the Imperial County Office of Education’s 3^rd Annual Health Fair. Satori World Medical had a booth at the health fair and I was able to meet with many employees and discuss their new global healthcare benefit. I was even able to meet up with one of Satori’s former patients; her testimonial video can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dmFIKZSAEw&feature=player_embedded. Check out some of the photos from the event below:

By Kristen Montez, Director of Legal & Regulatory Services, Satori World Medical

A health plan typically chooses a medical travel benefit for 1) the exceptional quality of care accessible overseas 2) and the financial savings.

But “what if there is a complication, or the patient needs additional medical treatment abroad?”, a common question asked by our health plan clients. Will the anticipated savings be absorbed by the additional treatment? The typical lawyer answer “it depends” is incorrect. Depending on the medical travel facilitator, most likely the savings will not be eaten by the costs incurred for the additional treatment.

Satori World Medical offers all its self-insured health plan clients a stop loss insurance policy. This policy provides significant financial protection for the client in the event that the patient requires additional medical treatment stemming from the medical procedure they received when abroad. This type of coverage does not cover a patient’s decision to receive voluntary additional treatment in another country; it only will cover additional treatment that is medically necessary. The amount of stop loss coverage available depends upon the specific policy, but regardless of what you use, your goal to limit the employer’s financial responsibility is achieved.

For example, a medical travel facilitator’s stop loss policy may limit a client’s maximum responsibility to $50,000 in total medical travel expenses. Total medical travel expenses include:

1. The initial approved medical procedure and travel expenses for the patient and companion
2. Any additional required medical treatment and the expenses for the modified travel arrangements for the companion and patient.

In this scenario, once the total medical travel expenses exceed $50,000, the stop loss insurance that the facilitator provides will kick in for the next $100,000 worth of expenses. Therefore, the client will potentially be responsible for a maximum of $50,000 in total medical travel expenses — still far less than the average U.S. cost of $75,000 for a lumbar laminectomy with fusion alone, without additional medical treatment.

To read all of my legal blog posts, click here.

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

When traveling to another country it is easy to over pack because you want to be prepared for any situation. Some things however are better left at home. Also, you want to make sure you leave certain things behind with friends or family so there is a record if the original is lost.

1)      Jewelry and expensive electronics. Fancy jewelry can make you an easy target for getting robbed and although most hotel rooms have safes, it is better not to risk it. The same goes for expensive electronics; they are at a risk for being stolen and also add unnecessary bulk and weight to your luggage.

2) Social security card. When traveling, remember to take unnecessary items out of your wallet that you would normally carry around, such as your social security card. The less you have, the less you will have to replace if the wallet/purse goes missing.

3) Copies of U.S. passport. In case you lose your passport or it becomes stolen, it is advisable to leave a photocopy back at home so that someone that you know can give you the necessary information you need when trying to remedy the situation. Also you can make another copy and keep it in your safe as an extra precaution. For more helpful passport tips, click here.

4) Copies of credit cards. Like your passport, in case a credit card becomes lost or stolen, photocopies should be made of the credit cards you plan to bring with you while traveling, and given to a friend or family member back home for reference. However, try and bring as few credit cards as possible as a precaution.

5) Travel itinerary. In case an emergency were to happen whether at home or where you are traveling, it is helpful to leave a copy of your travel itinerary with loved ones back home. This way it will be easier to locate you in case you need to be reached urgently.

To read all of my travel tips, click here.

Safe Travels,

Kevin

By Kristen Montez, Director of Legal & Regulatory Services, Satori World Medical

A misconception about medical travel is what I call the “doc won’t touch me myth”. Some U.S. patients seeking medical treatment abroad are concerned their U.S.-based providers won’t see them for post-op care upon their return. I am not sure why this myth exists but I can easily dispel it.

As a former medical malpractice defense attorney, many providers are more than willing to treat patients who are injured, weak and sick as the result of another provider’s negligence. The negligent providers practiced right here in the U.S. and their patients that filed suit sustained significant injury. However, many of these patients sought care by other providers after the negligence occurred. They simply had to in order to heal. Based on my review of the medical records when defending the cases, these providers treated the injured patients without hesitance and often improved their quality of life exceeding the original dismal prognoses.

If these providers are willing to treat a victim of medical negligence, your U.S.-based provider will most likely treat you after you return from receiving treatment abroad. To alleviate any concern about receiving treated when you return, Satori World Medical always schedules your follow-up appointment with your U.S.-based provider—before you even board the plane to receive treatment abroad. So you can be rest assured you will receive the follow-up care you require from a more than willing U.S.-based provider.

To read all my legal perspective blog posts, click here.