Azerbajian Citizens Seek Medical Care With Their Neighbor

by PlacidWay | Medical Tourism Turkey

Azerbajian citizens are increasingly choosing medical care in nearby Turkey, a country becoming increasingly known for its innovative, experienced and world-class health care.  According to the National Institutes of Health, Azerbajian has suffered from an inefficient medical health care system, poor financing and equipment and adequately trained medical staff when it comes to offering universal access to health care, offering free care provided by governmental support. Unfortunately, such an approach to medical care in this region of the former Soviet Union has fallen behind its neighbors in providing innovative, accredited, and experienced healthcare.

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Choosing an International Medical Provider: Making a List and Checking It Twice

by PlacidWay

When looking for medical providers abroad, a multitude of factors and considerations need to be addressed by each individual. Assessing the services, benefits, and drawbacks of any specific provider need to be fully researched by a medical tourist in order to gauge the quality of services and effectiveness of treatments. Medical travelers also need to take into consideration such things as location, services rendered, and patient care, post-op support and follow-up.

When looking for medical providers abroad, some of the first questions an individual may want answered include:

• Convenience – where is the facility located?  How will I get there?
• Customized services – will the facility be able to meet my specific needs?
• Acknowledging risks – what are the risks involved not only traveling to this destination, but of my specific surgical procedure or treatment? Is staff at this facility open and honest about all potential risks of such procedures or treatments?
• Providing unique solutions – will the facility be able to cater their services to meet my specific needs?
• Are they open to the prospect of working with me to solve my particular problem or issue?
• Quality of service – is this facility accredited and approved not only according to their country’s accreditation levels, but also by international accreditation facilities such as JCI (Joint Commission International)?
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The World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress Announces the Pre-Conference After Care and Continuation of Care Workshop

This workshop will cover what patients need in the form of after care and continuation of care. It will cover protocols and processes that need to be in place for after care, rehabilitation and physician follow up. It will also address issues such as coordinating medical records and the communication between the foreign provider and the domestic provider as well as issues such as privacy. The after care plan should already be in place prior to the patient ever traveling internationally for healthcare and is one of the most important aspects of medical tourism. This workshop will discuss how to successfully implement a aftercare program for your organization whether you are a hospital, clinic, doctor, insurance company, employer or medical tourism facilitator.

The pre-conference workshop is Monday, October 26th, 2009 at 8:00am- 5:00pm, with a break at 12:00-1:00pm for the networking lunch. The Exhibit hall opens conveniently at 5:00pm! This is the one event per year where Employers, Self Funded Health Plans, Insurance Companies, and Medical Tourism Facilitators that are looking to outsource healthcare overseas have the opportunity to meet with top International Hospitals and Medical Tourism Companies in one place for the ultimate networking event.

“The best Medical Tourism Conference of the year.” This is a comment they have heard over and over from delegates who participated in the first World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress which took place in San Francisco California September 2008. The 2009 World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress promises to match that sentiment and, at the same time, provide even more networking and advanced panel sessions for this international gathering.

The conference will feature up to 2,000 attendees, up to 200 speakers, and over 125 exhibitors. Don’t miss out on the 2nd Annual World Medical Tourism & Global Health Congress will take place on October 26-28th, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles California USA!

To learn more about Medical Tourism Congress in Los Angeles, please CLICK HERE

Choosing an International Medical Provider: Making a List and Checking It Twice

When looking for medical providers abroad, a multitude of factors and considerations need to be addressed by each individual. Assessing the services, benefits, and drawbacks of any specific provider need to be fully researched by a medical tourist in order to gauge the quality of services and effectiveness of treatments. Medical travelers also need to take into consideration such things as location, services rendered, and patient care, post-op support and follow-up.

