A medical tourism facilitator provides a comprehensive support system

A medical tourism facilitator provides a comprehensive support system, which goes far beyond the obvious arrangements such as travel, accommodation, medical services, pre -& post-operative care and tourism activities. Facilitators provide a combination of various services which often require meticulous planning in order for patients to have a pleasant experience during medical tourism. However, the selection of an incompetent medical facilitator could lead to dissatisfaction.

In a recent survey conducted by myself, the role of the facilitator within the medical tourism industry was deemed to be significant by the respondents. Sixty-one per cent (61%) said that facilitators were ‘Very important’, 27% said that they were ‘Important’, 10% regarded them as ‘Optional’ and 2% said that they were ‘Not important’.

Integrated knowledge of medical services, tourism & travel facilitation and concierge services which form a three-dimensional support to the traveller are central to the business and a must for any medical tourism facilitator. So with such responsibilities resting on them, they play the important function of bridging the gap between healthcare providers and the consumer.

This chapter provides essential information about what a medical tourism facilitator is all about, how such facilitators are helping patients and most importantly how to identify a good medical tourism facilitator.  

Why should a patient use a medical tourism facilitator?

Consider this; a family based in Connecticut wanted to get a coronary bypass done for their ailing grandfather. Great help was at hand with a great team of doctors and superbly appointed facilities, but there was just a minor issue of health insurance. The family scanned the Internet and came up with cheaper, but equally well -equipped options. Contact was established with the medical provider; travel arrangements were afoot. The family surfed some more in an effort to combine some fun by way of sight-seeing—phew! This was going to be no easy task—visas, legalities, pickups and drop offs, in-country, and in-city travel arrangements. In small strides, through a fully functional team of hands-on professionals - bingo!  All arrangements along with a confirmed appointment with the most capable yet cost-effective service provider were accomplished almost effortlessly. This was the genesis of the medical tourism facilitator.

The process of deciding on medical tourism is no doubt a challenging task for a prospective medical traveller. It requires critical preparations, such as identifying reliable providers, ensuring a trouble-free travel arrangements and having a comprehensive understanding of any pre-operative and post-operative necessities, amongst many others.

Because of the complexity of this decision-making process, some medical tourists seek help from travel agents, the international patient departments of hospitals, or concierge service providers. While all these agencies can act as effective intermediaries, none can offer comprehensive medical tourism support services in the same manner as a one-stop medical tourism facilitator. This is an agency staffed by a team of professionals who are equipped to offer a seamless combination of what would otherwise be complicated arrangements within medical tourism. 

What can a medical tourism facilitator do for a patient?

A medical tourism facilitator company is a one-stop-solution offering integrated knowledge of medical services, tourism & travel facilitation and concierge services to form a three-dimensional support system to the traveller. So with such responsibilities resting on them, the medical tourism facilitator plays an important function of bridging the gap between industry players and the consumer.

1. One stop solution:  A facilitator provides comprehensive support services including medical arrangements, travel and tourism arrangements, concierge solutions and communication.
2. Relationship management: A good facilitator can provide comprehensive relationship management in case the patient needs to communicate with insurance companies, governments or their employer—bodies that sponsor medical tourism activities.  
3. Know how: Facilitators are experts and they know how to handle situations related to medical tourism. They are experts in all aspects of medical tourism arrangement except providing medical services.
4. Negotiate better: A good facilitator negotiates better on your behalf, and therefore might be able to reduce the cost for you whenever needed. A patient might not be able to understand additional expenses charged by a hospital, so a good facilitator should be able to help.
5. Travel & logistics partner: A facilitator is an expert and partner for your travel and logistics requirements. They know what arrangements patients would ideally require, and could create customized arrangements based on your needs.
6. Representative: The facilitator could also be a formal representative on your behalf to communicate with your family and friends about your condition and status.
7. Continuity of care: This is one of the most important job responsibilities of a facilitator—to make sure that your healthcare provider has prepared sufficient arrangements for your post-operative care during medical tourism

What should a patient expect from a facilitator?

While signing an agreement or entering into a contract with a facilitator you will likely develop certain expectations. It is quite natural when you are paying someone for their services that you start expecting optimum results. Medical facilitators should have a basic idea and knowledge of all medical procedures through researching different treatment options before presenting it to any of the medical travellers, so that the patient can compare between different options of doctors, services, and destinations. Ask them on what basis they select hospitals, clinics, and spa facilities.

Seeking opinions are not the same as receiving advice on different treatment options. Before receiving any advice ensure that the physician in question is a doctor or a specialist in the particular field you are enquiring about. The facilitator will have established connections with the hospitals and will be aware of general medical terminology related to treatments, so that they can explain the same to you. Ask them questions to find out if they are associated with any particular hospitals, if they function as a tourism agency or just an intermediary.

A good agent will not sell you the trip but will explain the terms and conditions with its pros and cons by offering you honest advice. These terms include legal terminology and any contracts you make with healthcare providers. Moreover, the facilitator should be able to understand their liability towards the patient, should anything go wrong. Furthermore, make sure that the hospitals they are selecting are accredited by organizations such as JCI, QHA, and BUPA international. They must know the value of a recognized hospital versus a non-recognized one.

Why should patients be careful when selecting a medical tourism facilitator?

Let’s touch upon the concerns shrouding the medical tourism industry.

Lack of government instated legal regulations has ensured that the sector has become an easy “quick start”.  As a result, robust tribes of new facilitators are cropping up on the eighth continent—the Internet—and are raising major concerns for the growth of the medical tourism industry.

Dependence on the Internet as a source of information has thrown the medical tourism industry against several hurdles due to the negative comments focused not on the benefits, but on the pitfalls. They are posted liberally on various blogs. Hence, the concept still remains largely unreliable or fraudulent.

Therefore, it is important to select a facilitator who can provide you with sound support on the above mentioned areas. There are associations and organizations that certify medical tourism facilitators, such as the Medical Tourism Association. 

Certified facilitators are in general very useful as they provide all the necessary information about their in-house procedures to qualify for certification. 

What are the major disadvantages of using a medical tourism facilitator?

Despite the inherent benefits of utilizing a facilitator as listed above, there are several downsides to using a medical tourism middleman. This is especially true in cases where there is a lack of transparency. 

1. Limited choices: Sometimes facilitators make arrangements with hospitals and healthcare providers they receive a commission from, which would lead to limited choices for the patients. In these cases, it’s better to request for a wider range of options.
2. Price: Sometimes a facilitator might charge you steep fees. Ideally a patient shouldn’t mind paying a small percentage of the total medical tourism expenses to a facilitator for all the arrangements made. However if the price structure is not clearly defined, a patient could get into difficulties.
3. Communications: Since the facilitator interacts with the treating provider on behalf of the patient, it might lead to serious communication barriers. This is because the involvement of an additional person could easily lead to miscommunication. In situations such as these, it is better that the patient is directly involved in any communication pertaining to the actual treatment.
4. Arrangements: Some facilitators might have entered into an agreement with certain hospitals or providers which could lead to biased arrangements. Patients should take extra precautions to identify that the facilitator is not conducting any biased practice.

There are many more possible drawbacks to hiring a facilitator; if you continue reading the material below, you will gain a clearer insight as to the necessary precautions required in the selection of a competent medical tourism facilitator. 

How to select a good medical tourism facilitator? What are the essential roles of a medical tourism facilitator?

Medical tourism facilitators, which are those companies acting as one -stop enablers for medical tourism patients, should operate upon four essential and some optional  functions in order to deliver the best patient experience possible. A patient should evaluate whether or not a facilitator stands true on the essential components listed below.