PlacidWay - Destination For Health & Wellness Tourism

Pramod Goel likens his dotcom to online travel sites Priceline, Travelocity or Expedia. But go to make your travel plans, and the differences between PlacidWay.com and the others soon become apparent. Rather than choosing a departure date and destination, you’ll be asked to:

- Choose a treatment

- Choose a region or country

- Choose a health care option

Depending on your preferences, you will be pointed to places as far away as India and Thailand for procedures that include open-heart surgery and total hip replacement.

The Castle Rock businessman’s startup is just the latest stage in the evolution of medical tourism, a booming industry in which sightseeing and surgery collide - or, as his Web site characterizes it, “Exotic journeys to wellness.”

For years, Americans have been traveling out of the country to get less costly treatment, most notably to Central and South America for elective procedures such as cosmetic surgery. These days, changes in health care - rising costs at home and higher-quality care abroad - have made medical tourism increasingly mainstream. Not only are more people going, but they are going for medically necessary procedures. Some employers are even offering insurance benefits to employees who seek treatment in other countries.

In 2006, about 150,000 Americans traveled overseas for health care, nearly half of them for medically necessary surgeries, according to the American Medical Association. Jonathan Edelheit, president of the Medical Tourism Association, said as many as a million people worldwide will travel out of their home country for medical care by 2010. A May 2008 study by McKinsey & Company, a corporate research firm, came up with a much smaller number - about 60,000 to 85,000 inpatient medical travelers a year internationally - but still acknowledged the likelihood of growth.

Responding to the trend, the AMA on June 16 approved new guidelines regarding medical tourism: “Until there is significant action at home, patients with limited resources may turn elsewhere for care,” said AMA Board Member Dr. J. James Rohack, in a news release. “It is important that U.S. patients have access to credible information and resources so that the care they receive abroad is safe and effective.”

Read complete story at PlacidWay.com

I am very happy to provide you with my personal experience and why I felt so at ease with my decision to travel to Argentina to be operated by Dr. Brosto. I, as yourself, felt a bit afraid to travel to a foreign country for surgery as I had heard horror stories of complications, risks involved with having any medical procedure outside of the United States. I live here in San Francisco, CA.

The most important elements in your assessment of any doctor is to obtain as much information about the doctor as possible, evaluate his credentials, his dedication to quality, his upholding your best interest, and most importantly, his evaluation of your health and any potential risks prior to surgery. Thorough communication and taking the opportunity to speak with Dr. Brosto directly prior to your visit is also a key to your feeling completely at ease and confident with your decision to trust this process.

I highly recommend, as I did myself, that you also have a full health assessment from your own physician and communicate your desire for cosmetic surgery and if he/she feels that based on your current health assessment, that it is safe for you to proceed. Take a copy of your assessment from your physician to Argentina upon your decision as the doctor will also perform his own medical assessment with a certified cardiologist as well as medical testing processes prior to his performing your surgery.

I will speak from my heart now and convey my own experience. I had been seeking for qualified cosmetic surgery at affordable prices here in the city for many years prior; however, I knew that it would expensive and most of the doctors that I interviewed were qualified, perhaps, but I did not feel the heart to heart connection with them. To them, I was all about the money they would obtain from me for their services. And their fees were so high that I knew I could not afford it for many years to come. I did not feel they were very personable to me nor did they truly care about me or have my best interest in mind.

In 2004, I began to research the internet in order to possibly find an option that would provided me with an opportunity to obtain quality cosmetic surgery of the highest caliber from a licensed and fully credited doctor at an affordable price here in the US. The only options made available to me were programs that supported student surgeons in obtaining patients to operate on in order that they obtain the practice they needed to complete their residency prior to becoming certified cosmetic surgeons. Upon their interview of myself, they declined me as a patient because I was too young and they preferred more elderly patients that would give the student surgeons patients that would require surgery for drastic and dramatic changes. I would not be able to provide them this opportunity and again, the program was designed to aid the student in their practice. I did not provide them with enough challenge for this endeavor.

Click Here to read complete story at PlacidWay.com

World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress Highlights

World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress will pre-arrange meetings and connect you with top international hospitals, medical tourism companies and other professionals, Self Fnded Health Plans and Insurance Companies and assist in the development of new relationships and valuable new contracts.

