Be sure to check our Events page for our up-to-date travel itinerary.  Hope you to see you at one of these upcoming events.  Come experience Satori!

• September 27th, 2011 – Dr. Ron Johnson, Chief Medical Officer at Satori World Medical will be participating in a round table of companies that are doing international business hosted by The Daily Transcript, San Diego’s #1 source for daily business news, data and information.
• October 9-12, 2011 – Satori World Medical will be exhibiting at SIIA’s 31^st Annual Conference and Expo in Phoenix, AZ. Visit us at Booth 907 and experience the next movement in healthcare delivery.
• October 30-November 1, 2011 – Satori World Medical will be exhibiting at Booth 1129  at the 57th Annual IFEB Employee Benefits Conference in New Orleans.

SAN DIEGO – September 21, 2011 – Satori World Medical, a leader in medical travel, will be participating in a round table of companies that are doing international business hosted by The Daily Transcript, San Diego’s #1 source for daily business news, data and information.

Satori World Medical’s Chief Medical Officer, Ron Johnson, M.D., F.A.C.S., will join other senior level executives to discuss the opportunities and challenges in conducting international business.   Discussion topics could include contracting, legal, cultural nuances, funding/financing, distribution, human resources, warehousing and the like.  A special report will be published in The Daily Transcript print and online.

The Daily Transcript Executive Editor George Chamberlin put together the editorial round table which takes place on September 27th, 2011. Additional participants include executives for prestigious San Diego companies such as: Diving Unlimited International, Inc., Chicken of the Sea, Taylor Guitars, US Export Assistance Council, and Zipbuds.

Dr. Johnson has been in private practice for over 30 years in San Diego.  He is a published researcher and has played a leadership role in several professional and business organizations.  Highlights of his professional roles include President of the American College of Surgeons (San Diego Chapter), President of the San Diego Society of General Surgeons, and Chief of the Medical Staff at Grossmont Hospital, a large tertiary medical center located in San Diego.  His business affiliations include member of the Board of Directors, San Diego Hospital Association, member of the Board of Directors Grossmont Hospital, and President and member of the Board of Directors, Sharp Community Medical Group.  Dr. Johnson has international surgery experience at the Hospital Mama Yemo in Kinshasa, Zaire, Africa.  Dr. Johnson is a graduate of the University Of Illinois College Of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois and is Board Certified in Surgery and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Johnson leads the Quality Department at Satori World Medical and focuses on improving health outcomes and the quality of life of our patients.

SAN DIEGO – September 15, 2011 – Satori World Medical, a leader in medical travel, has appointed David Badour as the Director of Client Services.

Mr. Badour brings over 15 years of expertise in health care sales and client relationship development. In the role of Director of Client Services, he will provide leadership in all facets of client services, including implementation of the Satori World Medical benefit, delivering high levels of client satisfaction and ensuring continuous quality improvement. 

Prior to joining the Satori World Medical’s management team, Mr. Badour was the Regional Vice President of Business Development for Sound Physicians, a leading hospitalist organization. From 2006-2009, Mr. Badour held the position of Regional Sales Director with Sodexo Health Care Services. He also held the Vice President of Business Development position for Emergency Physicians Medical Group and was the National Account Sales Manager of Concentra Medical Centers, where he led negotiations with insurance companies and TPAs.

Mr. Badour holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management from Albion College. He is currently a member of American College Healthcare Executives and the San Diego Organization of Healthcare Leaders.

San Diego, CA – September 14, 2011 – Satori World Medical, a leading global healthcare company, has appointed David White to serve on its Strategic Advisory Board Members of Satori World Medical’s Strategic Advisory Board that assists the company’s Board of Directors and senior management team in the design of Satori World Medical’s forward-looking strategy and tactics.

“We are very privileged to add a highly esteemed, nationally recognized business professional to our Strategic Advisory Board,” says John McMahon, Board Member and Chairman of Satori World Medical’s Strategic Advisory Board. “Mr. White’s valuable insight into business operations and strategic direction are a tremendous asset to our organization. With this newest addition to our Strategic Advisory Board, Satori will continue to have available the most sophisticated business strategy in the medical travel sector. ”

David White is currently the Chairman of the Board for IASIS Healthcare, a leading owner and operator of medium-sized acute care hospitals in high-growth urban and suburban markets. IASIS owns or leases 18 acute care hospital facilities and one behavioral health hospital facility with a total of 4,362 licensed beds and has total annual net revenue of approximately $2.8 billion.

Prior to joining IASIS, Mr. White served as Chief Executive Officer of LifeTrust America, Inc., a company that operated 55 assisted living communities in six southwest states. Mr. White also served as President of the Atlantic Group of Columbia/HCA, where he was responsible for overseeing the operations of 43 hospitals in nine states. Before joining Columbia/HCA, Mr. White was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Community Health Systems.  A native of Tennessee, Mr. White is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and holds a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas.

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

For the most recent news and discussion on Satori World Medical “Like” them on Facebook, follow on Twitter and join their LinkedIn group.

Next week, Satori World Medical will be attending the 2011 SIIA TPA & MGU/Excess Insurer Executive Forum in Palm Desert, CA. If you will be at the conference or in the Palm Desert area from April 13-15 and would like to schedule an appointment to meet with a Satori team member during the conference, please contact sales@satoriworldmedical.com. See you there!

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.