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Why Patients Are Turning to Medical Tourism

Statistics, Benefits, and Risks

Planning Ahead

Frequently asked questions.

Medical tourism is a term that refers to traveling to another country to get a medical or dental procedure. In some instances, medical tourists travel abroad seeking alternative treatments that are not approved in the United States.

Medical tourism is successful for millions of people each year, and it is on the rise for a variety of reasons, including increasing healthcare costs in the United States, lack of health insurance, specialist-driven procedures, high-quality facilities, and the opportunity to travel before or after a medical procedure.

According to a New York Times article from January 2021, pent-up demand for nonessential surgeries, as well as the fact that many Americans lost their health insurance during the coronavirus pandemic led to a surge in medical tourism once other countries re-opened.

However, there are specific risks that come with traveling overseas for surgery. If you're thinking of pursuing a medical procedure in another country, here's what to know about the benefits and the risks.

Medical Tourism Benefits

The most common procedures Americans go abroad for include dental care, cosmetic procedures , fertility treatments, organ transplants , and cancer treatment.

This is not to be confused with having an unplanned procedure in a foreign country due to an unexpected illness or injury.

Among the reasons a person might choose to go abroad for a medical procedure are:

Lower Costs

Medical tourists can save anywhere from 25% to 90% in medical bills, depending on the procedure they get and the country they travel to. There are several factors that play into this:

• The cost of diagnostic testing and medications is particularly expensive in the United States.
• The cost of pre- and post-procedure labor is often dramatically lower overseas. This includes labor costs for nurses , aides, surgeons , pharmacists, physical therapists , and more.
• High cost of malpractice insurance—the insurance that protects medical professionals against lawsuits—in the United States.
• Hospital stays cost far less in many overseas countries compared to the United States. In other words, quality care, hospital meals, and rehabilitation are far more affordable abroad for many people.

For someone who doesn't have insurance , or someone having a procedure that is not covered by insurance , the difference can be enormous.

Popular Countries for Medical Tourism

Dominican Republic

South Korea

Culture and Language

Many immigrants prefer to have treatments and procedures done in their country of origin—a sensible decision, considering just how much language barriers alone can affect the quality of their care.

Furthermore, at least 25% of immigrants and noncitizen residents in the United States are uninsured, compared to 9% of American citizens. Children with at least one noncitizen parent are also more likely to be uninsured.

Practicalities aside, many people choose to have their procedure done in their country of origin simply because it allows them to be close to family, friends, and caretakers who can assist them through their recovery .

Insurance Incentives

Some insurance companies have started promoting medical tourism. The reason behind this is simple: savings for the insured means savings for the insurance provider and vice versa.

Several insurance providers, including Aetna have programs specifically geared at promoting safe medical tourism. Some insurance providers even offer financial incentives for medical tourism, like discounts on medical bills .

That said, many insurance companies will not pay for surgery performed outside of the country unless it is an emergency.

Luxury and Privacy

Medical tourism is a lucrative business for many countries, and much of the money brought in by medical tourists is reinvested into the local economy and health infrastructure.

The effect of this is apparent in the spa-like luxury that some foreign hospitals offer, providing medical tourists the opportunity to be pampered during their stay for a fraction of the cost they would pay at home.

Some facilities offer hospital rooms that are more like a hotel suite than a traditional hospital room. Other hospitals offer one-on-one private nursing care, which is far more generous and attentive than the staffing ratios that most hospitals allow.

Medical tourists who seek that added layer of privacy can find it abroad. Many can return home from their "vacation" without anyone knowing they had a procedure at all.

Vacation in a Foreign Country

Medical tourists often take advantage of their stay in a foreign country to travel for pleasure by scheduling a vacation before or after their procedure.

This is an especially inexpensive way to travel to a foreign country, especially if their insurance provider is paying for the flight and the cost of staying is low. 

While it seems logical to recover on a beach or in a chalet by the mountains, keep in mind that it's important not to jeopardize your recovery.

Swimming isn't recommended until your incisions are completely closed. You may not feel up to doing much more than napping in the days following your procedure, either.

Don't let your vacation disrupt your recovery. Any time you have a procedure done, especially a surgery, it's important to listen to your body, take your medications as directed, and follow your doctor's recommendations closely.

Bypassing Rules and Regulations

Some travelers seek surgery abroad to bypass rules that are set in place by their own government, insurance company , or hospital. These rules are typically in place to protect the patient from harm, so getting around them isn't always the best idea.

For example, a patient may be told that their weight is too low to qualify for weight loss surgery . A surgeon in a foreign country may have a different standard for who qualifies for weight loss surgery, so the patient may qualify overseas for the procedure they want.

Talented Surgeons

Surgeons in certain countries are known for their talent in a specific area of surgery. For example, Brazilian surgeons are often touted for their strong plastic surgery skills .

Whereas in the United States, insurance companies might only cover cosmetic procedures if it is medically necessary, cosmetic surgery is often free or low-cost in Brazil's public hospitals—giving cosmetic surgeons there ample practice.

Thailand is reported to be the primary medical tourism destination for individuals seeking gender reassignment . It is often easier to qualify for surgery and the cost is significantly reduced. Surgeons are performing the procedures frequently, and as a result, many have become quite specialized in them.

It is often surprising to many medical tourists that their physician was trained in the United States. Not all physicians are, of course, but a surprisingly high percentage of them working in surgery abroad are trained in English-speaking medical schools and residency programs and then return to their home country. These physicians often speak multiple languages and may be board certified in their home country and a foreign country, such as the United States.

Medical tourism isn’t limited to countries outside of the United States, either. Many people travel to the United States for medical care due to the country's cutting-edge technology, prescription medication supply, and the general safety of healthcare.

Medical Tourism Risks

The financial and practical benefits of medical tourism are well known, and you may even know someone who had a great experience. Nonetheless, the downsides of medical tourism can be just as great if not greater. Sometimes, they can even be deadly.

If you are considering a trip abroad for your procedure, you should know that medical tourism isn't entirely without obstacle and risks. These include:

Poorly Trained Surgeons

In any country—the United States included—there will be good surgeons and bad. And just as there are great surgeons abroad, there are also some surgeons who are less talented, less trained, and less experienced.

Regardless of what procedure you are getting or where, you should always do some preliminary research into the surgeon or physician who will be treating you as well as the hospital you will be treated at.

