The Medical Tourism Magazine (MTM) had the privilege to sit down to get some insights from Heitham Hassoun MD, Cedars-Sinai Vice President and Medical Director of International Health, and Shoma Desai, MD, International Patient Services Director. They shared their thoughts and insights into what a post-pandemic world holds for medical tourism, what makes Cedars-Sinai unique, and how the Global Healthcare Accreditation for Medical Travel Services has assisted the organization in building patient trust.
Experts have predicted significant volatility in healthcare costs in 2022 and beyond as a result of the impact of the pandemic not only on the economy but also on overall health. Therefore, organizations and individuals need to be prepared for the sticker shock and implement cost-saving strategies
Safety is the new watchword for any business looking to operate successfully in the new normal. Given its crucial position in the global scene, medical travel programs must remodel their operations to prioritize safety.
Although the coronavirus pandemic is almost over and international borders are nearly fully open, there’s still work to be done. Medical travel programs need to develop and upscale surge capacities, strategies, and resources to prepare for future pandemics.
The coronavirus pandemic has induced a shift in healthcare needs that wlll disrupt the medical tourism ecosystem. New strategies are therefore needed to meet the new metrics of success in medical tourism
While vaccine passes may spur medical travel recovery, without addressing the myriad of problems associated with them, the move may prove to be counterintuitive, disrupting the medical tourism ecosystem
A West Lothian dad, who is raising thousands of pounds to take his daughter abroad for specialist treatment after she was told she would be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, has been offered a discount by a top doctor.
Cleveland Clinic has been awarded “Accreditation with Excellence” for its medical travel services by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) for a second consecutive term.
When clients contact the Super Antibacterial Mask Medical Material Production Joint Stock Company to purchase medical-grade personal protective equipment against COVID-19, they do so expecting the products to be shipped in time to protect as many as they can from the scourge of the coronavirus. But that doesn’t happen; what often follows is the sudden disappearance of the sellers and no shipment made, or at best, delivery of used condoms and gloves.
Vaccine supply mismatch has created a huge demand for COVID-19 vaccines in many low and middle-income countries. Consequently, this has spurred tourism stakeholders to launch “vaccine packages” not only to provide swift vaccinations but also to revive inbound tourism.
Scammers, racketeers, and criminal organizations have in so many ways sabotaged the global fight against the virus, by exploiting pandemic-related trade activities and profiting illegally from it. A case in point is Vietnam-based Mr. Hua Hong Hai who, posing as chairman of a medical product manufacturing company, has defrauded several companies of millions of dollars.
Contracting healthcare to Centers of Excellence is not a new model, employers have been leveraging these programs to provide quality healthcare at lower costs to their employees. However, with the economic downturn and pent-up demand for healthcare triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, the paradigm of health will shift toward this model - more self-funded employers will adopt this healthcare plan to minimize healthcare spendings while optimizing clinical outcomes for their employees
As lockdown restrictions are being lifted across the globe, travel is gradually recovering, but with lessons learned that may stay that way for years to come. The pandemic will usher in a new normal for the travel industry, one that will prioritize health, safety, and sustainability.
Telemedicine has proven to be an effective and safe platform for doctors to reach patients during this global crisis, with the potential to ramp up diagnostic and treatment services as the world battles with the pandemic
Even though the pandemic remains under control in most parts of Southeast Asia, the erratic nature of the infection has discouraged authorities from opening up their borders and also dissuaded patients from visiting medical travel destinations still battling with the pandemic
These new travel restrictions may linger until scientists better understand how these variants behave and find effective therapeutic and preventive interventions against them
N95 masks offer the highest level of respiratory protection by face coverings - filtering out up to 95% of the tiniest infectious particles. Global Healthcare Resources has found a way for everyone to access N95’s in small quantities and at affordable costs
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, has been awarded Accreditation for a three-year term by the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program for its Medical Travel Services Program.
With the pandemic restrictions creating pent-up demand for elective procedures, more employees are willing to explore medical travel in countries like Korea to access safe and affordable healthcare.
