Medical tourism has been defined moreover as people traveling from less developed to more developed countries to receive medical treatment. Today, well over one million Americans travel both within the US and worldwide to receive a wide variety of medical interventions. Medical tourism originating in the US is growing dramatically, it is today considered one of the fastest growing segments in our health care industry. The primary reason for its popularity is of course cost or cost savings (though wait times can play a factor as well). A recent NYT poll found for example 46% of respondents describe paying for health care as a "hardship". Both self-employed companies as well as private insurance plans have offered tourism coverage for certain procedures for several years. However, like all medical care, procedures received abroad are not without risk.
During this 22-minute interview Ms. Stephano provides a brief overview of her organization, the range of medical services sought, typically where and at what cost savings, its increasing use among self-insured employers, the quality of care received and what recourse patients have in the event of an error.
Ms. Renee-Marie Stephano is the President and Co-Founder of the Medical Tourism Association and editor-in-chief of the Medical Tourism Magazine. She works closely with governments, hospitals, business leaders and travel and tourism entities to develop sustainable medical tourism/international patient programs and strategies throughout the world. She has authored and co-authored several books, has been a keynote speaker at hundreds of international conferences and is a resource regarding medical tourism initiatives for media outlets worldwide. She earned her JD degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
For more onthe Medical Tourism Assocation see: http://www.medicaltourismassociation.com/en/index.html,
The Rise of Medical Tourism: An Interview with Renee-Marie Stephano (December 22nd)