Seeking guidance from a facilitator for medical tourism

A facilitator is very familiar with the entire medical tourism industry and the process that a patient has to follow. They have a strong network of hospitals and physicians around the world that they represent. They usually do not have a medical background, but due to the nature of their work, facilitators understand medical procedures fairly well. Most importantly, they help organize the entire trip and take care of the non-medical travel-related factors too. 

Advantages of seeking guidance from a facilitator for medical tourism

Since they are so well connected with the tourism and medical sector, they would be the ideal people to seek help from. Facilitators can provide you with a wealth of information and options to choose the best course of treatment suitable to your specific needs as a patient.

A good medical travel facilitator will ensure patient safety guidelines by informing you of the agencies that provide the highest quality in hospitals, skilled staff and experienced doctors. Due to their vast experience in the field of medical tourism they can help make you aware of any potential difficulties you may experience during a medical tour.

As a patient you will inevitably have concerns and doubts prior to engaging in medical travel. It is the responsibility of a facilitator or medical tourism agency to clear all your doubts by arranging pre- and post-operative consultations with leading surgeons and doctors affiliated with them. You may not be familiar with the procedures of documentation and permits required for medical travel; however it will be the responsibility of any medical intermediary you enlist to provide assistance in making arrangements for transportation, accommodation and post operative care too.

While travelling to a new country you may not understand the local language or be accustomed with the rules and regulations of that place; a good facilitator will provide guidance or a representative at the local destination who speaks your language and can explain these cultural differences. This will ensure that you receive the desired treatment in the most efficient and effective manner. 

Disadvantages of seeking guidance from a facilitator for medical tourism

However, despite the obvious benefits of a facilitator as listed above, you should not entirely rely on information the facilitators provide. Facilitators clearly do not have the time and resources to be knowledgeable about every medical destination, and may be inclined to promote every place as the best one.

In some cases medical tour facilitators may recommend a particular institution or physician because they receive a commission, service charge or both from the hospital or doctor in mention. These charges are recovered through medical tourists when they seek treatment from that place. Having a middleman liaise between the patient and doctor can lead to serious miscommunication or confusion. That is why it is advisable to have each and every term in writing and have it cross checked for errors.

Note: It is recommended to ask several questions of your facilitator not only to clear your doubts but also to give you an idea about the facilitator’s experience and any commission-based contract they may have with hospitals they are linked with. Always bear in mind that it is not difficult for a facilitator to mislead patients. Having a fancy website does not indicate their experience in the industry. It is better to source the necessary information from someone who has been on a similar medical tour.

Advantages of seeking guidance from the treating hospital for medical tourism

Seeking guidance from the treating hospital could be very beneficial in the preparation phase of your medical trip. The hospital where your procedure will be conducted should have all the relevant medical information and documents you might require to accurately budget and plan your trip. They also have specialized international patient representatives that are hired specifically to assist foreign patients and communicate with them.

Seeking information directly from the treating hospital is a good idea as they can provide you with the relevant information. You can also enquire about probable outcomes, results and other relevant data directly from the source. The hospital should be able to provide you with detailed consent forms that demonstrate their legal structure; this can act as a guideline to follow with all potential hospitals you are considering. The hospital can show you a record of previous patient testimonials with detailed ‘before’ and ‘after’ treatment experiences. 

Disadvantages of seeking guidance from the treating hospital for medical tourism

However, a downside to utilizing the treating hospital for information regarding your medical procedure is that you will get a biased response from them. Also, you can’t guarantee that the information you are receiving from there is accurate and validated. Many healthcare institutions can create fake testimonials and reports to increase inflow of patients. So, it is better to cross check all the information they are providing by contacting previous patients.

Seeking guidance from medical tourism associations for medical travel

Due to the recent rise and popularity of medical tourism, many associations based specifically in the industry of medical travel have sprung up, such as the Medical Tourism Association, The Council on the Global Integration of Healthcare and the European Medical Tourism Alliance. These associations are few of the business to business trade associations which promote as well as support the medical tourism industry to a large extent. 

Advantages of seeking advice from medical tourism associations for medical travel

These associations also act as information portals for patients to seek guidance from. These tourism associations provide up-to-date information for patients about things you may need to know related to insurance companies and top hospitals (about their quality of service and care). They also conduct informational sessions and programmes to educate patients about the advantages of medical tourism and the varying quality of treatment available in different countries.