In the United States, it is fairly easy to obtain information about malpractice lawsuits , sanctions by medical boards, and other disciplinary actions against a physician.

Performing this research from afar can be challenging, especially if you don't speak the local language. Yet countless people take the risk anyway, without knowing whether the physicians who will treat them are reputable.

A physician should be trained in the specific area of medicine that is appropriate for your procedure. For example, you should not be having plastic surgery from a surgeon who was trained to be a heart doctor. It isn’t good enough to be a physician, the physician must be trained in the specialty .

Prior to agreeing to surgery, you should also know your surgeon’s credentials : where they studied, where they trained, and in what specialty(s) they are board-certified. Do not rely on testimonials from previous patients; these are easily made up for a website and even if they are correct, one good surgery doesn’t mean they will all be successful.

Quality of Staff

Nurses are a very important part of healthcare, and the care they provide can mean the difference between a great outcome and a terrible one.

A well-trained nurse can identify a potential problem and fix it before it truly becomes an issue. A poorly trained nurse may not identify a problem until it is too late. The quality of the nursing staff will have a direct impact on your care.

Once again, it's important to research the hospital staff where you will be having your procedure done. Read the reviews but don't trust them blindly. If you can, seek out a recommendation from someone who can vouch for the medical staff where you will be going.

Quality of the Facility

While researching healthcare facilities for your procedure, you want to learn not just about the quality of the facilities themselves, but about the country's healthcare system as a whole.

In some countries, there is a marked distinction between public hospitals and private hospitals. In Turkey, for example, private hospitals are considered on-par with hospitals in the states, while many locals will advise you to steer clear of public hospitals if you can.

You will also want to seek out facilities that are internationally accredited. In the United States, the Joint Commission evaluates hospitals and certifies those that provide safe, quality care. The international division does the same for hospitals outside the United States.

Once you have a few options for potential facilities, you can start to investigate specifics. For one, you should find as many pictures and reviews of the facility as you can. Ask yourself whether the facility is state of the art or whether it seems dirty and outdated.

You will also need to find out if the facility has ICU level care available, in case something goes wrong. If not, there should be a major hospital nearby so that you can be transferred quickly.

To learn more about a healthcare facility, consider joining expat groups on social media for the city or country you will be traveling to. Ask the group for recommendations, or inquire about any positive or negative experiences they may have had at a particular facility.

Flying Home After Surgery

Any surgery comes with risks, including infection and blood clots . Flying home increases the risk of blood clots, especially on long-haul flights that are longer than four hours.

Try to avoid flying home in the days immediately after surgery; waiting a week will decrease the chances of developing a blood clot or another serious complication during the flight.

For longer flights, plan on getting up and walking up and down the aisles each hour to improve blood flow in your legs. You might also benefit from wearing compression socks with your doctor's approval.

If you are taking blood thinners or are at-risk of blood clots , be sure to talk to your doctor about how you can reduce your risk of blood clots after your procedure and while traveling.

Furthermore, you should know the symptoms of blood clots and stay alert.

Unplanned Illness

Any time you travel abroad, you run the risk of catching an illness that you have never been exposed to or that your body is not prepared to fight off. This is especially a concern when spending time in a foreign hospital.

If you have a sensitive stomach, you may also want to think long and hard about having surgery abroad. The food is often very different in foreign hospitals, and in some areas, there is a risk that even the water will be upsetting to your body.

Having diarrhea or postoperative nausea and vomiting makes for a miserable recovery experience, especially if you do not have a friend or family member nearby who can help you through it.

Before you travel abroad, check with your doctor to see if you need any vaccines to travel to your destination or if there are any foreign illnesses you should be aware of. Picking up an illness abroad, particularly after your surgery, can potentially be life-threatening.

Language Barriers

If you are having surgery in a country where English is not the primary language, you will need to make preparations in order to be able to communicate with the staff.

You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that the staff speaks your primary language well. If not, then you will need to consider how you will make your wishes and needs known to the surgeon, the staff, and others you will meet.

Whether you are at home or abroad, remember to speak up and advocate for yourself to make sure your needs are met. If you don't speak the local language, download a language translation app on your smartphone and don't hesitate to use it to communicate your needs. Hiring a translator is another option.

A Word About Transplant Tourism

Transplant tourism is one area of medical tourism that is strongly discouraged by organ and tissue transplant professionals in multiple countries. Most international transplants are considered “black market” surgeries that are not only poor in quality, but ethically and morally wrong.

China, for example, the country that is believed to perform more international kidney transplants than any other country, is widely believed to take organs from political prisoners after their execution.

In India, living donors are often promised large sums of money for their kidney donation, only to find out they have been scammed and never receive payment. Selling an organ in India is illegal, as it is in most areas of the world, so there is little recourse for the donor.

Then there is the final outcome: how well the organ works after the surgery is complete. With black market transplants, less care is often taken with matching the donor and recipient, which leads to high levels of rejection and a greater risk of death. Furthermore, the new organ may not have been screened for diseases such as cytomegalovirus , tuberculosis , hepatitis B , and hepatitis C . It is often the new disease that leads to death, rather than the organ rejection itself.

Finally, transplant surgeons are often reluctant to care for a patient who intentionally circumvented the donor process in the United States and received their transplant from an unknown physician.

It is important to arrange your follow-up care prior to leaving your home country.

Many physicians and surgeons are hesitant to take care of a patient who received care outside the country, as they are often unfamiliar with medical tourism and have concerns about the quality of care overseas.

Arranging for follow-up care before you leave will make it easier to transition to care at home without the stress of trying to find a physician after surgery .

Just be sure to inform your follow-up care physician where you are having your procedure done. After you return, they will also want to know what prescription medications you were given, if any.

What are popular countries for medical tourism? 

Mexico, India, Costa Rica, Turkey, Singapore, Canada, and Thailand are among the many countries that are popular for medical tourism.

How safe is medical tourism?

Medical tourism is generally considered safe, but it's critical to research the quality of care, physician training, and surgical specialties of each country. There are several medical tourism organizations that specialize in evaluating popular destinations for this purpose.

What countries have free healthcare? 

Countries with free healthcare include England, Canada, Thailand, Mexico, India, Sweden, South Korea, Israel, and many others.

