Understanding Malpractice Insurance

by PlacidWay

The astronomical cost of medical care in the United States is often blamed on the rising cost of medical malpractice insurance that must be carried by medical practitioners. Basically, medical malpractice insurance is necessary for health care providers to protect themselves from the costs and damages caused by lawsuits filed by legitimate as well as nonlegitimate patient cases around the country.

What Is Medical Malpractice?
Medical malpractice is defined as the failure of any physician to exercise due care or skill while engaging in a specific field or specialty that he or she would use in “normal” circumstances. In essence, medical malpractice is considered a form of negligence and failure to meet acceptable standards in quality of care in his or her medical practice.

According to the Insurance Information Institute, medical malpractice costs have risen steadily since the 1990s. The growing number of claims and suits filed against physicians, dentists, chiropractors, and other healthcare providers in recent years has driven insurance rate increases, especially in urban areas.

The United States Government Accounting Office reports that rising insurance rates could be blamed on several factors, including increased losses to malpractice insurers due to payouts, a decrease in investments of these insurers, as well as decreased competition between medical malpractice insurers. Because of this, malpractice premiums have increased, forcing the costs of such increases along to patients. In addition, such high malpractice premiums also cause many physicians and surgeons to limit high-risk services or surgeries because of their fear of being sued if outcomes are not ideal.

Read complete article on Understading Malpractice Insurance at PlacidWay.com

Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress 2008

Welcome to the inaugural Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress 2008.

A global event dedicated to the complete supply chain of the medical travel industry.

Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress 2008 is a groundbreaking platform bringing together macro level decision makers on healthcare policy with payees of medical travel, specialized medical suppliers, travel providers, medical facilities and representatives from major medical tourism destinations all under one roof making this exhibition and congress truly representative of the total international medical travel industry.

Healthcare Travel Exhibition & Congress 2008, under the guiding theme of “the Globalisation of Healthcare”, brings together the entire cluster involved in medical travel at one specific event that is dedicated to the development of this growing sector.

This event establishes a platform for Medical Travel professionals to interact on a variety of business platforms:

• Exclusive networking opportunities made possible through innovative corporate match making
• A world-class conference streaming across multiple sectors
• Global exhibition, showcasing all segments of this exciting industry
• Internationally accredited CME endorsed through the AACME

This ground breaking platform focuses on all aspects related to the global healthcare travel market. Healthcare Travel Congress 2008 brings you exclusive and high level conferences ensuring the world’s leading decision makers discuss relevant issues to target audiences involved in medical travel.

Themes to be explored at Healthcare Travel Congress 2008:

• International standards and accreditation
• Building strategic partnerships
• Perspectives from international providers and regional initiatives
• Business and investment opportunities
     – Business opportunities in Healthcare Travel
     – Factors to consider when preparing your business for international patients
• Financing of medical travel & medical insurance
• Gaining competitive edge through marketing and promotion
     – How to attract the global consumer
     – Build brand recognition and loyalty
• Risk management an legal issues related to medical travel
     – Legal aspects and medical liability of medical travel
     – International standards for patient safety and quality control
• Best practices worldwide
     – Dental tourism
     – Hospitals
     – Travel Agents for medical travel
     – Ministries of health
     – Ministries of Tourism
     – International health insurance companies
• Overview sessions and panel discussions
     – Latest trends in healthcare travel
     – Issues and challenges facing medical travel
     – Understanding the key drivers for medical tourism

Take advantage of this exciting event to gain knowledge about best practices, share insights with key players, attend presentations from industry experts and interact direct with colleagues from around the globe.

To learn more about the conference please click here…

World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress : 09 September 2008

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

Click Here to request additional information about Medical Tourism Annual Congress in San Francisco, USA

 

This event has one sole purpose, to put Insurance Companies, Self Funded Employers, Health Insurance Agents and Healthcare Companies in one place together with International Hospitals, Medical Tourism Companies and Medical Tourism Experts for the ultimate educational learning and networking event. This event is meant for US Employers and companies to create new relationships and new contracts in the area of Medical Tourism, as well as to learn how to properly implement Medical Tourism into a US health plan with success. The Medical Tourism Association will pre-arrange meetings and connect international hospitals with executives from top US healthcare companies to assist in the development of new relationships and valuable new contracts. We will also help International Hospitals in attracting patients from the Middle East and Asia. 

This is the one event per year where US health Insurers, TPA’s, Self Funded Employers and Health Insurance Agents have the opportunity to meet the top executives from the leading international hospitals. It’s time for the US Marketplace to seriously step outside the box and look at Medical Tourism as a real solution to the rising costs of healthcare.

Medical Tourism is the Ultimate Consumer Driven Benefit Tool!

Read complete story on Medical Tourism Congress in San Francisco, USA at PlacidWay.com

 

 

 

 

Addressing the Health Needs of Baby Boomers

Understanding the Special Needs of Boomers
Baby Boomers – you know who you are – born in the post World War II years more commonly known as “war babies” back then. This generation, born in the period of 1946 to 1964, is slated to reach staggering numbers. Citizens around the world between the ages of 55 and 65 are one of the largest age demographic groups in the annals of history.

Along with this distinction comes a variety of health needs addressing chronic problems, rising health care costs, and the retiree’s desire to travel around the globe. Enter Medical Tourism to meet this growing demand. Sites such as PlacidWay.com offer resources to assist in the decision process and coordination of care and travel. These sites help to ease an often overwhelming task.

This generation is also expected to live longer and be more active than generations before them. Longevity increases the necessity to treat chronic problems and injuries, including the pervasive rise of a larger ratio of the population suffering from diabetes, coronary heart disease, asthma, and of course, the deterioration that comes with the aging process.