While scientists continue to investigate and seek a better understanding of ivermectin and its use in COVID-19, emerging results have been promising.
In one of the swiftest vaccine developments in history, global teams of drugmakers, researchers, and scientists laid the groundwork that spurred the production of vaccines to end the coronavirus pandemic.
Stem cell therapy offers a promising treatment approach to COVID-19 due to their immunomodulatory and regenerative properties.
The challenges posed by the pandemic accelerated the paradigm shift in healthcare, speeding up the integration of digital healthcare solutions to bridge the gaps in patient care and those induced by the health crisis.
The UAE government swiftly pivoted strategies to curb the further spread of the virus and promote an early recovery of the industry.
As travel is slowly returning to normal, medical travelers have new expectations from a medical tourist destination - these patients now not only seek quality and affordability of medical care but also a medical travel destination that has put in place adequate measures to safeguard their health, given the COVID-19 pandemic.
Millions of Americans keep traveling every year to access quality and timely healthcare at a fraction of a cost in the US. But as the pandemic dealt a blow to the travel industry, the number dwindled substantially, raising a lot of uncertainty about the future of health travel in the country.
Destinations such as Cuba, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic became the major players in the region’s medical travel business, attracting hundreds of thousands of medical tourists to the continent every year. But when the coronavirus pandemic hit, it dealt a strong blow to the burgeoning industry that might take years to recover from.
The coronavirus has upended every aspect of life and heightened mental health concerns for most people. Given this, many people now desire to take wellness trips to renew their mental, spiritual, and physical wellbeing when the crisis is over.
Tech companies have developed a wide range of applications and use cases of the technology in combating the numerous challenges caused by the pandemic.
As the coronavirus pandemic led to widespread economic closures, movement restrictions, travel bans, and changing consumer behaviors, the travel vaccine industry has also had its share of the global downturn.
The medical tourism industry has been the hardest-hit by the global economic slump caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Stakeholders are now uncertain of what lies ahead.
At the start of 2020, Medical Data Forecast released a report that predicted massive growth of medical tourism in Europe, however, the coronavirus pandemic has upended this trajectory this trajectory
Although the COVID-19 pandemic stretched healthcare beyond its limits and has significantly shrunken revenue for healthcare institutions, it has stirred new patient care models and approaches that improve healthcare delivery while keeping providers and patients safe
An updated Medical Tourism Index lays out the international terrain for health travel, but the impact of COVID-19 on such a global industry remains to be seen.
Medical Tourism Association (MTA) partners with Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) as South Korea extends high complexity medical services to international patients at a pivotal COVID-19 transition point.
To accelerate the digital transformation of healthcare in the UAE, key players have built a blockchain-powered portal that concentrates all health data in one secure system accessible by authorized members of the chain
The Trump administration is imposing a new visa policy restricting foreign nationals from giving birth in the US so their children can become American citizens, a practice that has been termed “birth tourism”. This new rule, which takes effect on Friday January 24, is one of President Donald Trump’s prime political concerns.
Vincenzo, 22, an Italian man who was born with an extremely rare condition called arthrogryposis shares his experience with the disease and his treatment journey at the Paley Institute.
Malaysia is building many centers of excellence like these and harnessing advanced technologies that will see the country be a game-changer in the medical tourism market
The pain from arthritis could be extremely unbearable, with most days seeing patients finding it increasingly difficult to carry out everyday tasks.
A few years ago, Chinese tourists traveled in their thousands to Japan for what was described as explosive shopping sprees. Fast forward several years later, Chinese tourists are still flying to Japan but this time largely for a different reason - medical care.
A few years after the Zika epidemic was stopped in its tracks, the ghost of it still lingers, influencing where we travel to for holidays or health tourism, especially for people who bore the brunt of its effects when it broke out - Women.