A Word From Verywell

If you are considering medical tourism, discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor, and consider working with your insurance provider to arrange a trip that balances financial savings with safety. (Also, before you embark on a trip overseas for your procedure, make sure you are financially prepared for unexpected events and emergencies. Don't go abroad if you don't have enough money to get yourself home in a crisis.)

A medical tourism organization such as Patients Without Borders can help you evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of healthcare in various countries. Making sure a high level of care is readily available will lead to a safer, more relaxing experience.

Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Medical Tourism: Getting medical care in another country . Updated October 23, 2017.

University of the Incarnate Word. Center for Medical Tourism Research .

Patients Beyond Borders. Facts and figures .

Kaiser Family Foundation. Health coverage of immigrants . Published July 2021.

Paul DP 3rd, Barker T, Watts AL, Messinger A, Coustasse A. Insurance companies adapting to trends by adopting medical tourism . Health Care Manag (Frederick). 2017 Oct/Dec;36(4):326-333. doi: 10.1097/HCM.0000000000000179

Batista BN. State of plastic surgery in Brazil .  Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open . 2017 Dec;5(12):1627. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000001627

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health - Global Health Now. Brazilians' risky right to beauty . Published May 2018.

Chokrungvaranont P, Selvaggi G, Jindarak S, et al. The development of sex reassignment surgery in Thailand: a social perspective .  Sci World J . 2014 Mar;2014(1):1-5. doi:10.1155/2014/182981

The Joint Commission. For consumers .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Blood clots and travel: what you need to know . Reviewed February 2021.

Hurley R. China harvested organs from political prisoners on substantial scale, says tribunal . BMJ . 2018 Dec;363(1):5250. doi:10.1136/bmj.k5250

Ambagtsheer F, Van Balen L. I'm not Sherlock Holmes: suspicions, secrecy, and silence of transplant professionals in the human organ trade . Euro J Criminol . 2019 Jan;17(6):764-783. doi:10.1177/1477370818825331

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Transplant Surgery. Key facts . Reviewed January 2019.

By Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FN Jennifer Whitlock, RN, MSN, FNP-C, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner. She has experience in primary care and hospital medicine.

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• Section 6 - Perspectives : Avoiding Poorly Regulated Medicines & Medical Products During Travel
• Section 7 - Pregnant Travelers

Medical Tourism

Cdc yellow book 2024.

Author(s): Matthew Crist, Grace Appiah, Laura Leidel, Rhett Stoney

• Categories Of Medical Tourism

The Pretravel Consultation

Risks & complications, risk mitigation, additional guidance for us health care providers.

Medical tourism is the term commonly used to describe international travel for the purpose of receiving medical care. Medical tourists pursue medical care abroad for a variety of reasons, including decreased cost, recommendations from friends or family, the opportunity to combine medical care with a vacation destination, a preference to receive care from a culturally similar provider, or a desire to receive a procedure or therapy not available in their country of residence.

Medical tourism is a worldwide, multibillion-dollar market that continues to grow with the rising globalization of health care. Surveillance data indicate that millions of US residents travel internationally for medical care each year. Medical tourism destinations for US residents include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Singapore, and Thailand. Categories of procedures that US medical tourists pursue include cancer treatment, dental care, fertility treatments, organ and tissue transplantation, and various forms of surgery, including bariatric, cosmetic, and non-cosmetic (e.g., orthopedic).

Most medical tourists pay for their care at time of service and often rely on private companies or medical concierge services to identify foreign health care facilities. Some US health insurance companies and large employers have alliances with health care facilities outside the United States to control costs.

Categories of Medical Tourism

Cosmetic tourism.

Cosmetic tourism, or travel abroad for aesthetic surgery, has become increasingly popular. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) reports that most cosmetic surgery patients are women 40–54 years old. The most common procedures sought by cosmetic tourists include abdominoplasty, breast augmentation, eyelid surgery, liposuction, and rhinoplasty. Popular destinations often are marketed to prospective medical tourists as low cost, all-inclusive cosmetic surgery vacations for elective procedures not typically covered by insurance. Complications, including infections and surgical revisions for unsatisfactory results, can compound initial costs.

Non-Cosmetic Medical Tourism

Cancer treatment.

Oncology, or cancer treatment, tourism often is pursued by people looking for alternative treatment options, better access to care, second opinions, or a combination of these. Oncology tourists are a vulnerable patient population because the fear caused by a cancer diagnosis can lead them to try potentially risky treatments or procedures. Often, the treatments or procedures used abroad have no established benefit, placing the oncology tourist at risk for harm due to complications (e.g., bleeding, infection) or by forgoing or delaying approved therapies in the United States.

Dental Care

Dental care is the most common form of medical tourism among US residents, in part due to the rising cost of dental care in the United States; a substantial proportion of people in the United States do not have dental insurance or are underinsured. Dentists in destination countries might not be subject to the same licensure oversight as their US counterparts, however. In addition, practitioners abroad might not adhere to standard infection-control practices used in the United States, placing dental tourists at a potential risk for infection due to bloodborne or waterborne pathogens.

Fertility Treatments

Fertility tourists are people who seek reproductive treatments in another country. Some do so to avoid associated barriers in their home country, including high costs, long waiting lists, and restrictive policies. Others believe they will receive higher quality care abroad. People traveling to other countries for fertility treatments often are in search of assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., artificial insemination by a donor, in vitro fertilization). Fertility tourists should be aware, however, that practices can vary in their level of clinical expertise, hygiene, and technique.

Physician-Assisted Suicide

The practice of a physician facilitating a patient’s desire to end their own life by providing either the information or the means (e.g., medications) for suicide is illegal in most countries. Some people consider physician-assisted suicide (PAS) tourism, also known as suicide travel or suicide tourism, as a possible option. Most PAS tourists have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or suffer from painful or debilitating medical conditions. PAS is legal in Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and New Zealand, making these the destinations selected by PAS travelers.

Rehab Tourism for Substance Use Disorders

Rehab tourism involves travel to another country for substance use disorder treatment and rehabilitation care. Travelers exploring this option might be seeking a greater range of treatment options at less expense than what is available domestically (see Sec. 3, Ch. 5, Substance Use & Substance Use Disorders , and Box 3-10 for pros and cons of rehab tourism).