A significant percent of these baby boomers are currently uninsured. Many who belong to this age group have lost their jobs due to aging, unemployment or downsizing and are no longer covered by affordable health insurance.

Traveling beyond local borders offers this group, more than any other demographic, the opportunity to pursue and receive premium healthcare, alternative treatments and travel, all at the same time. How is that possible? Web sites such as PlacidWay.com promote Medical Tourism by offering consumers a wide range of options for receiving health care, and offering the tools to coordinate care and travel. 

Boomers are leading the way to more affordable healthcare. Boomers, more than any other age group, are seeking medical care overseas to address such needs as dental care, orthopedic procedures like knee and hip replacement surgeries, cardiac care, and alternative treatments for chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, and cardiac.

Leading Treatments and Procedures for the Boomer Generation
Leading health issues among baby boomers can be categorized as common health issues resulting from lifestyle habits indulged by this age group more than any other. These habits include, for some, smoking, inadequate diet, and poor exercise habits. The most common afflictions and conditions experienced by boomers today are:
• Heart disease
• Kidney disease
• Arterial sclerosis
• Osteoporosis
• Breast, lung, and colon cancer
• Stroke
• Joint Complaints: bursitis, arthritis, tendonitis

Dealing with such chronic issues is not cheap, especially with the rising cost of health care. Coupled with astronomical fees, patients are often required to endure long wait times between physician’s visits as well as scheduling of treatments, procedures, and surgeries.

What Are Baby Boomers Doing about Medical Care?
Retirement is looming for many baby boomers. Many have the desire to travel. Research has shown that medical tourism, or the desire to travel internationally and across borders for health reasons, is becoming a viable alternative for the treatment and care of the specialized health issues experienced by this group of people from around the world.

After comparing the cost of procedures in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia, most baby boomers are combining their retirement desires with ongoing medical care by traveling to various destinations for their needs.

For example, American boomers needing dental care and prescriptions often travel south of the border into Mexico or even as far as Brazil, Argentina, Panama, and Costa Rica for their needs. Dental procedures, as well as medications in Latin American countries, are less than half of what comparable procedures and medications cost in the United States.

Thailand, India, and Singapore are popular destinations for those needing hip or knee replacement or heart surgeries. Europeans are making trips to Hungary, Croatia and Poland for dental and cosmetic procedures at great savings, even after including the cost of travel and hotel or clinic accommodations.

Hospitals in South America or Asia generally cost one half of the price charged in the United States and Europe. For example, cardiac and orthopedic surgeries performed in India can save health travelers nearly $20,000 or more with one surgical procedure.

Who Benefits from International Healthcare?
Baby boomers are competing with the Generation X (those born between 1965 and 1980) for alternative healthcare treatments. Such treatments are growing increasingly popular among Americans and include aspects of yoga, meditation, ayurveda, and herbal therapies. The benefits of ancient Chinese practices such as acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain caused by bone disease, as well as for the treatment of depression, diabetes and obesity are also appealing.

When it comes to treating the special needs of the baby boomer generation, meaning arthritis, orthopedic procedures, cardiac care and cancer treatments; international facilities are increasingly catering to the needs of this age group.

Research and doing your homework
Standardization of credentialing is becoming more common.  A credentialing process requires facilities such as hospitals to meet specific quality/performance criteria. JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation has been sought by a number of international hospitals.  The JCI web site lists those facilities. 

Many international physicians have been educated in countries such as the UK and the USA. Many of them also practiced for a number of years in those countries before returning to their home countries to set up practices. Some of them have obtained board certification in the USA.  It is important to research the qualifications, education and experience of any physician or healthcare provider before receiving care.  Membership in professional organization can also be a good indicator of a reliable healthcare provider.

USA based health care organizations such as Johns Hopkins, the Cleveland Clinic, Christus Health have affiliation and ownership of facilities in international settings outside of the USA.  Quality of care is essential, no matter where a procedure is performed. Foreign healthcare providers continue to offer superlative facilities, physicians, and surgeons to meet the needs of an ever-increasing number of foreign travelers. Learn more about the top healthcare centers across the world by visiting PlacidWay (www.placidway.com) web portal.

Control Your Health Destiny

Health Savings Accounts or HSA’s are growing in popularity.  Currently, it is estimated that there over 3 million HSA owners, and by 2010, the Treasury Department estimates as many as 45 million Americans will be covered by HSA plans.   So what is an HSA, and how can it help you pay for medical bills?  With an HSA you can invest tax-free money towards your healthcare expenses.  You get to choose the type of investment – anything from savings accounts or money market funds, to a full brokerage house.  If you invest wisely, you could have well over $500,000 in the account when you retire.  You will be able to use that money to pay for your healthcare in whatever way you please, tax free, under the guidelines established by IRS.  If you decide to treat a condition with traditional medicine or alternative medicine such as acupuncture, homeopathy, or psychic healers, you can do that too.  Whoever offers you the service you want with the best combination of quality and price should get your business.  And since you are the one paying, it will be completely your choice. One of the key aspects to health savings accounts is a system that is responsive primarily to individual consumers, rather than to third-party payers.  This concept is known as consumer driven health care.  If you do not currently have an HSA-qualified plan, you may want to consider obtaining one before you receive your medical treatment.  If you qualify for coverage this may enable you to write off the entire cost of your trip.  HSA instant quotes are available from HSA for America.  

What can that mean for you?  Healthcare freedom!  You can get the treatment you want and it is tax free.  You can contribute to these accounts and may withdraw the funds at anytime for am eligible medical procedure.  Many medical insurance plans do not allow for alternative health treatments or do not pay for getting treatments abroad.  An HSA allows you to do this.

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