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Many health insurance companies have been or are starting to offer options for health coverage in another country. Health Net is now offering the option to employers in Kern County, which will provide medical care locally or in several Mexican border cities.

Mexicali has the location, physicians, pricing and now designated vans and medical tourism lanes from Mexico to Las Vegas. Unfortunately, this type of deal wouldn’t work for all countries trying to attract medical tourists, but it is an innovative approach.

In April the Medical Tourism Association™ traveled to Los Angeles for the annual International Pow Wow. It brings in more than 1,000 American travel organizations and 1,200 international and domestic travel buyers from more than 70 countries.

The federal legislature of Mexico has taken notice as foreign patients continue to flock to their border state for medical care. The lower chamber passed new progressive legislation aimed at making the application of stem cell therapies more uniform.

The medical tourism industry is growing, even if its subfields are expanding, the higher education systems are lagging behind. The lack of a curriculum focused on training professionals for a career in medical tourism is highly evident.

Cruise ships are designed to pamper their guests with luxury, relaxation and fun alongside the medical tourism industry. Most cruise ships are currently equipped to handle medical emergencies and curative treatments.

Dubai Medical Tourism has been set up to implement a number of initiatives that will address the needs of identified markets. Dubai Healthcare City, a healthcare free zone developed to promote medical tourism, is a partner in the initiatives.

Spain’s Health Tourism industry is booming, but not in a good way due to the industry’s finances and about how to regulate costs. As a member of the European Union, Spain serves many patients from member states.

There seems to be some confusion in Britain about the exact uses of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). The EHIC provides travelers from the U.K. with healthcare at a reduced cost in other countries around Europe.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Suliman M. Alshuaibi Medical Attaché for the Saudi Arabian Embassy in the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Alshuaibi is responsible for the best care for patients whether sending them out of the country or bringing someone in.

All players in the medical tourism industry are searching for ways to attract more patients with marketing and creating a brand. Developing a Free Healthcare Zone is another way to showcase an area as a destination for healthcare.

Building a strong brand is art and a science and it requires a long term commitment and a creatively executed marketing. A strong brand commands intense consumer loyalty which also translates into consumer willingness to pay a higher price.

As part of the MTA's commitment to education and transparency we will be providing updated information on standard requirements. The MTA receives several calls from medical tourism facilitators and those that want to become a facilitator.

The Global Benefits Association has announced the launch of a global network of hospitals consisting of centers of excellence. One of the challenges multinational employers and insurers have is identifying centers of excellence and building a quality hospital network.

The AAAHC founded in 1979, has become the leader in ambulatory health care accreditation with more than 5,000 organizations. The AAAHC serves as an advocate for the provision of high quality health care and patient safety.

For those of you in the travel industry, I hope this is helpful in determining the possible role in medical tourism. Many hospitals have partnered up with tourism companies to coordinate transportation and tourism activities.

In the competitive world of medical tourism, many hospitals need to get the word out regarding their certification. Majority of hospitals carry the same accreditations, the one with specialized certification for their international patient services stands out.

The certification provides your hospital with the knowledge in providing the best patient experience through specific processes. Having all international patients provide the hospital with a summary of their visit and information on what they liked or disliked.

Working with Disney and as a senior-level hospital executive, he challenges that have defined customer service in healthcare. Mr. Lee asserts that both provide an “experience,” not just a service, Disney can earn the trust and loyalty of their guests and employees.

Patient awareness is not a topic discussed as often as it should be and what can people in the industry do to solve this? In almost every case where I have personally talked to someone I know about this industry they have never heard of it.