Transplant Procedures

Transplant tourism refers to travel for receiving an organ, tissue, or stem cell transplant from an unrelated human donor. The practice can be motivated by reduced cost abroad or an effort to reduce the waiting time for organs. Xenotransplantation refers to receiving other biomaterial (e.g., cells, tissues) from nonhuman species, and xenotransplantation regulations vary from country to country. Many procedures involving injection of human or nonhuman cells have no scientific evidence to support a therapeutic benefit, and adverse events have been reported.

Depending on the location, organ or tissue donors might not be screened as thoroughly as they are in the United States; furthermore, organs and other tissues might be obtained using unethical means. In 2009, the World Health Organization released the revised Guiding Principles on Human Cell, Tissue, and Organ Transplantation, emphasizing that cells, tissues, and organs should be donated freely, in the absence of any form of financial incentive.

Studies have shown that transplant tourists can be at risk of receiving care that varies from practice standards in the United States. For instance, patients might receive fewer immunosuppressive drugs, increasing their risk for rejection, or they might not receive antimicrobial prophylaxis, increasing their risk for infection. Traveling after a procedure poses an additional risk for infection in someone who is immunocompromised.

Ideally, medical tourists will consult a travel medicine specialist for travel advice tailored to their specific health needs 4–6 weeks before travel. During the pretravel consultation, make certain travelers are up to date on all routine vaccinations, that they receive additional vaccines based on destination, and especially encourage hepatitis B virus immunization for unvaccinated travelers (see Sec. 2, Ch. 3, Vaccination & Immunoprophylaxis & General Principles , and Sec. 5, Part 2, Ch. 8, Hepatitis B ). Counsel medical tourists that participating in typical vacation activities (e.g., consuming alcohol, participating in strenuous activity or exercise, sunbathing, swimming, taking long tours) during the postoperative period can delay or impede healing.

Advise medical tourists to also meet with their primary care provider to discuss their plan to seek medical care outside the United States, to address any concerns they or their provider might have, to ensure current medical conditions are well controlled, and to ensure they have a sufficient supply of all regular medications to last the duration of their trip. In addition, medical tourists should be aware of instances in which US medical professionals have elected not to treat medical tourists presenting with complications resulting from recent surgery, treatment, or procedures received abroad. Thus, encourage medical tourists to work with their primary care provider to identify physicians in their home communities who are willing and available to provide follow-up or emergency care upon their return.

Remind medical tourists to request copies of their overseas medical records in English and to provide this information to any health care providers they see subsequently for follow-up. Encourage medical tourists to disclose their entire travel history, medical history, and information about all surgeries or medical treatments received during their trip.

All medical and surgical procedures carry some risk, and complications can occur regardless of where treatment is received. Advise medical tourists not to delay seeking medical care if they suspect any complication during travel or after returning home. Obtaining immediate care can lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment and a better outcome.

Among medical tourists, the most common complications are infection related. Inadequate infection-control practices place people at increased risk for bloodborne infections, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV; bloodstream infections; donor-derived infections; and wound infections. Moreover, the risk of acquiring antibiotic-resistant infections might be greater in certain countries or regions; some highly resistant bacterial (e.g., carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales [CRE]) and fungal (e.g., Candida auris ) pathogens appear to be more common in some countries where US residents travel for medical tourism (see Sec. 11, Ch. 5, Antimicrobial Resistance ).

Several infectious disease outbreaks have been documented among medical tourists, including CRE infections in patients undergoing invasive medical procedures in Mexico, surgical site infections caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria in patients who underwent cosmetic surgery in the Dominican Republic, and Q fever in patients who received fetal sheep cell injections in Germany.

Noninfectious Complications

Medical tourists have the same risks for noninfectious complications as patients receiving medical care in the United States. Noninfectious complications include blood clots, contour abnormalities after cosmetic surgery, and surgical wound dehiscence.

Travel-Associated Risks

Traveling during the post-operative or post-procedure recovery period or when being treated for a medical condition could pose additional risks for patients. Air travel and surgery independently increase the risk for blood clots, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli (see Sec. 8, Ch. 3, Deep Vein Thrombosis & Pulmonary Embolism ). Travel after surgery further increases the risk of developing blood clots because travel can require medical tourists to remain seated for long periods while in a hypercoagulable state.

Commercial aircraft cabin pressures are roughly equivalent to the outside air pressure at 6,000–8,000 feet above sea level. Medical tourists should not fly for 10 days after chest or abdominal surgery to avoid risks associated with changes in atmospheric pressure. ASPS recommends that patients undergoing laser treatments or cosmetic procedures to the face, eyelids, or nose, wait 7–10 days after the procedure before flying. The Aerospace Medical Association published medical guidelines for air travel that provide useful information on the risks for travel with certain medical conditions.

Professional organizations have developed guidance, including template questions, that medical tourists can use when discussing what to expect with the facility providing the care, with the group facilitating the trip, and with their own domestic health care provider. For instance, the American Medical Association developed guiding principles on medical tourism for employers, insurance companies, and other entities that facilitate or incentivize medical care outside the United States ( Box 6-07 ). The American College of Surgeons (ACS) issued a similar statement on medical and surgical tourism, with the additional recommendation that travelers obtain a complete set of medical records before returning home to ensure that details of their care are available to providers in the United States, which can facilitate continuity of care and proper follow-up, if needed.

Box 6-07 American Medical Association’s guiding principles on medical tourism 1

• Employers, insurance companies, and other entities that facilitate or incentivize medical care outside the United States should adhere to the following principles:
• Receiving medical care outside the United States must be voluntary.
• Financial incentives to travel outside the United States for medical care should not inappropriately limit the diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives that are offered to patients or restrict treatment or referral options.
• Patients should only be referred for medical care to institutions that have been accredited by recognized international accrediting bodies (e.g., the Joint Commission International or the International Society for Quality in Health Care).
• Prior to travel, local follow-up care should be coordinated, and financing should be arranged to ensure continuity of care when patients return from medical care outside the United States.
• Coverage for travel outside the United States for medical care should include the costs of necessary follow-up care upon return to the United States.
• Patients should be informed of their rights and legal recourse before agreeing to travel outside the United States for medical care.
• Access to physician licensing and outcome data, as well as facility accreditation and outcomes data, should be arranged for patients seeking medical care outside the United States.
• The transfer of patient medical records to and from facilities outside the United States should be consistent with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Action (HIPAA) guidelines.
• Patients choosing to travel outside the United States for medical care should be provided with information about the potential risks of combining surgical procedures with long flights and vacation activities.

1 American Medical Association (AMA). New AMA Guidelines on Medical Tourism . Chicago: AMA; 2008.

Reviewing the Risks

Multiple resources are available for providers and medical tourists assessing medical tourism–related risks (see Table 6-02 ). When reviewing the risks associated with seeking health care abroad, encourage medical tourists to consider several factors besides the procedure; these include the destination, the facility or facilities where the procedure and recovery will take place, and the treating provider.

Make patients aware that medical tourism websites marketing directly to travelers might not include (or make available) comprehensive details on the accreditations, certifications, or qualifications of advertised facilities or providers. Local standards for facility accreditation and provider certification vary, and might not be the same as those in the United States; some facilities and providers abroad might lack accreditation or certification. In some locations, tracking patient outcome data or maintaining formal medical record privacy or security policies are not standard practices.

Medical tourists also should be aware that the drugs and medical products and devices used in other countries might not be subject to the same regulatory scrutiny and oversight as in the United States. In addition, some drugs could be counterfeit or otherwise ineffective because the medication expired, is contaminated, or was improperly stored (for more details, see the previous chapter in this section, . . . perspectives: Avoiding Poorly Regulated Medicines & Medical Products During Travel ).

Table 6-02 Online medical tourism resources

Checking credentials.

ACS recommends that medical tourists use internationally accredited facilities and seek care from providers certified in their specialties through a process equivalent to that established by the member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Advise medical tourists to do as much advance research as possible on the facility and health care provider they are considering using. Also, inform medical tourists that accreditation does not guarantee a good outcome.

Accrediting organizations (e.g., The Joint Commission International, Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care) maintain listings of accredited facilities outside of the United States. Encourage prospective medical tourists to review these sources before committing to having a procedure or receiving medical care abroad.

ACS, ASPS, the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery all accredit physicians abroad. Medical tourists should check the credentials of health care providers with search tools provided by relevant professional organizations.

Travel Health Insurance

Before travel, medical tourists should check their domestic health insurance plan carefully to understand what services, if any, are covered outside the United States. Additionally, travelers might need to purchase supplemental medical insurance coverage, including medical evacuation insurance; this is particularly important for travelers going to remote destinations or places lacking medical facilities that meet the standards found in high-income countries (see Sec. 6, Ch. 1, Travel Insurance, Travel Health Insurance & Medical Evacuation Insurance ). Medical tourists also should be aware that if complications develop, they might not have the same legal recourse as they would if they received their care in the United States.

Planning for Follow-Up Care

Medical tourists and their domestic physicians should plan for follow-up care. Patients and clinicians should establish what care will be provided abroad, and what the patient will need upon return. Medical tourists should make sure they understand what services are included as part of the cost for their procedures; some overseas facilities and providers charge substantial fees for follow-up care in addition to the base cost. Travelers also should know whether follow-up care is scheduled to occur at the same facility as the procedure.

Health care facilities in the United States should have systems in place to assess patients at admission to determine whether they have received medical care in other countries. Clinicians should obtain an explicit travel history from patients, including any medical care received abroad. Patients who have had an overnight stay in a health care facility outside the United States within 6 months of presentation should be screened for CRE. Admission screening is available free of charge through the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network .

Notify state and local public health as soon as medical tourism–associated infections are identified. Returning patients often present to hospitals close to their home, and communication with public health authorities can help facilitate outbreak recognition. Health care facilities should follow all disease reporting requirements for their jurisdiction. Health care facilities also should report suspected or confirmed cases of unusual antibiotic resistance (e.g., carbapenem-resistant organisms, C. auris ) to public health authorities to facilitate testing and infection-control measures to prevent further transmission. In addition to notifying the state or local health department, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at [email protected] to report complications related to medical tourism.

The following authors contributed to the previous version of this chapter: Isaac Benowitz, Joanna Gaines

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Kracalik I, Ham C, Smith AR, Vowles M, Kauber K, Zambrano M, et al. (2019). Notes from the field: Verona integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase–producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in U.S. residents associated with invasive medical procedures in Mexico, 2015–2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(20):463–4.

Pavli A, Maltezou HC. Infectious complications related to medical tourism. J Travel Med. 2021;28(1):taaa210.

Pereira RT, Malone CM, Flaherty GT. Aesthetic journeys: a review of cosmetic surgery tourism. J Travel Med. 2018;25(1):tay042.

Robyn MP, Newman AP, Amato M, Walawander M, Kothe C, Nerone JD, et al. Q fever outbreak among travelers to Germany who received live cell therapy & United States and Canada, 2014. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2015;64(38):1071–3.

Salama M, Isachenko V, Isachenko E, Rahimi G, Mallmann P, Westphal LM, et al. Cross border reproductive care (CBRC): a growing global phenomenon with multidimensional implications (a systematic and critical review). J Assist Reprod Genet. 2018;35(7):1277–88.

Schnabel D, Esposito DH, Gaines J, Ridpath A, Barry MA, Feldman KA, et al. Multistate US outbreak of rapidly growing mycobacterial infections associated with medical tourism to the Dominican Republic, 2013–2014. Emerg Infect Dis. 2016;22(8):1340–7.

Stoney RJ, Kozarsky PE, Walker AT, Gaines JL. Population-based surveillance of medical tourism among US residents from 11 states and territories: findings from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2022;43(7):870–5.

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Medical Tourism Patient Survey

The Medical Tourism Association, in collaboration with the International Healthcare Research Center, has gathered critical insights into why patients are increasingly choosing to travel for medical care. This comprehensive 31-page report sheds light on the decision-making process, motivations, and concerns of medical tourists, focusing on aspects like the search for superior medical expertise, trust in healthcare providers, cost-effectiveness, and the appeal of innovative treatments. These findings are crucial for healthcare providers looking to tailor their services to meet the evolving needs and expectations of patients globally, ensuring not only the highest standards of care but also building the essential trust and confidence that underpins the decision to seek medical treatment abroad.