• Over 40 Exhibitors and up to 1,000 attendees
• Over 50 U.S. Healthcare and Insurance Companies Interested in Outsourcing Surgeries Overseas.
• Guaranteed Networking Sessions and Meetings with Top International Hospitals, Medical Tourism Companies, US Insurance and Healthcare Companies
• Industry Players from over 30 Countries
• 500 “Buyers” invited from the United States, Canada, European Union and other countries looking at sending patients overseas
• Special Networking Sessions and one on one pre-arranged meetings

Over a half million Americans travel abroad for surgery on a yearly basis. Escalating health care costs in the United States, as well as difficulty in receiving medical care due to rules and regulations by HMOs, has prompted frustrated Americans to seek health care elsewhere. It is a well-known fact that foreign destinations often offer medical procedures identical to those in the United States for a fraction of the cost.
 
The reduction in cost is not attributable to any lack of quality, education or retraining. As a matter of fact, many foreign destinations use state-of-the-art equipment and procedures not currently in use in the United States. In addition, many foreign health care providers do not experience the burden of carrying large amounts of malpractice insurance that is now required in the U.S., and which drives up health care costs. Medical tourists have saved nearly $20 billion dollars in health care treatments, procedures and surgeries in the past year by traveling abroad for their medical needs.

For example, heart bypass surgery in the United States may cost an individual over $130,000. The same procedure costs under $7,000 in India or $35,000 in Korea. Likewise, a hysterectomy in the United States may cost between $20,000 and $30,000, while the same procedure in Costa Rica costs less than $5,000.

In many cases, foreign medical destinations are not only luxurious, but include the latest state-of-the-art technology and equipment available in various fields of practice. It is common for medical care contracted through a medical tourism provider to also include 24-hour observation and care as well as private nursing and private room facilities.

Not to mention the fact that individuals who travel abroad for medical care are also able to enjoy a bit of vacation time in unique or exotic locations such as Thailand, Singapore, India, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa and more.

Changing Opinions on Quality Health Care
The old saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them”, seems to be holding true for many major medical and health insurance providers in the United States. Because finances are at the bottom of individual decisions to travel abroad for medical care, American health care providers are finally paying attention.

For example, CIGNA, a large carrier in the United States, is considering offering reimbursement for hip and knee surgeries in foreign destinations. Other insurance companies and their subsidiaries, such as Companion Global Healthcare Inc., of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Carolina, is beginning to offer international care as an option available in their basic health insurance plans. Indeed, many healthcare service providers are expecting and anticipating that medical tourism will be standard in the healthcare field by 2015.

Read complete article at PlacidWay.com

Medical Tourism in Asia
“Creating a Successful Branding for Your Hospitals”

What’s called medical tourism-patients going to a different country for either urgent or elective medical procedure-is fast becoming a worldwide, multibillion-dollar industry.

Medical tourism in Asia is growing rapidly, far outstripping the 4 to 6 per cent growth in general travel bookings predicted for 2007, with the number of medical tourist visits to many countries swelling by 20 to 30 per cent a year. The industry in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and India, currently worth around half a billion dollars a year in Asia, is projected to generate more than USD4.4 billion by 2012. Many hospitals and medical institutions that cater to the tourist market in Asia are amongst the best in the world.

Alongside with the growing number of surgery options from hospitals, many travel agencies have developed specialized packages, including a broad choice of rehabilitation and leisure activities, which can be integrated with the healthcare options. Hospitals and travel partners are actively working together to offer customized medical packages to travelers and their families.

Branding is about having a unique name that identifies a product; it’s also about creating a sense of trust. Hospitals have now started to use this mantra. Hospitals can definitely incorporate branding to improve their business prospects. Not only does it ensure a constant stream of patients, branding also opens windows of opportunity for business alliances. An example in this is the innumerable local hospital groups in India that have formed associations with Apollo Hospitals for its brand name.

• Branding also helps in getting a higher cost for shares during book building.
• Branding enhances employee satisfaction and thus results in low attrition rates. For medical professionals a branded hospital becomes the first choice to work in and be associated with.
• Branding is an experience and it is more than just providing the best-in-class technologies and treatments.
• Branding aims to convert each patient treated into a brand ambassador for the hospital.

An example of a successful brand is that of Mayo Clinic Hospital in Scottsdale Arizona, United States. Built in 1998 it is designed as a “healing environment”. For the Mayo brothers, the best interest of the patient is the only interest to be considered. A soothing environment is provided through soft music. The corridors are extremely quiet and serene and a nurse station is less than 20 steps from any room. One will hear no announcements and visitors are never asked to leave. Also, the quality and quantity of time nurses spend with patients is predecided.

Read complete article at PlacidWay.com…

Our society is experiencing a quiet transformation with regards to areas of healing and wellness. An increasingly informed public is dissatisfied with traditional health care and drawn to the potential of alternative and holistic approaches. These techniques move beyond a narrow reliance on medication and work to utilize the natural restorative capacities of mind and body. The goal in this model is not just symptom reduction but renewed health and vitality.

