Los Angeles Times Examines Trend of ‘Medical Tourism’
The Los Angeles Times on Sunday examined "medical tourism," in which patients travel abroad to undergo surgical procedures or receive other medical care to help reduce costs. Although the practice "isn't new," some international health care facilities have begun "aggressively marketing their services, courting American travelers with the promise of cheaper medical care and a nice vacation," the Times reports. No federal agency maintains statistics on the number of U.S. residents who travel abroad for medical care, but many physicians and other observers maintain that the number has increased in recent years. Andrew Gomes -- CEO and founder of MedicalTourism.com, a Web site that provides information on medical tourism -- said that the site receives 70,000 hits monthly. The Web site lists health care facilities in Africa, Europe, India, South America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The Joint Commission International -- an affiliate of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations founded in 1997 -- has accredited 55 health care facilities in 14 nations, according to Charlene Hill, a spokesperson for JCI. Supporters maintain that medical tourism offers a more affordable alternative to medical care in the U.S. -- "especially if you have no health insurance" -- but opponents raise concerns about the quality and safety of care provided in other nations and maintain that patients who seek care abroad often face language and cultural barriers, the Times reports (Doheny, Los Angeles Times, 1/29).
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