Care Tourism

As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, the New York Times article by Jennifer Medina has really gotten Mexicali officials to sit up and take notice.  The NYT article was just one part of a ‘medical tourism plan’ outlined by the mayor of Mexicali and other government officials.

City of Mexicali

Right now the outline consists of several points:

1. Guide to medical services – they have published a book with the names and addresses of surgeons interested in participating in medical tourism.

2. Transportation – mainly by automobile and buses.  The medical tourism lane at the border was part of this.

3. A plan for a 32 block medical tourism zone.

A good start, and it shows forethought – but as I listened to their outline it prompted my own (humble) suggestions:

1. Medical guide – make this a ‘real’ guide not a phone book of surgeons and providers offering their services.  It should be comprehensive, and offer more than just names and addresses, ideally written as an independent review.. But then take the risk that maybe everything, and every service won’t come out shining..   (Admittedly, this is something I understand the best).

2. Transportation – consider approaching Volaris or another carrier to offer direct flights once or twice a week from Las Vegas, Dallas and Los Angeles.  Right now there are no direct flights from Mexicali to the United States.  By offering direct flights – Mexicali could be much more competitive with both Tijuana and Las Vegas (which is pursuing its own medical tourism strategy to make Las Vegas a medical tourism destination.)  This would play to Mexicali’s two biggest strengths:

1.  It’s proximity to the United States

2.  It’s reputation as a ‘safe’ destination in comparison to Tijuana and other border cities which have their own medical tourism ideas..

It would also open up Mexicali to a much wider market since both Dallas and Los Angeles is a hub for several American carriers serving Canada and the USA.

2. Consider changing the 32 block ‘medical tourism zone’ into one large facilityoffering dedicated service lines.  While all the small private hospitals in Mexicali will hate this idea – instead of fighting over patients, they would have the advantage of having one large facility with pooled resources.

This would also address the weaknesses of medical tourism in Mexicali: Right now each facility has five (or two) ICU beds, and just 10 or so post-operative beds.  It would also eliminate some of the waste caused by the costly duplication of services – since each hospital currently struggles to offer CT scans, cath facilities and other costly equipment.  As part of a long-range plan – this would better enable the providers and facilities in Mexicali to seek outside accreditation/ and certification of programs and service lines, which in turn would attract more patients.

In the meantime, participating hospitals could covert to specialty facilities (ie. an orthopedic hospital, and plastic surgery center etc.) while the new facility is being built.  This would also reduce the stress on doctors traveling all over town to see just one or two patients at each facility.. If medical tourism really gets going here – these doctors are going to need as much time as they can get; caring for patients..

The centralized large hospital would also enable people like Dr. Vasquez to really get his cardiac surgery program off the ground.  More specialized ancillary services like physical and rehabilitative services would also be pooled and would improve the quality of services in the city, for everyone, including the people of Mexicali who also suffer from the lack of large, comprehensive facilities.   This also brings me to my next point –

3.  Since the city and government of Mexicali is involved in the project – there needs to be a clear and comprehensive plan about how the revenue from this project is going to serve the people of Mexicali.  After all – their tax dollars are helping to fund this ingress into medical tourism, so they need to get something out of it.. Like a PET scanner or some other service that doesn’t currently exist in Mexicali.

4. Don’t forget the rest of Baja – there are an awful lot of retirees and such living in southern Baja – so make sure they know about what your city has to offer.  These people need hip replacements, heart surgery and a whole spectrum of services that are very limited in their geographic area.  Give them a reason to come to Mexicali instead of Ensenada or Tijuana by courting their business.

If anyone from Mexicali reads this post – I hope they can see my suggestions, in the spirit that they are given.  Mexicali has a lot of opportunity here, and the potential to be a great place for a wide range of medical tourism – not just bariatrics and plastic surgery, but they need more comprehensive, and long-range strategies to put their plans into action.

Today was a great example of how much the city has accomplished by working together – with a little more work, and a lot of vision – Mexicali could really go far, and provide great services to more than just a bunch of gringos..

source: http://www.cartagenasurgery.wordpress.com / by Cartagena Surgery / July 07th, 2012

The key to benefiting from the area’s flourishing medical community and its ideal setting for recuperation lies in finding inspired, innovative treatments and procedures, says Dr. Arthur Cambeiro, who practices plastic surgery in Las Vegas.

Dr. Arthur Cambeiro, who practices plastic surgery in Las Vegas, praises the gambling capital as a prize for travelers seeking health care.