One of the most transformative aspects of this changing model is that clients assume much more responsibility as active participants in the process. Patients in a medical practice are encouraged to be brief in their remarks providing just enough information to narrow the focus to a particular diagnosis.

In the holistic model every bit of information is valuable. Many times the most important piece of the puzzle only emerges “accidentally” when a relationship of trust has been established. In this framework a client’s strengths and vulnerabilities are all part of an energetic matrix that ripples across the landscape of physical, emotional, and spiritual life. Metabolizing points of “stuckness” or life distress in the landscape of our inner world becomes a vital part of regaining spontaneity and deeper purpose in life. Some of the most important discoveries in this process are the ones that client makes for themselves.

The purpose of this article is to invite you into the flow of resources and unifying strategy operating within a holistic and integrative center. While this overview will be brief and skip over many modalities and applications, it may help readers to develop a “feel” for the dynamic interaction operating across physical, emotional and spiritual levels. At it’s core this model of healing is designed to spark a lively dialog within each of us and broadens our perspective in new and powerful ways. In that changed world the challenges we face reveal their own solutions and enrich our passage through life.

The Initial Assessment: Diverse Information And A Dialogue with Nature
Holistic Assessments focus on developing a tangible understanding of patterns operating on a physical and psychological level. Depending on the presenting issues a typical intake in our center might include several forms of Brain Mapping, tests of auditory and visual perception, computerized assessments of attention and focus, measurements of internal vital energy, assessments of neuromuscular restriction and energetic blockage in the body, and an interactive interview that can include significant others in a clients life.

One unique feature to our assessment process is the use of a naturalistic hypnotic response set to gather information from the unconscious or nonverbal half of the brain. This reservoir of internal understandings can help guide and empower the healing journey. One typical way of using this technique is to ask an important question which can only be answered from within and then connect this to a spontaneous “unconscious” response. “If there is anything about this symptom that we really need to understand I wonder if your unconscious mind will have your eyes blink, close briefly and suddenly pop an idea into awareness?”. When this compound suggestion is offered with a tone of curious expectancy, helpful and unexpected information is often brought to the surface.

This integrative and flowing process yields a wealth of information that typically goes unnoticed in health care settings. Information about brain functioning for example is crucial to understanding mood and attention related disorders, head injury and post stroke conditions and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. Many children who are currently taking ritalin for ADD are actually struggling with restricted visual fields that compromise their ability to absorb a complete view of the world around them. Our assessments bring together a multileveled picture of each person so that the treatment process be responsive and effective in areas that need attention. 

Read complete article on PlacidWay.com

Energy balances
Overweight or obesity develops due to an imbalance between energy intake and energy output. If intake is higher than the output, a positive balance results leading to weight gain. Regular exercise and eating a balanced diet will help you to stay fit and burn more calories. Avoid fat diets that offer unrealistic results and encourage eating (or not eating) specific foods. Remember, if you lose weight gradually you are more likely to keep it off.

Healthy eating

• Adopt a balanced diet including plenty of fruit and vegetables, whole grain products, low-fat and fat-free products (however take calories into account), unsaturated soft margarines and oils (such as sunflower, corn, rape-seed, olive), lean meat, fish and pulses
• Restrict salt and sugar intake
• Eat breakfast and make sure to have at least 3 meals per day
  Use healthier cooking methods such as steaming, boiling, grilling and baking instead of deep fat-frying and adding extra fat and develop healthy cooking skills within your family
• Avoid buying sweets and junk food
• Drink at least 6-8 glasses of water per day
• Expect temptation, so plan healthy meals in advance

Regular exercise

• For adults, even 30 minutes of brisk walking daily will help reduce your risk
• Children should have 60 minutes of physical activity per day
• Surround yourself and your family with supportive people who either participate with you or remind you to exercise
• Decrease family television viewing and increase your involvement in regular family sports and activities

Are you an apple or a pear?
Your health is at risk not only by the amount of body fat you have, but also by where the fat is located. You have an apple shape if you tend to gain weight mostly in the waist (stomach) area. Pear-shaped figures tend to gain weight around the hips and buttocks. Apple shapes have an increased risk of heart disease - so they need to take extra care to maintain a healthy weight.

Read complete Obesity Treatment article at PlacidWay.com

For three years, Vietnamese Mdm Nguyen Thi Sen experienced shortness of breath and frequent coughing. When her symptoms worsened a year ago, Mdm Nguyen consulted a specialist in Ho Chi Minh City who informed her of an impending heart problem.

Mdm Nguyen’s daughter, Phuong Lee, decided to send her mother overseas for treatment. She felt that her mother’s condition was worsening and prompt treatment was required. Phuong Lee’s husband suggested that Mdm Nguyen be sent to the National Heart Centre in Singapore for consultation and treatment.

