Meanwhile, many cosmetic procedures, especially those in the dental realm, are becoming more popular and accessible. Tooth whitening and veneers—once only for movie stars—are now for everyone. For that reason, HealthCare Tourism International, a nonprofit research group, estimates the number of medical travel agents will double in the near future. These specialty travel professionals bank their business on the stellar reputation of the medical providers and hospitals they suggest to clients. The travel agent can also find a luxury hotel, soothing beach, or golf course for a companion or spouse to enjoy while the patient is recuperating.
Gallegos believes many of his clients have a better recovery because they recuperate at a seaside hotel with skilled nursing staff on site (instead of relying on an untrained spouse or relative at home). “It’s a resort atmosphere,” he says. “People recover quicker because they are more relaxed.” It’s also more private for clients who may not want friends and neighbors to know they have had a facelift or breast implants.
Once word of mouth spreads, and the industry creates a successful track record with global-minded clients, Gallegos predicts US health insurance companies will start to buy into this trend, because the cost savings will become obvious.
Wish You Were There?
For clinicians here in the US, the medical tourism boom could offer new career opportunities and new chances to travel the world. Many medical travel agents, for example, may have a head for business, but they often have no medical background. They may need a physician assistant or nurse practitioner to serve as a consultant as they wade through health records and regulations in other countries.
Patients who have a relationship with a particular provider may also want to pay that clinician to travel with them, just to oversee all the details during a medical tourism trip. In some cases, PAs might be able to perform the surgery themselves, at a much lower rate, in a foreign hospital—especially if that facility is affiliated with an American hospital.
“We’re seeing a lot of medical-global cross-fertilization happening,” Gallegos says. “There’s going to be a market for clinicians to travel and perform procedures for their clients.”