When looking for medical providers abroad, some of the first questions an individual may want answered include:

• Convenience – where is the facility located?  How will I get there?
• Customized services – will the facility be able to meet my specific needs?
• Acknowledging risks – what are the risks involved not only traveling to this destination, but of my specific surgical procedure or treatment? Is staff at this facility open and honest about all potential risks of such procedures or treatments?
• Providing unique solutions – will the facility be able to cater their services to meet my specific needs?
• Are they open to the prospect of working with me to solve my particular problem or issue?
• Quality of service – is this facility accredited and approved not only according to their country’s accreditation levels, but also by international accreditation facilities such as JCI (Joint Commission International)?

The Joint Commission is an American healthcare accreditation organization that evaluates medical facilities based on standards of care. The international branch of the Joint Commission inspects facilities and takes into consideration key factors before offering their “stamp of approval”.  Such considerations include but are not limited to:

• Medical staff credentials and training
• Nursing staff credentials and training
• Medication Management
• Infection Control
• Environment of Care
• Patient Rights
• Provision of Care Treatment Services

Read the complete article on Medical Tourism Abroad

Global Healthcare Options in Today’s Depressed Economy

by PlacidWay
March 12, 2009, Denver, CO: Individuals who have lost their jobs, and their health care benefits, worry about how they’re going to receive essential medical care and treatments without losing their life savings, their homes, or their retirement funds. There is an alternative, says Pramod Goel, founder and CEO of PlacidWay, a popular online resource for foreign medical travel and medical tourism. “Whether traveling to Mexico, Costa Rica, India or Thailand, there are choices – people don’t have to be constrained by local healthcare providers.”

PlacidWay continues to expand by adding international healthcare providers and facilities to their network on a daily basis – accredited and experienced facilities, physicians and surgical specialists in a multitude of medical fields including but not limited to cardiac care, obesity treatments and procedures, orthopedics, cosmetic and plastic surgeries, dental and fertility treatments.

Offering not only backgrounds of popular medical tourist destinations, PlacidWay offers treatment and procedures information, and comprehensive information about medical facilities throughout the world, including highly acclaimed clinics and hospitals found in Asia, such as India, Thailand and Singapore, as well as Mexico and South American destinations like Brazil, Argentina and Colombia. Certified treatment facilities in South Africa and Central Europe offer affordable medical care for travelers from Italy to Croatia, Hungary, Turkey and the Ukraine.

Says Dr. Dheeraj Bojwani, President of Forerunners, “India continues to expand high-quality, low cost and excellent customer care service oriented health programs. Our partnership with PlacidWay enables and strengthens our ability to deliver the best solutions for medical travelers seeking affordable healthcare abroad.”

“PlacidWay continues to provide resources to educate healthcare consumers on vast spectrum of options that are available, giving a rare opportunity to folks to seek and experience a multitude of global healthcare options that are available even in today’s economic conditions,” says Goel.

Growing numbers of foreign medical travel destination providers are accredited by JCI and ISO organizations, and follow guidelines designed by the WHO World Alliance for Patient Safety Standards in order to compete in today’s growing field of medical tourism.

Whether consumers are looking for affordable IVF treatments, heart care or bariatric surgery, medical care abroad offers affordable options for Americans & Europeans concerned about the future of their healthcare needs. PlacidWay offers in-depth information on medical treatments and procedures, wellness programs, and cost comparisons of such treatments. Case studies and articles written by medical experts from around the world provide PlacidWay customers recent and accurate information and transparent price quotes surrounding specific treatments at a variety of destinations.

Ms. Denise Hoogervorst, Director of Surgical Bliss, states, “Visitors from abroad are impressed by world class medical facilities, surgeons, and specialized care that South Africa offers. With rand currently being weak against US dollar, South Africa has become a very attractive medical tourist destination. Our relationship with PlacidWay helped us expand awareness of the South African health tourism programs to a worldwide audience.”

Explore the world of medical options at the click of a mouse. For free information regarding global health care options for individuals and families concerned about medical care and up-to-date information describing specialists, services, techniques and procedures for healthcare provider facilities around the world, visit www.placidway.com.