A private hospital on Hainan Island has been forced to shut down operations after local authorities found it gave fake human papillomaviruses (HPV) vaccines to dozens of patients, including at least one pregnant woman
On April 25, 2019, Belgium's primary legislative body passed a new bill that criminalizes all activities involved in buying and selling of human organs for commercial uses
In what has been aptly described as “the shadow world of medicine,” transplant tourism poses great health and ethical burden, with attendant risks of severe infectious diseases and the dehumanizing nature of the act
Medical Tourism Magazine recently sat with Maxwell Cohen, Founder and CEO of Peel Away Labs, to talk about his product, ‘peel-away’ bedsheets, and how it can revolutionize healthcare.
Population health management refers to the proactive application of interventions and strategies for promoting good health. PHM is growing in significance with the paradigm shift in resource allocation in hospitals and reimbursement strategies.
Digital revolution is considered as the fourth industrial revolution and has seen increased investment over the last few years. With the current trend in connected healthcare, widespread use of technology-enabled healthcare will make this idea.
GDPR is due to take effect and there have been many concerns and uncertainties as how much the EU regulation will get affected. The GDPR is a regulation that was approved by the EU after four years of strong deliberation.
Recently, advancement in technology has gained a massive entry into the healthcare scene with tech companies revolutionizing health. Healthcare is getting more investments as healthcare providers and insurers are using tech to make efficient healthcare delivery.
Social media can help build or break the online reputation of a tourist site as a poor review would leave a negative impression. Stakeholders in medical tourism are starting to employ the social media market to its full potential.
As the healthcare costs are rising and plans stiffing, employers are seeking out ways to lower costs of healthcare plans. One strategy to do is by direct contracting between employers and centers of excellence.
Branding will play a crucial role in the future of telemedicine, genomics medicine, stem cell treatments, and other developments. The brand reflects reputation, the uniqueness of its product or services, customer rating, values, price, and customer care.
Healthcare is going Uber's way of providing user-centered medical treatment options which lower costs and save consumer's time. Technology companies are disrupting the scene in healthcare, telemedicine is about the new UBER in healthcare delivery.
The industry of health tourism is driven by the quality of care, and it includes medical treatment provided to each patient. To boost patient experience, one must consider all the processes involved in scheduling the visit, the treatment and recovery period.
In this global medical tourism industry, to increase a country's stake in the market is the quality of healthcare infrastructure. The competition for international patients has heated on as governments, and private groups identifying essential markets.
These days millions of patients are traveling from home to other destinations to seek affordable and better healthcare. Top procedures medical tourists travel for include cosmetic surgery, dental care, cardiac surgical procedures, cancer care, etc.
International patient referral constitutes a major channel for health travel between different parts of the world. Hospitals partner with public or private healthcare groups or public healthcare ministries between countries allows patients to receive healthcare services in partner hospitals.
Employees have realized that seeking healthcare services abroad is more cost-effective than seeking same services at home. This is such that even after factoring in travel expenses, accommodation, and sick days off work, patients still get to save more money.
Attracting international patients is at the core of medical tourism and the industry is becoming more competitive each day. Marketing is the central factor for success in the health tourism industry, and hospital with marketing influx receiving more leads.
The Medical Tourism Association is the global trade association for medical tourism and travel.The association works with governments, hospitals, insurers and medical tourism players in over 100 countries.
In Europe, the medical travel market has grown exponentially in recent years and many European countries are gradually becoming key players in the industry.
With renowned healthcare professionals, leaders of healthcare institutions, and government officials speaking at the event, participants will be empowered and challenged to recreate the medical tourism industry of the future in Europe.
Since the industry began expanding, more and more patients have had to leave their home countries for other countries to seek healthcare treatment and sometimes.
Genomic medicine, also known by name like personalized medicine, precision medicine, stratified medicine emerged two decades back. It has led to the development of cutting-edge drug therapies that simplify the treatment of various diseases.
Chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes constitute the commonest causes of employee absenteeism. Presenteeism, and reduced work performance can be minimized if employers can play a good role in preventing these diseases.
