9fe4d65d   
   On Sunday, 5 April 2009 05:17:13 UTC-7, Raymond  wrote:   
   > Lower costs lure U.S. patients abroad for treatment   
   > Experts say the trend in global health care has just begun at a   
   > fraction of the U.S. cost. Next year alone, an estimated 6 million   
   > Americans will travel abroad for surgery   
   >    
   > Patients from the Middle East said they come to India because the   
   > technology as well as the staff is more advanced.   
   >    
   > Health Library   
   > MayoClinic.com: Health A-Z   
   > While most tourism patients from America are uninsured, major U.S.   
   > insurance companies are considering providing "medical tourism"   
   > coverage to their customers. Several have already launched pilot   
   > programs.   
   >    
   > By Danielle Dellorto   
   > CNN Medical Producer   
   >    
   > NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- "I was a walking time bomb. I knew I had to   
   > get on that plane if I wanted to be around to see my grandkids."   
   >    
   > Sandra Giustina is rolled into surgery to correct her atrial   
   > fibrillation at Max Hospital in New Dehli, India.   
   >    
   >  1 of 2  Sandra Giustina is a 61-year-old uninsured American. For   
   > three years she saved her money in hopes of affording heart surgery to   
   > correct her atrial fibrillation. "They [U.S. hospitals] told me it   
   > would be about $175,000, and there was just no way could I come up   
   > with that," Giustina said.   
   >    
   > So, with a little digging online, she found several high quality   
   > hospitals vying for her business, at a fraction of the U.S. cost.   
   > Within a month, she was on a plane from her home in Las Vegas, Nevada,   
   > to New Delhi, India. Surgeons at Max Hospital fixed her heart for   
   > "under $10,000 total, including travel."   
   >    
   > Giustina is just one of millions around the world journeying outside   
   > their native land for medical treatment, a phenomenon known as   
   > "medical tourism." Experts say the trend in global health care has   
   > just begun. Next year alone, an estimated 6 million Americans will   
   > travel abroad for surgery, according to a 2008 Deloitte study.   
   > "Medical care in countries such as India, Thailand and Singapore can   
   > cost as little as 10 percent of the cost of comparable care in the   
   > United States," the report found.   
   >    
   > Companies such as Los Angeles-based Planet Hospital are creating a   
   > niche in the service industry as medical travel planners. One   
   > guidebook says that more than 200 have sprung up in the last few   
   > years. "We find the best possible surgeons and deliver their service   
   > to patients safely, affordably and immediately," said Rudy Rupak,   
   > president of Planet Hospital. "No one should have to choose between an   
   > operation to save their life or going bankrupt."   
   >    
   > Planet Hospital, which works with international clients as well as   
   > Americans, books patients' travel and arranges phone interviews with   
   > potential surgeons. Patients are greeted by a company representative   
   > at the airport in the country where they've chosen to be treated; a 24-   
   > hour personal "patient concierge" is also provided, a level of service   
   > that's standard among many of the top medical travel planning   
   > companies.  Watch Dr. Sanjay Gupta meet some medical tourists »   
   >    
   > "Our patient concierge was amazing," said Giustina. "He came to the   
   > hospital every day, gave us his personal [telephone] number and after   
   > my operation, he arranged private tours of India." Just two days post-   
   > op, Giustina and her husband, Dino, toured local markets and landmarks   
   > including the Presidential Palace and the Taj Mahal.   
   >    
   > Don't Miss   
   > Consumer Tips Blog: Stay healthy while traveling   
   > "I was able to fix my heart and tour India, which is something I   
   > thought I'd never do."   
   >    
   > Walk through a patient wing at Max Hospital in New Delhi on any given   
   > day and you're likely to see people from around the world. In one   
   > visit, CNN met patients from the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Jordan,   
   > Afghanistan and the United States. They're alike in choosing surgery   
   > abroad, but their reasons differ.   
   >    
   > Many South Asians and Africans said they travel abroad because they do   
   > not have access to care in their homeland.   
   >    
   > Some Canadians and Europeans said they chose to travel aboard, despite   
   > having national health plans, because they are tired of waiting --   
   > sometimes years -- for treatment.   
   >    
   > Patients from the Middle East said they come to India because the   
   > technology as well as the staff is more advanced.   
   >    
   > For most Americans CNN spoke to, it came down to finding the best   
   > value. "If I could have afforded my procedure in the United States, I   
   > would have taken it, but that was not my option," Giustina said. "I   
   > had to get online and look for a Plan B." Read about hot destinations   
   > for medical tourism   
   >    
   > The private hospitals in India market themselves as having upscale   
   > accommodations, Western-trained surgeons and state-of-the-art medical   
   > equipment.   
   >    
   > CNN spent time at Max Healthcare in New Delhi and saw operating rooms   
   > similar to those in many U.S. hospitals. If fact, Max's neurosurgery   
   > room had an inter-operative MRI scanner, which is technology hardly   
   > seen at hospitals in the United States.   
   >    
   > The lobby had marble floors, a book café, coffee station and a Subway   
   > sandwich shop. The patient suites were equipped with flat screen TVs,   
   > DVD players and Wi-Fi. This hospital also catered to families   
   > traveling together. The suites had adjoining rooms with a kitchenette,   
   > coffee maker and a sofa bed.   
   >    
   > Max neurosurgeon Dr. Ajaya Jha said the hospital can provide high-   
   > quality care at low prices because the staff work hard to cut waste.   
   > Watch Dr. Gupta visit an Indian spice market »   
   >    
   > "I've seen hospitals in the U.S. where they open up something costing   
   > $10,000 and say, 'Oh it's not working. OK, give me another one.' We   
   > would never do that here. Even for 100 rupees (about $2) -- we would   
   > say, "Do we need to open this suture? Do we need to open this gauze?'   
   > We are very conscious of cost."   
   >    
   > Hospital officials negotiate hard to keep costs low for high-tech   
   > medical machinery and other supplies, Jha said. "In the U.S. people   
   > are making careers out of carrying laptops and documenting things that   
   > are not really useful in the long term for the patient."   
   >    
   > The salary of a U.S. surgeon is five times that of a surgeon in India.   
   > "We [surgeons in India] want to make a profit, but we don't want to   
   > profiteer. We don't want squeeze people and I think American   
      
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