With increasing costs of medical procedures and health insurance in many countries, patients now recognize the benefit of this alternate way to receive quality care at more affordable prices. As medical tourism grows in popularity, hoteliers work to facilitate the process for traveling patients.
A recent global report released from HotelNewsNow.com indicates that the average medical tourism patient will spend anywhere between five to 12 times the amount of what a typical tourist would spend on travel costs.
The reason for this is patients participating in procedures taking place via an medical tourism outlet, such as Orbicare, have the opportunity to recover from their procedures in a comfortable setting away from home. This is one of the major benefits for many medical travelers. Discretion is also noted as another important factor for many patients as they reach their hotel for recovery.
According to Deloitte’s 2011 Survey of Health Care Consumers, only 1% of 4,000 U.S. consumers surveyed have traveled abroad for medical care. Of those 4,000, 25% said they would consider doing so for a necessary medical procedure, while 22% would consider traveling for elective care. Studies show top medical tourism destinations include Costa Rica, Uruguay, Brazil, India and Singapore.
As the demand for medical tourism continues to grow, hotels in the destinations work with a network of hospitals that adhere to U.S. health-care standards. Hotel staff and qualified medical personnel are available 24 hours a day for patients recovering from procedures ranging from simple Botox injections to dental treatments, facelifts and gastric bypass surgeries. The level of care, including the hotel’s personalized diet plans for patients, was listed as one of the reasons why some guests have returned for multiple visits.
Health Travel Specialist 