Low cost high quality surgery may sound like a contradiction but isn't always the case. The reason highly valued medical services such as surgery can be obtained at a low cost is due to improved international health care training. Moreover, international medical operations that develop at a faster pace than standard of living in addition to different medical business models overseas can save money on surgery.
In other words, when well trained doctors and dentists live in countries where the standard of living is lower, health insurance and surgery tends to be cheaper for individuals coming from economies with a higher standard of living; going to these countries for surgery can save money. Thus, finding low cost high quality surgery is an advantage for those patents who can take advantage of exchange rates, and geographic variation in cost of services.
Saving money on surgery does require a little research, after all, life is a precious thing and if one didn't value life, surgery wouldn't be necessary in the first place. Having said that, different countries have different surgical advantages. For example, for individuals in the United States seeking more cost effective cosmetic surgery, why not consider Mexico? The travel costs are relatively inexpensive, especially via automobile and the net medical costs are a lot cheaper. Additionally Doctors that are Board Certified can be referred through former patients, referral services and Doctors.
If you're in the market to save money on heart surgery and don't have insurance don't despair just yet. Heart surgery costs in India might be able to give you a bypass for a few thousand dollars compared to the tens to hundreds of thousands charged in the U.S. If you're wondering if the Doctors there can be trusted with you heart, research might give you confidence. According to the Economist magazine (2), Indian hospitals have developed smarter and cheaper ways to provide quality heart surgery to patients. Moreover, some Indian medical models are being duplicated and sold to other countries.
The list of places to go to save money on specific surgery goes on and essentially involves what is known as medical tourism. Medical tourism is an industry that is comprised of patients, patient's families, specialized travel agents, medical facilities, and medical networks.
The medical tourism industry is growing according to health-tourism.com (1) and is attractive to both patients and health providers for a number of reasons stated in a an article by Forbes.com. (3) There's no doubt, globalization has created a more competitive playing field when it comes to current international medical treatment and costs. This lowers the cost of high ticket health care items such as surgery depending on the location and type of surgery.
Costs to keep in mind when considering medical tourism include pre-hospitalization stay, travel, post-operation facility, and any therapy that may be required after the surgery. If the total costs after individual and family travel are significantly lower for a surgical procedure similar to or better than a local procedure, then medical tourism may be a wise choice to save money on surgery after additional considerations and contingencies are also considered. For additional information on researching and obtaining medical treatment abroad, the following resources may be helpful.
Medical tourism has emerged for a number of reasons including excessive costs of health care in foreign countries, lower operating costs in other countries, improved international medical professional training, differentials between medical care and standard of living, and improved medical operations. Individual patients might do well to take advantage of the plethora of potential benefits available through medical tourism. Life is precious, but it might end up costing less for an even better medical result with medical tourism.
Sources:
1. http://www.health-tourism.com/medical-tourism/statistics/
2. http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=13496367
3. http://www.forbes.com/2006/10/25/health-medical-tourism-biz-cx_1026oxford.html
4. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1003450-2,00.html
5. http://healthbeyondborders.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/med-tourism-cost-comparison.jpg
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