HENDERSON, NV, July 05, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ — Southern Nevada’s economy could flourish even further if the area continues its two-pronged focus on tourism and quality medical care, says Dr. Arthur Cambeiro, who practices plastic surgery in Las Vegas and Henderson.

“If Las Vegas physicians can continue to establish ourselves as leaders in our fields while catering to a steady stream of out-of-town visitors, we can really put ourselves on the map as an oasis for travelers seeking genuinely advanced health care,” says Dr. Cambeiro, a board-certified plastic surgeon who performs facial surgery, body contouring and breast augmentation in Las Vegas.

“If we keep building on our reputation as a medical watershed, everyone wins–the doctors, the patients and, ultimately, the Las Vegas region as a whole.”

SurgiSpa , Dr. Cambeiro’s plastic surgery center in Henderson, has already established itself as a medical-tourism destination with its Fly in for Surgery program.

“Patients fly in from all over the United States, as well as Canada, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, for treatments ranging from facial cosmetic surgery to breast implants in Las Vegas,” he says. “This is really the ideal destination, since our climate and tourism infrastructure allow visitors the opportunity to turn their surgical recovery time into a vacation.”

A Nevada native, Dr. Cambeiro is a highly respected plastic surgeon in Las Vegas. Featured in magazines such as Glamour and Allure and recognized as one of the “Top Docs 2011” by Las Vegas Life magazine, he established SurgiSpa after completing a 5-year residency followed by extensive training in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.

“My staff and I understand the particular needs of people who travel to Las Vegas for plastic surgery and cosmetic treatments,” Dr. Cambeiro says. “We work hard to create a comfortable, sensitive, collaborative environment where our patients receive optimal attention and guidance.”

Dr. Cambeiro exudes the inborn pride of a native son in extolling the benefits of seeking health care in his hometown.

“Our medical community is unique in its level of service to both the local and the visiting populations,” he says, “and I feel a deep commitment to making a positive contribution to health care in Clark County.”

Dr. Arthur Cambeiro a board-certified Las Vegas plastic surgeon. His practice, SurgiSpa Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, offers surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures ranging from BOTOX Cosmetic to facelifts and breast augmentation. Dr. Cambeiro earned his medical degree from University of Colorado and received his surgical training from the Phoenix Integrated Surgical Residency Program and the world-famous Mayo Clinic. He is certified by The American Board of Surgery and The American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Website: http://www.surgispa.net

source: http://www.24-7pressrelease.com / July 05th, 2012

Jaipur:

Rajasthan will soon attract patients from neighbouring countries as it is set to announce better healthcare packages for foreign nationals as part of its medical tourism package.

For the purpose, the state government has started working on formulating a separate policy on medical tourism. The idea of the policy, in its initial stage now, has been conceived by the state medical health and family welfare department recently.

“Provisions will be made in the policy to offer health packages for patients coming from neighbouring countries. Obviously, we are not targeting to attract patients from the West and other developed countries. But through this policy, we will offer better healthcare services to the patients coming from the neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan and other neighbouring countries. The policy is in the initial stage, it will take some time to implement the policy,” minister of state for health Rajkumar Sharma said.

Besides, the state government has plans to tap growing the tourist activities in religious places, including Ajmer dargah. Since a lot of tourists from neighbouring countries come to the Ajmer dargah every year, the department has an aim to offer lucrative treatment packages to the foreign tourists.

The department officials claimed that because of the free-medicine scheme, patients from neighbouring states have increased. Now the state government is targeting patients, who require ‘terminal care’ from the neighbouring states. But it remains to be seen how the state government takes it up or it will take help of private hospitals in the policy, which have spawned in the city in large numbers.

The state government is also helping private hospitals by allotting land on concessional rates or by allowing them set-up on public private partnership (PPP) basis. Manas Arogya Sadan Heartcare & Multi-specialty Hospital, which will run on a PPP basis with Metro Institute of Medical Sciences Private Limited for a period of 30 years, is expected to become operational from September 2012.

Besides, state government confirmed that Bombay Hospital would also come up in Jaipur as its land allotment process by the Jaipur Development Authority is in the final stages.

Private Hospitals and Nursing Homes’ Society president in Jaipur, Dr Sanjay Arya, said, “The government is allowing big private hospitals to enter Jaipur by offering land on concessional rates. These hospitals are mainly terminal care hospitals. But the government should also make better rules to boost the hospitals which are small and catering general patients in large numbers.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Jaipur / by Syed Intishab Ali, TNN / July 04th, 2012