“Sue goes to Belgium”
Sue Sorey, a Baton Rogue resident, was a typical patient who needed a total hip in 2009. She had advanced OA in her right hip that had robbed her quality of life. Unfortunately, Sue did not have health insurance. Sue and her husband researched the cost of the operations from all of the local hospitals and received estimates from $60,000 to $100,000 out-of-pocket. They were devastated.
Then they heard about Medical Tourism from a friend. A few weeks later, Sue Sorey’s hip resurfacing surgery took place in Ghent Belgium. The couple spent $25,000 total total… including the surgical procedure, and 13 days of lodging and meals in Belgium. Sue said that the pain relief was immediate. Mission accomplished.
Sue Sorey is a typical of today’s Medical Tourism patient. The rising costs of medical treatment in the U.S. is sending Americans abroad in record numbers. Around 500,000 Americans leave the country each year for some sort of medical procedure. Medical tourism has its origins in the 1990’s with cosmetic procedures, but today a large percentage of patients travel for common Orthopedic procedures – total hips, total knees, spine fusions, etc. An “outsourced” total joint procedure will typically cost the patient 25% for the exact same procedure and device as in the US.
Patients are driven to look outside the US for primarily the cost savings opportunities, but are commonly surprised at the other benefits that discover during the experience.
- 75% cost savings on the procedure
- Experienced surgeons (many who trained in the US)
- Same implant technology that is available in the US
- Personal care and attention that exceeds US standards
- Luxury accommodations
Case Study: The Wooridul Spine Hospital in South Korea is typical of a hospital catering towards medical tourism. Wooridul offers perks seldom experienced in the US – a car, an English-speaking nurse to greet the patients, hospital rooms that look more like luxury hotel accommodations, and great care, and proximity to tourist attractions and shopping for the rehab process. In 2008, Wooridul Spine Hospital brought in 1,000 foreign patients (1/3 US citizens) and $1 million in revenue.
How can U.S. hospitals compete with this? U.S. hospitals are said to be feeling the pressure from medical tourism as well, in some cases offering to match foreign pricing to encourage patients to stay local.
The most popular destinations for orthopedic patients are India, Singapore, Mexico, Thailand, Columbia, Costa Rica, Belgium, Turkey, etc. However, now over 50 countries have identified medical tourism as a national industry.
The Medical Tourism trend is driven by economics, demographics, globalization and technology. The scale of this trend is huge and the logistics are being worked out seamlessly by third parties who act as travel agents. Some good examples are:
The rise of the baby boomer is helping to throw fuel on this fire. 13,000 people a day hit their 60th birthday in the US. Many of these baby boomers are looking for high quality medical procedures at affordable prices.
Telemedicine also is becoming an enabler for medical tourism. As the technology barriers have broken down, patients and medical staff can exchange information and concerns before and after surgery.
The tourism industry is also getting on board. Travel agencies, airlines and hotels are starting to realize that this is a growing business opportunity that they should take advantage of.
Medical tourism is not going away. Medical tourism has grown much since Thomas L. Friedman highlighted it in his book, The World is Flat, a must read.
Amazingly, there is now an entire annual Congress dedicated to Medical Tourism – The World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress.