A look at the state of medical tourism

An interview with Dr. Rafael A. Rosado-Ortiz, Chair/Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Care Management at Saint Leo University

Q: Is medical tourism becoming a trend and why?

A: Medical tourism is becoming an emerging trend inside and outside the United States due to the following factors: cost of treatments and procedures, level of expertise of the medical providers, and level of care and customer service offered by the medical tourism organizations supplying these services. Many patients seeking lower cost of services and better customer services are more inclined to take advantage of the medical tourism trends.

Q: Is the market growing?

A: In the past 10 years, we have seen an increase in utilization of medical services that are provided by international medical tourism organizations. This trend is fueled by better quality of medical services offered by USA-trained and licensed medical providers along with lower cost of services and procedures. We can see that the trend of patients seeking better quality, low cost, and top-of-the- line customer service has shown a steady increase.

Q: What countries are most popular and why?

A: If we look at the top medical tourism destinations, I must say that those are; India, Costa Rica, and Northern Europe. The services offered in these top medical tourism destinations are based on types of services offered and the cost. For example, India is known for cardiovascular and orthopedic services and treatments; Costa Rica for cosmetic surgeries and interventions, and Northern Europe for dental and some surgical treatments.

About Saint Leo University

A Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu) is a modern Catholic teaching university that is firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition and the timeless Benedictine wisdom that seeks balanced growth of mind, body, and spirit. The Saint Leo University of today is a private, nonprofit institution that creates hospitable learning communities wherever our students want to be or need to be, whether that is a campus classroom, a web-based environment, an employer’s worksite, a military base, or an office park. We welcome people of all faiths and of no religious affiliation, and encourage learners of all generations. We are committed to providing educational opportunities to our nation’s armed forces, our veterans, and their families. We are regionally accredited to award degrees ranging from the associate to the doctorate, and we guide all our students to develop their capacities for critical thinking, moral reflection, and lifelong learning and leadership.

We remain the faithful stewards of the beautiful lakeside University Campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, where our founding monks created the first Catholic college in the state in 1889. Serving nearly 15,000 students, we have expanded to downtown Tampa, to other sites in Florida and beyond, and maintain a physical presence in seven states. We provide highly respected online learning programs to students nationally and internationally. More than 82,000 alumni reside in all 50 states, in Washington, DC, in three U.S. territories, and in 76 countries.

Dr. Rafael A. Rosado-Ortiz, MD, MBA-HCM, ACHE
Saint Leo University
Chair/Assistant Professor, Department of Health Care Management
(770) 851-6117
Rafael.Rosado-Ortiz@saintleo.edu

Tags: Healthcare