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MedicalTourism.com is a free, confidential, independent resource for patients and industry providers. Our mission is to provide a central portal where patients, medical tourism providers, hospitals, clinics, employers, and insurance companies can all find the information they need. Our site focuses on patients looking for specific knowledge in the fields of medical tourism, dental tourism, and health tourism.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Your particular lifestyle, the medical tourism destination, and the type of medical tourism procedure you will be undergoing will dictate, to a large degree, how much money you will be spending. In general, the farther away your medical tourism destination the more you will pay for airfare. So, for example, expect to pay more if you are flying from Dallas to Bangkok, Thailand, than you would for a flight to Monterey, Mexico. At the same time, you also need to take into account that some medical tourism destinations are more expensive than others. So even if a particular country is cheaper to travel to, you will need to factor in the relative cost of “living,” in comparison to another medical tourism destination.

What about your lifestyle preferences? Do you plan to stay at a five-star hotel or are you comfortable “roughing” it at a local bed and breakfast? Some adventurous souls prefer to immerse themselves in the local culture and will literally live on a shoestring budget. Most everyone else though will tend to fall somewhere between the Holiday Inn and Club Med. The type of medical tourism procedure or medical tourism treatment you are undergoing will also play a large part in your decision of where to stay and what you will do. A medical tourism patient undergoing open heart surgery or a knee replacement will require extra care and very comfortable conditions after leaving the hospital. Not the case for someone coming for a dental bridge or an eyelid lift. Wherever you decide to stay, make sure it serves your needs as a medical tourism patient.

Many of the expenses of a medical tourism trip will be the same as those of a “normal” trip or vacation. At the very minimum you will need to budget for airfare, hotel accommodations, transportation requirements and meals. Sightseeing tours and souvenirs are also a real possibility, particularly if you are traveling with a companion.

Although there are many benefits associated with medical tourism, there are also certain risks that must be weighed before making a final decision to travel abroad.

Varying standards and Medical Tourism

Varying standards with regards to hospitals and physicians can be a problem if you are searching for options within multiple countries with dozens of hospitals. Each country will have its own licensing and certification protocols which may vary significantly from your own country. As you have no way of actually visiting the hospital or meeting the physician prior to your trip, you will have to do research to make sure hospitals are accredited and surgeons are licensed. MedicalTourism.com offers a wealth of information and tools that will make this job much easier.

Travel after surgery

Traveling long distances after surgery also poses certain risks such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism. DVT may be defined as a blood clot that forms in a vein deep in the body. If the blood clot breaks off and travels through the blood stream to the lungs, a pulmonary embolism may occur which is potentially fatal. Using simple preventive measures, however, medical tourism patients can reduce the chance of blood clotting and increase their likelihood of surgical success.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends:

• Getting up and walking around every 2 to 3 hours.

• Exercise your legs while you’re sitting

• Drink plenty of water, and avoid drinking anything with alcohol or caffeine in it.

Additionally, medical compression stockings and anti-clotting medications such as Warfarin and Heparin, may be prescribed by physicians for high risk medical tourism patients.

Minimal legal recourse in case something goes wrong

It is important to remember that if you do have a serious complication, other countries' malpractice and liability recourses may be different from those in your own country. Also keep in mind that some hospitals may require a medical tourism patient to sign a legal waiver stating that if they do file a lawsuit over the surgery, the lawsuit must be adjudicated in the country where the medical procedure was performed.  

Coordinating appropriate aftercare once you come home

This is one the biggest concerns for medical tourism patients considering traveling abroad for surgery. What happens if I have a complication once I return home? Who will I turn to? Will my doctor even see me? These are valid questions that must be addressed by the hospital you are seeking care at.

Make sure to inform your primary physician that you will be going overseas and try to get him or her involved in the process. You may also want to try and schedule a call between your primary physician and your international doctor to discuss your case.  This is wise not only at a medical level (you want your international physician to know as much as possible about your case history), but also has the potential to establish trust between both parties, making your physician empathetic toward your situation and wanting to be an active participant in the success of your procedure.

Presently, and in order to minimize potential complications, many international hospitals and physicians do maintain close contact with their medical tourism patients once they have returned home. Therefore, you should not feel shy about contacting them if you feel something is wrong. At the very least your overseas physician can offer recommendations about what medications to take, who to see, or possibly even explain details of your condition to another doctor.

In medical tourism, a Familiarization Tour or Fam Trip is a trip organized by a public or private entity seeking to showcase the healthcare and tourism assets in a certain region, country or city, in order to attract new business (usually in the form of patients). Fam trips are often organized by the tourism board, medical tourism cluster, or by a Destination Management Organization (DMO) representing a destination. Participants in the Fam trip are typically buyers of medical tourism services such as foreign governments, insurance companies, employers and medical tourism facilitators. They are vetted in advance and usually have all their travel, accommodation and maintenance fees covered during the trip.

Sometimes referred to as medical tourism agencies, or a medical travel facilitator, these are companies that, as their name suggests, act as facilitators or intermediaries for patients seeking treatments in other countries or regions.

Medical Tourism Facilitators have played an important role in promoting the growth of medical tourism, and for many medical tourism patients, represent their first face to face contact with the concept of medical tourism.

Over the last 10-15 years, thousands of these companies have popped up, most sporting names synonymous with health and travel. They function much like a travel agency, requesting and obtaining passports, booking flights, and arranging a medical tourism patient’s lodging, transportation and tours. The key difference, of course, is that they also serve as the liaison or mediator between you and the international hospital and doctor. In effect, it is the facilitator’s job to repackage the medical provider’s service offering, make it more appealing, and then guide you along the medical tourism process.

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• Exploring Health Tourism

The ETC/UNWTO publication on Exploring Health Tourism aims to provide a better understanding of the growing segment of wellness and medical tourism. The study introduces the evolution of health-related tourism products and services from all around the world and provides insights into the current situation of the industry, as well as the future potential. It also includes a comprehensive taxonomy that serves as a common reference for tourism destinations operating in this field, as well as a practical toolkit to assist NTOs and DMOs with their planning and management of health-related tourism activities.

Click here   for the Executive Summary of this publication.

ISBN : 978-92-844-2020-9

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Medical Tourism

Health tourism's new horizons: 2023 outlook.

Health tourism, an industry at the intersection of healthcare and travel, is rapidly evolving. As we step into 2023, the sector faces a transformative era characterized by technological advancements, changing patient demographics, and emerging destinations. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape and future outlook of health tourism, focusing on key trends, challenges, and opportunities that industry professionals should be aware of.

