Illustrates the importance of globalization in Healthcare industries.

1. Globalization & HealthCare
Yours Truly,
Kaila Beckrow

2. Article Overview
❖The article from Medscape General Medicine focuses on medical tourism that
occurs globally.
❖Medical tourism refers to those who go outside of the country to seek medical
help.
❖Often times, people seek medical attention outside of their country because their
insurance company does not cover their expenses, and it is cheaper for them to
travel outside of the country to get help.
❖There are some insurance companies that are on board with medical tourism
and encourage their clients to go that route, so they are better covered
financially.

3. Article Overview
❖ Typically people from highly developed areas will travel to low
developed areas in search of the medical attention they need.
❖ This article explains the importance of medical tourism and how it has
become more popular.
❖ This article also goes further in depth about how much money these
other countries are generating due to medical tourism.
❖ It could be difficult to find highly qualified physicians in other countries
to tend to your needs, so there are medical tourism agents that do their
research and find someone qualified to help you.

4. Globalization
❖ According to the text, globalization has led to outsourcing in which
businesses move manufacturing and service centers to countries where
labor is cheap.
❖ Many organizations in a global economy have a multinational or
international presence with employees of a single organization that is
found worldwide.
❖ A global economy use to be centered around businesses in the Western
nations, but now they are spread among nations throughout the
developing world.

5. Globalization
❖ Positives
➢ Offers exciting opportunities for entrepreneurs and all citizens
❖ Negatives
➢ Could lead to domestic job loss, exploitation of workers in the third
world nations, and environmental problems.
❖ We will be exploring the wonders that globalization does in the
Healthcare industry.

6. Medical Tourism vs. International Medical Travel
Medical Tourism
❖ When a person in need of medical
assistance lives in a highly
developing nation but travels to a
less developed nation for medical
assistance.
International Medical Travel
❖ When a person in need of medical
assistances lives in a less
developed nation but travels to a
highly developed nation for
medical assistance.

7. History
❖ The international healthcare marketplace emerged in the late 19th
century
➢ Diagnostic evaluation and treatment was unavailable in their own
countries, so they would travel to other areas
➢ Patients wanted go to their local hospital because they felt most
comfortable
➢ Medical tourism agencies help clients research their out of the
country options

8. Spreading Globalization
❖ It is in the best interest of all parties involved in health care to have an
understanding about medical tourism on an economic, social, political,
and medical level because this phenomenon is on the rise.
❖ A growing number of countries are beginning to make the market for
medical tourism competitive by offering a wide variety of medical,
surgical, and dental services.
➢ Advanced technology
➢ Appealing accommodations

9. Medical Attention People Are Seeking
❖ Cosmetic surgery
❖ Dental procedures
❖ Bariatric surgery
❖ Assisted reproductive
technology
❖ Ophthalmologic care
❖ Orthopaedic surgery
❖ Cardiac surgery
❖ Organ and cellular
transplantation
❖ Gender reassignment
procedures
❖ Executive health evaluations

10. What Countries Offer
❖Central and South America:
➢ Cosmetic surgery
➢ Plastic surgery
➢ Bariatric procedures
➢ Dental care
❖India, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand
➢ Cardiac surgery
➢ Orthopaedic surgery

11. Country’s Benefits
❖ India offers prices that are as low as 10% of those in the United States.
❖ Higher developed nations like Belgium, Canada, Germany, Israel, and
Italy attract the foreigners using medical tourism by offering advanced
modern care and also focusing on patient preference, service, and
satisfaction.

12. Revenue Generated
❖ In 2004, 1.2 million patients traveled to India for healthcare
❖ 1.1 million medical tourists traveled to Thailand
❖ Medical tourism is predicted to generate $4.4 billion in Asia in 2012
(article was written in 2007) with half of the revenue going to India.
❖ The global medical tourism market is estimated to generate $60 billion
annually with a 20% annual growth.

13. Main Reason People Seek Medical Tourism
❖ LOW COST!!!!
➢ Patients typically disregarded the inconvenience of travel
➢ A patient from the United States is typically a middle class adult requiring
surgical care but has limited or no health insurance
➢ Prices charged in the foreign country are correlated with the nation’s per capita
gross domestic product which is an agent or income level
■ People from less developed nations are going to have lower incomes;
therefore, their prices for health care are going to be lower
■ Professional liability insurance premium for a surgeon in India is 4% of
that for a surgeon in New York

14. More Reasons
❖ Waiting Lists
❖ Some procedures are not available in their own countries
➢ For example, stem cell therapy may be unavailable or restricted in
industrialized countries but more available in a medical tourism
destination.
❖ Privacy and Confidentiality
➢ People are less likely to find out about a medical procedure if you
are out of the country.

15. Quality and Safety in Medical Tourism
❖ “Accreditation by the Joint Commission International, which has
accredited more than 125 facilities in 24 countries, and/or the
International Organization of Standardization may provide a useful
point of reference for patients selection offshore medical facilities.”

16. Insurance Companies
❖ In many states, Blue Cross Blue Shield offers insurance policies that
enable patients to have expensive surgeries at a low-cost offshore
medical facility.
❖ Several fortune 500 companies are considering adding offshore medical
attention to their employees in an effort to reduce the financial burden
for their employees.
❖ It is anticipated that within a decade a large majority of employee’s
health plans will include offshore medical centers.

17. Insurance Companies
❖ Insurance companies are able to use a portion of their savings to offer
incentives to beneficiaries willing to have care in medical tourism
destinations- waiving the deductible, out-of-pocket health expenses, and
paying for travel and even for a family member.
❖ Ultimately, medical tourism is meant to be affordable, timely, and
available.

18. Questions
❖ If medical tourism is giving people more options and giving doctors in
lesser developed countries more patients, how could someone see it as a
bad thing?
❖ If traveling to other countries is a cheaper way to receive medical
attention, why do people even stay in the US to get their surgeries?
❖ How do the citizens of the lesser developed countries feel about
foreigners coming to their country to get help? Do they see it as good or
bad?

19. Thoughts
❖ If globalization is helping the HealthCare industry by spreading medical
tourism, it seems like everyone is in a win-win situation
❖ People are getting medical attention they might not be able to receive in
their country and medical help that may be more affordable somewhere
else and that seems like a good trend to start.
❖ Lesser developed countries are bringing in more revenue than they
would if medical tourism wasn’t becoming more popular.

20. Works Cited
Horowitz, M. D., Rosensweig, J. A., & Jones, C. A. (2007, November 13). Medical Tourism:
Globalization of the Healthcare Marketplace. Retrieved January 31, 2017, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2234298/