The Patient's Perspective

                                            

Adverse events can occur within a health care setting many different ways.  Some can be caused by treatment with incorrect medications or doses administered.  Other medical issues could be the safety of a patient while in the hands of the medical professionals.  Medical devices being used could also lead to incorrect usage and cause adverse events to occur for patients and the treatment they receive. 

But regardless of the event that may occur within a health care setting, the patient should be the primary decision maker in determining whether they are at risk of treatment or not.  Doctor’s and clinicians are responsible for determining the correct medical procedures and the scientific aspect of a treatment, but they are not always 100% accurate in their decision making.  If an event occurs where a quick decision needs to be made about the well being of a patient, the patient themselves should then become the primary person responsible for deciding the nature of their outcome.  Just as a patient is responsible for determining which method of treatment or medication they would like to use, they should be in charge of deciding if something is not right with the treatment they are receiving. 

    Adverse events could be determined by patients however, both patients and medical professionals should come together in order to determine the outcome of a patient.  A clinician or doctor should be able to figure out what issues are occurring medically, while a patient should know exactly what they are feeling and how their body is reacting to a treatment or device being used. 

Treatment and Tourism Coming Together?

     Medical Tourism, otherwise known as “medical travel or health tourism describes overseas travel for medical, cosmetic or dental health care,” and is becoming a new alternative to affordable healthcare, (Medical Tourism.com, 2011).  Due to the high costs of medical procedures within the United States, many companies are discovering that medical travel will become a more affordable way to treat patients than procedures within the country.  Elective procedures are being treated overseas such as “cosmetic dental and plastic surgery. Destinations such as Brazil, Costa Rica and Mexico have assisted the U.S. with procedures such as these. Non-elective procedures such as knee and hip replacements, cardiac procedures and neurosurgery have started becoming more popular, “(Medical Tourism.com, 2011). 

        An article in the Orlando Sentinel stated that, October 1, 2012 will mark the start of the Medical Tourism option for Osceola County employees.  During this time, the counties employees will “receive incentives to use less-expensive overseas doctors and hospitals in countries like India, Singapore and Turkey, which will cover many common elective procedures, such as heart bypass, joint replacements, gastric procedures and hysterectomies,” (Breen & Jameson, 2012).  Osceola County will be one of the first counties in the U.S. that will provide the medical tourism elective to their insured workers.

      One incentive for this option would be the companies and medical insurers alike benefitting from the lower costs of procedures for insured employees.  For example, “a knee replacement within the U.S. which could cost up to $75,000 might only cost $25,000 in India,” (Breen & Jameson, 2012).  Another incentive would be that the insured employees of Osceola County would be able to receive medical treatment in another country and vacation abroad at the same time.  Since the cost of travel would be provided by insurers, these workers would be able to vacation with little additional cost to them.  Although the costs are lower, there are several healthcare facilities and doctors overseas that are up to U.S. standards in health care treatment.

        Of course, medical alternatives such as this will raise concerns among the public and many issues have been raised already.  One important risk would be, “potential risks of combining surgical procedures with long flights and vacation activities along with risks for developing a pulmonary embolism when combining surgery with long international flights,” (Breen, et. al, 2012).  Another major risk in this elective would be issues with post procedural visits or follow ups.  Once a patient has completed their procedure and left the country, which will follow up with them to make sure that a procedure has been done correctly?  Most doctors will not see a patient after a procedure that they have not themselves performed.  Finally, cultural barriers such as language could cause serious issues when treating patients from other countries. 

          It is my belief that although medical tourism is becoming a new alternative to affordable health care, it will not be a preferred one.  Many Americans fear travel to other countries let alone receive medical treatment within them.  Language and cultural barriers may cause concerns for several U.S. citizens, but above this the people might fear that with the lower cost of healthcare in these other countries, the lack of technology and updates treatments might lead many Americans to believe that medical professionals overseas would not have the qualifications for treatments. 

         If a person gets a procedure done outside of the United States, would they still have a vested interest in correctly treating patients from another country.  In this country, there are many doctors that do not have a vested interest in preventative care.  Medical professionals and facilities receive more money for those patients that take longer to recover from an illness than those that last a day or two.  So how can one be sure that once a procedure is done in another country and the patient returns home, the procedure will have been done correctly.  It was explained in the article that most of the doctors overseas were approved by the Joint Commission International, but I would also like to know what steps they have taken to prevent medical malpractice for patients being treated outside the country. 

         In my opinion, there are many issues that can be raised when discussing this topic.  But it is my belief that the main reason for this new elective is primarily due to greed within the United States.  Companies have been facing difficulty in providing health care to their employees and it will get even worse as the healthcare reform laws come into play.  This option will provide companies with a more affordable way to treat their employees, but can also lead to more serious problems in the long run.  Rather than leaving the country to find more affordable ways to treat health issues, it would be best to find ways to lower the costs within the U.S. to prevent dangers abroad as well as relieving concerns of the unknown.               
      

References

Breen, David, and Marni Jameson. "Osceola County offers workers free surgeries — overseas." Orlando Sentinel 19 May 2012: 1+. Web. 1 June 2012. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-05-19/health/os-medical-tourism-osceola-county-20120519_1_joint-commission-international-foreign-hospitals-and-doctors-surgery/2.

MedicalTourism.com. Medical Tourism Association, 2011. Web. 4 June 2012.

http://www.medicaltourism.com/en/medical-tourism-guide.html.