How should future healthcare delivery models be re-tooled to handle emerging and chronic disease management?

by Ms Menglih Foo

How should future healthcare delivery models be re-tooled to handle emerging and chronic disease management?

Disease management will directly impact the future models of care.  What shape and form will this take on? How can future healthcare cities & hospitals better position themselves to cater directly & to deal with emerging diseases? Will we see more of specialized hospitals? Which regions will be more prepared than others? How will innovative & disruptive technologies help in future healthcare delivery?
 
The healthcare cities and hospitals of the future will greatly benefit from a clearer understanding of how to effectively integrate disease management into future facilities and core competencies to be built. The future of healthcare delivery should incorporate disease based intervention programs and facilities. How to incorporate new primary care delivery systems?

As the number of high valued patients globally rises with time, this will shape future care models as these growing numbers will cross international borders in search of medical care and access to quality.

How will hospitals manage their centers of excellence in order to cater to the growing influx of foreign patients with new and chronic expertise? How can they adequately build capacity, technology and core expertise?

A CEO lineup of speakers and practicing leaders in global healthcare will be tackling these important issues head on at Asia’s biggest landmark healthcare congress – GHC 2009 which will feature 2 co-located events, “Healthcare Cities & Hospitals of the Future” & “Crossing International Borders” (23-26 February 2009, Singapore). 

Read complete Chronic Disease Management story at PlacidWay.com

Gastric Bypass: Travel to Guatemala or Loose my home? – Angels Abroad

Mrs. Margaret Mckenzie, a nurse from Grass Valley, California, made a trip to Guatemala. She contacted a company named, Angels Abroad, and through them, contacted Dr. Rodrigo Gonzalez Toledo, a bariatric surgeon trained in the US. She had an open gastric bypass on September 6th 2008, at Las Americas Hospital in Guatemala city.

What is interesting about this story is that, Mrs. Mckenzie has a health insurance, and they can cover a gastric bypass. The problem is that she didn’t had enough money to pay a co-payment and deductible. Co-payment was US $24,000.

It was cheaper to pay an air ticket to go to Guatemala, plus, ground transportation, cell phone, concierge service, meals, hotel, all medical expenses including 4 nights at a 5-star hospital, nurse service, a tour to a tourist attraction and she paid for her companion expenses. All these was less expensive than using her own health insurance. She saved US $10,000.

Due to her weight loss, Mrs. Mckenzie is going to be able to have a better life.

With tears in her eyes, she told that if she had surgery in the US, she probably had to mortgage, for second time, her house. This is a reality americans are considering, to travel abroad to have invasive surgeries, not just cosmetic. Though it is a hard decision to travel to a called “third world country”, and find physicians trained in the US, using state of the art technology, it is becoming necessary, for americans to survive and not loose all of their money in the process.

Please click here to request additional information from Angels Abroad.

Health Tourism Portal Optimizes Offerings for Consumers and Providers

by Laura Ettinger | PlacidWay

PlacidWay, a health & wellness tourism web portal, recently debuted an enhancement to the site that further solidifies its position as a leading authority in the industry. The centuries-old practice of health tourism has recently experienced explosive growth. This has provided an opportunity for a one-stop, interactive, full service site to exist that answers the needs of both health tourists and healthcare facilities. “We are environmental scanners of the industry, and work hard to monitor trends and gather information that can be trusted,” said Pramod Goel, president of PlacidWay. “All you need to make an informed and intelligent decision about health tourism is on the site.”

“Attention to the needs of both sides of the health tourism coin—consumers and healthcare providers—has been a differentiator for PlacidWay from its inception,” says Goel. “With our enhanced site, we can deliver the most comprehensive, unique, customizable and convenient healthcare solutions for our clients.” It is a goal of PlacidWay to be a knowledge repository and to be on the forefront of the trends of the health tourism industry, with resources that other sites don’t have.