I have been fortunate to have had a long career. My previous roles as COO of The Joint Commission and President and CEO of Joint Commission International provided a strong foundation in understanding the need for input and feedback of multiple stakeholders in the development of standards.
Greece is hosting the European Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress to be held in Athens from May 14th to 15th, 2018. Greece is considered a safe travel destination and the beauty of the country's landscape makes it a choice spot.
Calais hospital struck a deal with the UK's National Health Service to receive British patients for elective surgical treatment. One out of every 14 patients benefitted from the partnership recounts his experience with the endless wait for surgery.
Recently, the medical travel industry has become increasingly more competitive as healthcare consumers become more informed. To attract medical travelers Healthcare providers building a global brand must differentiate their services through care and excellence.
Healthcare startups from across the world gathered in the Los Angeles Convention center for the employer healthcare and benefits. The competition brought together eleven startups from across the world to compete to possess the most disruptive products.
You are a young professional just entering the job market looking for something to set you apart from your peers. The thoughts and concerns among working professionals are often the time revolve around their mind and they aren't alone getting these thoughts.
Nizar Zein, Chairman of Global Patient Services at the Cleveland Clinic spoke at the World Medical Tourism Congress's Medical Summit. Dr. Zein told MTM, changes are driven by economic growth and due to economic indicators, people's destination will change.
Lisa Han provides legal services for hospitals, governments, facilitators in the global healthcare space, and other legal issues. China recently started reforming its healthcare system with the goal of innovating China's healthcare space by 2020.
This October, from the 2nd to the 4th, is for the 10th World Medical Tourism & Global Healthcare Congress (WMTC) in Los Angeles. The WMTC is the most comprehensive international health conference and attracts participants from all over the world.
Studies conducted in the aftermath of the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the researchers concluded that there are three categories. Better compliance with International Health Regulations, Reforming the World Health Organization and improving research and knowledge sharing.
The most important thing for me to get across to people regarding international patients having experience for international patients. From the moment that individual calls you on the phone, or texts you, that is someone you need to be working with!
India is recognized in the medical world as a destination to obtain quality care at much lower rates and high success rate. The cure for hepatitis C can be obtained in India for a fraction of the cost elsewhere boosting India's medical travel.
The WHO recently reported that the Zika virus is no longer a global health emergency, it will be termed as an ongoing threat. In addition to the recent declaration the warning that Zika still must still be considered very dangerous was emphasized.
Women are powering through the workforce and taking the reins of global leadership like never before as many having key positions. This year has been a breakout year for many women leaders affecting change in foreign policy government economics health.
Medical travel to Israel has seen significant growth and was recently ranked as the third most popular medical travel destination. the Tourism Minister is pleased by the vote and cites multiple reasons such as medical travel is a profitable export industry.
Hearing the word Russia, the first thing that comes to mind is- the Kremlin, Mariinsky Theatre, a winning ice hockey team. Many foreigners are traveling to the country for quality medical treatments and procedures all at more affordable prices.
As per the MTA and the International Healthcare Research Center, the Philippines is ranked eighth among the top in the world. Philippines is seeing 80,000 to 250,000 medical tourists annually as patients come from Sri Lanka, East Asia, the Gulf States.
Earlier, women were not entitled to vote, but we witnessed the first women in U.S. history competing against a male for President. Gender equality remains a widely debated topic as women are less likely to get a promotion or hired for a senior position.
The Japanese Ministry of Health Labor and Welfare will conduct a survey of the medical infrastructure to examine the system. The purpose is to improve Japan's medical services for foreign patients before the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Before and after Brexit there has been much debate surrounding the impact on the economy healthcare and tourism. After the vote for Brexit the pound depreciated and continues to trade at a very weak level by historical standards according to the WTTC.
A major benefactor of funds earmarked for the 2018 Winter Olympics is the KTO benefitting from infrastructure expansion to tourism. In 2015, Korea attracted almost 3 million medical tourists from all over the world, but only roughly 1,000 were from India.