Emerging Trends in Health Tourism

• Personalized Healthcare Packages : In 2023, health tourism is increasingly pivoting towards personalized care. Patients are looking for packages that not only address their medical needs but also offer a holistic experience encompassing pre-treatment consultations, post-operative care, and wellness therapies.
• Technology Integration : The integration of digital technology in health tourism is a game-changer. Telemedicine, AI-driven diagnostics, and virtual consultations are becoming commonplace, enabling seamless patient journeys and enhancing the quality of care.
• Sustainable Practices : Sustainability is a growing concern in health tourism. There is a noticeable shift towards eco-friendly practices in healthcare facilities, including the use of green technologies and the promotion of wellness activities that align with environmental conservation.
• Rise of Wellness Tourism : Apart from traditional medical treatments, there is a surge in demand for wellness-focused tourism. Activities like yoga retreats, spa treatments, and alternative therapies are attracting a broader demographic.

Challenges Facing Health Tourism

• Regulatory Compliance : Navigating the complex regulatory landscape remains a challenge for health tourism providers. Ensuring compliance with international healthcare standards and patient safety protocols is crucial for maintaining credibility.
• Cultural and Language Barriers : Addressing cultural sensitivities and language differences is vital in catering to a global patient base. Providing multilingual support and cultural competence training for staff are essential steps.
• Quality and Affordability Balance : Maintaining a balance between high-quality care and affordability is a persistent challenge. Providers need to offer competitive pricing without compromising on the quality of services.

Opportunities for Growth

• Emerging Destinations : New geographic locations are emerging as hotspots for health tourism, offering unique medical specialties and competitive pricing.
• Partnerships and Collaborations : Collaborations between healthcare providers, travel agencies, and insurance companies are pivotal for creating comprehensive health tourism packages.
• Innovation in Treatment Options : Advances in medical treatments, such as regenerative medicine and minimally invasive surgeries, offer new avenues for health tourism growth.

The health tourism industry in 2023 is at a pivotal juncture, with significant opportunities for growth and innovation. By understanding and adapting to the latest trends and challenges, industry professionals can capitalize on the vast potential of this dynamic sector.

This article provides an in-depth look into the state of health tourism in 2023, offering valuable insights for professionals in the field. It navigates through various aspects of the industry without referencing specific organizations or individuals, thereby maintaining an educational and informative tone.

To receive a free quote for this procedure please click on the link: https://www.medicaltourism.com/get-a-quote

For those seeking medical care abroad, we highly recommend hospitals and clinics who have been accredited by Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA). With a strong emphasis on exceptional patient experience, GHA accredited facilities are attuned to your cultural, linguistic, and individual needs, ensuring you feel understood and cared for. They adhere to the highest standards, putting patient safety and satisfaction at the forefront. Explore the world's top GHA-accredited facilities here . Trust us, your health journey deserves the best.

Top Metabolic Surgery Specialists in Antigua and Barbuda

Una guía integral de los mejores hospitales para cirugía metabólica en la república dominicana, leading centers for digestive health procedures, best hospitals for cyberknife radiosurgery in turkey, jeddah's premier hospital for thoracic surgery: a comprehensive review, gestación subrogada y resolución de disputas: navegando conflictos entre las partes, gestación subrogada y preocupaciones éticas, gestación subrogada y parejas con creencias religiosas, gestación subrogada y padres solteros: un camino hacia la paternidad, continue reading, featured reading, certified medical tourism professional (cmtp): bridging the medical tourism training gap, cultural competency and the medical travel patient experience, medical tourism magazine.

The Medical Tourism Magazine (MTM), known as the “voice” of the medical tourism industry, provides members and key industry experts with the opportunity to share important developments, initiatives, themes, topics and trends that make the medical tourism industry the booming market it is today.

• Medical Tourism Process

A medical tourism facilitator takes care of all the details of a patient’s medical tourism trip. A good facilitator that is efficient, and plans adequately prevents you from dealing with all the stressful, time-consuming tasks that are involved in the process. We basically facilitate the flow of information and the arrangements of services between patients and the medical services providers. Some of these services may include flights, lodging, tours & sightseeing, transportation, and passports/visas. Using a medical facilitator prevents patients from contacting medical service providers which can be difficult because of language barriers, not being able to reach the provider when you want, higher quotes, longer waiting periods, or not knowing if the provider is properly certified or accredited under the highest international standards of medical care. Here is a step-by-step average medical tourism process from beginning to end. Some parts of the medical tourism process don’t apply to all patients depending on the type of procedure that you choose.

• Contact us by submitting a request through our website: www.UniversalMedicalTravel.com or send an email to [email protected] & receive a reply within 24-48 hours
• Client is sent a patient information form to collect basic information and request medical history
• A patient care coordinator will be assigned to the client to discuss their healthcare needs, find the right medical provider, and to help choose a destination
• Patient information form submitted to doctor for review to determine the appropriate care (Patients medical information is transferred securely between the facilitator and the doctor)
• Client receives doctor’s initial consultation, and a cost estimate for the procedure
• Patient coordinator will schedule Virtual Consultation with the doctor and the patient *(Optional)*
• Client makes deposit payment for medical procedure
• Patient coordinator schedules surgery, and collaborates with patient to plan travel arrangements. Apply for Visa/Passport if needed
•  Patient departs to destination for medical tourism procedure
• Patient arrives at destination, is picked up at the airport, and transferred to hotel (Translation services available)
• Patient engages in tours and sightseeing *(optional)*
• Patient arrives at the hospital for Preoperative examinations; Interpreter services available to accompany patient if necessary
• Patient meets with surgeon and undergoes procedure
• Patient recovers at hospital while in touch with patient coordinator, family, and friends
• Patient is discharged to a beautiful hotel or recovery retreat
• Patient visits with doctor for post-surgery evaluation
• Patient is taken to airport for departure flight
• Patient care coordinator monitors patient recovery process and does follow ups after patient arrives home
• Successful outcome and Happy Client!
• Our goal is to make sure that all patients have a successful medical tourism experience!

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Health Tourism—Subject of Scientific Research: A Literature Review and Cluster Analysis

Michał roman.

1 Department of Tourism, Social Communication and Consulting, Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland

Monika Roman

2 Department of Logistics, Institute of Economics and Finance, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Nowoursynowska 166, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland

Monika Wojcieszak-Zbierska

3 Faculty of Economics, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637 Poznań, Poland

Associated Data

Not applicable.

