by Justin Page

Created on: May 30, 2008   Last Updated: June 03, 2008

More and more Americans are choosing to go out of the country in order to receive medical care. These people are motivated by shorter waiting periods as well as cost that can be as low as a tenth of what they would pay here in the states. Some providers are offering packages which include "medical tourism" options, and some companies are also choosing such routes for their employees. Besides the quick response times, which are often as soon as the day after arrival, clients get to see a part of the world they have never seen. A medical procedure plus a vacation. But do you pay for what you get? In other words are these patients exchanging cheaper medical care for inferior work?

India receives 500,000 foreign patients a year with an estimated 250,000 of them originating from the United states. Also several Indian hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the same folks who accredit American hospitals which except medicare. Also, according to information found at the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) website, www.ncpa.org/pub/st/st304/, "More than 120 hospitals abroad are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), ; another 20 are accredited through the International Standards Organization (ICO); and some countries are adopting their own accrediting standards." Also, American companies are building and operating facilities in Mexico which meet American standards.

So there are certain hospitals abroad which hold up to American technologies and standards for a fraction of the cost. It is just a question of doing the research and ending up beneath the right knife. However, according to Wikipedia.org there are still other considerations. When choosing a destination one should take into account length of travel and air fair, as well as the amount of time spent in the country. Some patients, such as cardiac patients may not fair well with long flights back home, so time should be set aside for recovery. Finally think about the fact that different regions of the world have different diseases that a persons body may not be used to or equipped to fight off. Some countries are more americanized, saving the traveler from "culture shock". For these reasons it may be better to keep your medical travels closer to home, like south of the boarder.

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