The medical tourism markets are growing again, and many destinations and healthcare providers see this as an exciting opportunity. But in the rush to develop medical tourism markets, there’s generally no consideration of what happens after the patient returns home.
Are the complications that occur after medical travelers return home the costliest part of medical tourism? For the UK’s National Health Service, the problem is serious enough that GPs and specialists have been instructed to request private payment for follow-up care from patients who have surgeries abroad. Post-procedure complications have a tremendous impact on the brand reputation of the providers, as well as their countries / regions.
In this first program of a four-part series, we will look at the scale of the problem, likely error and complications rates in medical tourism, estimates of the numbers and costs, discuss solutions, and share case studies.