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SPOTLIGHT: The risks of medical tourism

November 19, 2006 — 8:01pm ET
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Without a doubt, patients can save thousands of dollars if they go overseas to receive high-ticket medical procedures. But do patients know what risks they're undertaking when they go to, say, India to have a coronary bypass performed? Medical tourism companies that facilitate these trips are unregulated. Worse, the hospitals themselves may be unregulated as well, with no need to, say, get the international JCAHO certification available outside of the U.S. It's also difficult to get third-party information, such as medical board status, on physician performance. All told, medical tourists may end up doing a lot more research than they'd expected if they want to protect themselves, one author suggests. Article

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By R. Carrillo | Posted 7:12pm | January 4, 2007

In the past 30 years, the costs of healthcare have soared in the United States. Due to rapidly escalating healthcare costs, Americans in ever increasing numbers have begun to search for alternatives that could reduce their personal out-of-pocket medical expenses. In the last few years, hundreds of thousands of Americans have chosen to become Medical Tourists.

Cost of medical and surgical procedures in Mexico is very low compared to what is paid in the United States. In most cases, the savings from their medical treatment can give people extra money for vacation. Indeed, a patient and his/her family can take a luxury vacation in a Mexican resort and pay for the trip with the savings they receive on getting their procedures in Mexico. Medical Tourism in the city of Guadalajara can certainly be a win-win proposition. While taking care of health needs at big discounts, shopping sprees, sight-seeing, cultural pursuits, and trips to nearby beaches and spas can all be arranged around a medical appointment schedule.

For more info go to www.surgicalcareinternational.com

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