PlacidWay’s expanded site makes it even easier for a potential health tourist to define whether they are searching for a medical procedure/treatment or a wellness program. They can then further refine their search by choosing a destination and facility. While on the website, they can also access hotel and airfare rates, as well as specific informative articles about their chosen procedure, facility or specialist. “All of this can be accomplished with a sense of security for the consumer,” says Goel. “They can rest assured that all their physical needs and comforts will be met by our providers, and feel confident from the perspective of knowing that they have the most current, reliable and accurate information on hand.”

PlacidWay is a leading authority in the field of health tourism through its vision, commitment to service and determination to be the most complete resource possible. PlacidWay offers world class healthcare providers in exotic destinations, a formidable knowledge and information base, quick response turnaround and a one-stop interactive approach to booking a health tourism experience. For more information on PlacidWay, go to www.placidway.com.

Health Tourism Portal Expands Global Provider Partnerships

PlacidWay, a health & wellness tourism web portal, recently expanded its number of partnerships with healthcare providers abroad, following a company directive to increase its offerings to health tourism consumers. Previously, the site has attracted partnerships from healthcare providers in India, Thailand, Malaysia, Argentina, Panama, South Africa and Poland. Recent additions include providers based in Brazil, Costa Rica, Bolivia, Mexico, Guatemala, Singapore, Norway, South Korea, Hungary, United States, and Croatia.

Attention to the needs of both sides of the health tourism coin—consumers and healthcare providers—has been a differentiator for the web portal. “Our partnership with PlacidWay has resulted in an increased interest in our facility by health tourists” said Dr. Ismael Naypa of Yanhee International Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. “PlacidWay has worked with us to ensure that we had all the knowledge, resources and tools needed to attract new clients.”

As healthcare providers around the world realize the advantages of marketing on a global basis, they have turned to PlacidWay to establish their brand and gain greater visibility. “We recently identified health tourism as a key strategy for expanding our client base” said Abhik Moitra of Artemis Health Institute in India. “By partnering with PlacidWay, we have stepped out into the world arena and have become more competitively and prominently marketed.”

Health tourism is a centuries-old industry that has recently experienced explosive growth, and one that continues to grow as rising healthcare costs, overburdened public healthcare systems, increased interest in alternative/holistic medicine and less expensive procedures abroad prompt health and wellness seekers to travel beyond their backyard for more affordable options.

“PlacidWay has become a leading authority in the field of health tourism through its vision, commitment to service and determination to be the most complete resource possible” said Pramod Goel, President of PlacidWay. “We offer world class healthcare providers in exotic destinations, a formidable knowledge and information base, quick response turnaround and a one-stop approach to booking a health tourism experience.”

For more information on PlacidWay, go to www.placidway.com.

PlacidWay Presents World Wide Health Taiwan 2008

The medical travel industry has been sprouting the interest of healthcare providers ever so rapidly that some are classified as “swimmer who jumps into a pool without really checking out the temperature of the water”. What healthcare providers have to realize is that if they wish to be a part of the borderless endeavor, they have to prioritize on a globally acceptable structure to be pursued by those who desire to be a part of this new trend.  

To facilitate building a strong foundation, PlacidWay has teamed with World Wide Health Taiwan 2008 (WWH08).  The WWH08 forum will explore the challenges facing medical travel that impedes quality healthcare delivery as well as constructing strategies to counter these issues.  Subject matter experts will present a framework that would withstand the evolving storms and uphold the integrity of a healthcare provider. 

The WWH08 forum is designed for senior healthcare executives, superintendents, and business development officers from private and public hospitals, healthcare organizations, travel industry, as well as investors and financial institutions.  The conference aims to provide the Taiwan medical travel industry with a neutral platform to discuss with global industry experts existing issues while discovering what it takes to be recognized as a credible medical travel destination. 

Don’t miss out on the chance to explore the vast opportunities in Taiwan as the Taiwan Task Force of Medical Travel open their doors to welcome you. Join us on the 28^th – 29^th of May in Taipei, Taiwan and we will provide you with the professional insights and solutions to strive for excellence in medical travel.  

To request additional information about the event please contact WWH08.