Mdm Nguyen underwent a percutaneous procedure  to correct a secundum atrial septal defect, commonly known as “a hole in the heart”.

The morning following the operation, Mdm Nguyen was up and about, and able to walk and eat as normal. Phuong Lee and her mother were visibly happy and eagerly expressed their satisfaction with the operation. “Look at my mother now. She is so healthy and very happy after the operation. The price of the operation is less in Singapore as compared to one in Australia or in America. The healthcare treatments in Singapore are as good as in America. The medical equipment are top-notch and the hospital facilities are first-rate too.”

Mdm Nguyen was discharged after 14 days in the hospital and Phuong Lee took her shopping the day after, using a wheelchair.  She exclaimed, “I like Singapore.  The shopping is great.  We were out from early morning till late night yesterday.”  Phuong Lee added, “We will tell the people in Vietnam about the high standard of healthcare facilities and medical treatments in Singapore. A lot of people in Vietnam are ignorant on treatment options.”

“My mother wants to help the people in Vietnam who do not know about the types of medical treatments offered overseas.  She wants to tell them about the National Heart Centre .” Speaking in Vietnamese, Mcm Nguyen said, “I hope that people with this same problem will know about the National Heart Centre and visit Singapore for treatment.”

Read complete story at PlacidWay.com

What is JCI?
JCI stands for Joint Commission International. The organization is an accrediting organization, which is a process of assessing a medical facility to make sure it meets basic standards and requirements involved in providing quality of care.

Throughout the United States and the world, undergoing the accreditation process is voluntary and provides a means of gauging the commitment of any healthcare facility or a provider to ensure a safe environment as well as reduce risks to both patients and staff members. The most commonly used evaluation and management method around the world, JCI credentials are an important measure of the credibility and quality of a multitude of medical facilities.

What is JCI’s Function and Mission?
The Joint Commission International supports quality care among healthcare organizations around the globe and works with the World Health Organization, and with national accreditation programs and agencies, in a multitude of countries.  JCI standards as well as evaluation methods are created by health professionals in a multitude of health sectors, and can be tested in all world regions. The standards of the Joint Commission International apply to health care organizations and systems and are designed to support and sustain improvement in patient care and safety.

The JCI governing body includes experts from around the world and bases its decision on an international committee of health care experts as well as standard revisions offered by advisory councils from different regions.

The goals of the Joint Commission International are to reduce risks, adverse effects, and consistently improve healthcare methods and procedures. The JCI works with hospitals, health providers, medical consultants, government agencies, and patients to provide standards, rules, and processes for medical facilities.

Read complete article at PlacidWay.com

LASIK is the most advanced laser vision correction surgery today and is capable of correcting nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.  The ability of the modern excimer laser to remove tissue with sub-micron precision has created a sudden interest and over a million people will have LASIK performed this year.

Over half of the world’s population is affected by these traits and are reliant on spectacles or contact lenses to view the world clearly.  Glasses can be bothersome and uncomfortable while contact lenses are equally problematic.  They dry out your eyes, are sometimes painful, and starve your eyes of precious oxygen.  With contact lenses there is also the constant and sight-threatening risk of infection (about 1 in 2000 per year) which increases with poor hygiene.  With improved technology and greater experience, LASIK surgery has now become far safer than contact lens wear.  When performed by a corneal expert, the one-time sterile procedure has been shown to be much healthier for the eyes than decades of uncomfortable contact lens use. 

During LASIK, the surgeon creates a corneal “flap” with a cutting instrument, called a microkeratome.  The flap is lifted and the underlying cornea is reshaped using a “cold” excimer laser.  The flap can then be carefully replaced and the tissue heals itself within a couple days without sutures, adopting the new shape and providing improved vision within weeks and sometimes overnight.  Overseas patients can stay in Bangkok just five days for the whole process, including the preoperative exam, the surgery itself, the one day and the 1 week postoperative exam.
 
Some Background on TRSC
 
TRSC International LASIK Center is a private refractive surgery center specializing in the surgical correction of vision problems (nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism) using LASIK as well as PRK, ICL, PRL, and cataract surgery.   Founded in 1997 by Ekktet Chansue, M.D., Refractive Surgery Specialist, and Wanida Chansue, Managing Director, TRSC International LASIK Center believes in selecting the best technology in the industry and combining it with professional expertise to achieve the highest standards in service excellence.    

TRSC International LASIK Center is the largest stand-alone LASIK facility in Asia. It consists of over 1,700 sq m of VIP-style servicing area, 5 modern operating theaters, seminar rooms, private consultation rooms, computerized data processing and parking facilities.

Read complete article on PlacidWay.com