The purpose of this article is to identify main research areas in health tourism in scientific research. The data used in this analysis span from 2000 to 2022, was retrieved from the Web of Science database, and comprises a total of 1493 bibliometric records of publications. The paper includes both a quantitative and a qualitative analysis. The following four main research areas were identified based on the results: (1) patient satisfaction built upon trust; (2) health impacts of the destination (including the economic aspect, which plays a decisive role in choosing a tourism destination); (3) health behavior as a major part of human activity; and (4) traveling with a view to regain one’s health. Note that the limitations of this study—which mostly affect the methodological part—need to be taken into consideration. This is the consequence of the selected publication database and of the search criteria used, such as the publication year or language.

1. Introduction

Travel and tourism, which keeps evolving, is the world’s largest service industry [ 1 , 2 ]. It drives an increase in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in destination countries, while also strongly contributing to their government’s tax income [ 3 ]. The travel and tourism sector is worth USD 7.6 trillion and accounts for more than 10% of the global GDP, 7% of total international trade, and 30% of service exports around the world. Income from tourism also provides an important currency exchange engine for countries worldwide, thus becoming an enabler of economic growth and investments in a number of other sectors. In 2016, tourism grew by 3.1%, which is 2.5% above the growth rate of the global economy [ 4 ].

As the third largest socioeconomic activity in the European Union, tourism is a major contributor to its gross domestic product and employment. While Europe is the world’s most popular tourism destination, it is not the fastest developing region at a global level. It has experienced a decline in its market share, measured by the visits of and income from international tourists [ 5 ]. In 2018, Europe had the world’s largest number of international visitors (713 million, i.e., more than half of the global total) and saw a growth rate of 6% [ 2 ].

Tourism is a sector whose income keeps increasing [ 6 ]. It forms a major part of many economies, while also having a considerable impact on human (including inter-generational) relationships and on global international connections. At a global level, tourism is viewed as a sector of extreme importance, as it brings crucial benefits to the economy [ 7 ]. Each year, it generates ca. 10% of the global GDP, making it the third largest sector of the economy [ 8 ]. In this context, it mostly performs a macroeconomic function, as it stimulates the socioeconomic development of a country by adding value, which translates into an increase in gross domestic product [ 9 , 10 ].

Tourism is among the largest and fastest developing sectors of the global economy [ 11 ]. By creating jobs, driving revenues from exports, and boosting investments and infrastructural development, tourism both directly and indirectly contributes in a significant way to socioeconomic processes. Note, however, that the COVID-19 pandemic had a disastrous effect on tourism development worldwide [ 12 ].

Even prior to COVID-19, global tourism was facing a number of crises. The main breakthrough events from 2000–2015 include the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, the global economic crisis in 2008/2009, and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2015 [ 13 ].

However, none of the crises listed above resulted in a prolonged global decline in tourism development. Only SARS (−0.4%) and the global economic crisis (−4.0%) entailed a drop in the number of international airline travelers. This would suggest that tourism, as a system, is robust to external shocks. However, there is overwhelming evidence that the consequences of and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic will be of an unprecedented nature. This is why health tourism has recently become increasingly popular. Society needs some rest and support in the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions, which members can find in a number of locations, including rural areas [ 13 ].

Tourism has a series of important social functions [ 14 ]. Because of the number of purposes it serves, there are ten to twenty classifications of tourism traffic, which are additionally sub-divided into subtypes, kinds, or specific forms [ 15 ].

This includes health tourism, often referred to as therapeutic tourism. Różycki [ 16 ] identifies two more alternative terms: spa tourism and curative tourism (sometimes, in a broader sense, also referred to as health tourism). Although known for quite a long time, it has become particularly popular over the recent years, and is intended to recover and revitalize the body [ 17 ].

Indeed, as people are always in a hurry, they look for ways to alleviate the stress and take care of their mental and physical health [ 18 ]. The increased interest in healthy lifestyles, combined with physical and intellectual activity, has directly contributed to changing the existing patterns of spending free time [ 19 ]. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to identify main research areas in health tourism in scientific research based on the current literature review.

2. Literature Review on Health Tourism

Society demonstrates a growing health awareness [ 20 , 21 ]. Health is believed to be the most important and most precious thing for human life and development, and it can be neither purchased from nor sold to another person [ 22 ]. It represents individual wealth and a private value attributed to a particular human being [ 23 ]. In order for working people to maintain their health in physical, mental, spiritual (related to individual and social awareness), and social terms, they need to relax in their free time, because, otherwise, their bodies may become weaker and exposed to illnesses in the long run [ 24 ].

Claiming that “health is something you either have or do not have” is overly simplistic [ 25 ]. Health is something that needs to be taken care of on a continuous basis; people must seek their well-being, have their illnesses (if any) cured, make their bodies fitter, and—first of all—prevent diseases [ 26 ]. The increased interest in healthy lifestyles, combined with physical and intellectual activity, contributes directly to changing the existing patterns of spending free time. This means shifting from the 3S (Sun, Sea, Sand) model to the 3E (Entertainment, Excitement, Education) and 3A (Action, Amusement, Adventure) models [ 27 ].

As society ages, tourists look for diverse forms of active leisure that will improve their physical and mental condition while allowing their bodies to recover [ 28 ]. As today’s society becomes increasingly wealthy, people demonstrate greater demand for luxury goods and services related to improving their health condition. The increased interest in health tourism is viewed as one of the key developments witnessed in the market for tourism services [ 29 ]. Table 1 presents some selected definitions of health tourism.

Selected definitions of health tourism found in the relevant literature.

Source: [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].

Health tourism is a combination of active leisure, prevention, and treatment [ 38 ]. Could it become an important driver of rural development? Indeed, it should develop on environmentally sound areas and has a direct impact on the economic development of the territory concerned [ 39 ].

The forms of health tourism are shaped and directly implied by the motives behind it, including [ 40 ]:

• post-illness and post-trauma recovery,
• the desire to remove the adverse consequences of stress,
• anti-ageing and beauty treatments (including plastic surgery),
• fighting addictions,
• the decision to improve one’s health condition by undergoing a specialized healthcare intervention or operation in a relaxed atmosphere in an environment not resembling a hospital,
• a way of accessing increasingly diverse complementary therapies related to preventive healthcare measures.

Health tourism can be divided into the following types, as shown in Figure 1 .

Division of health tourism. Source: [ 37 , 41 ].

Health tourism has become more popular in the post-2000 era [ 42 ] because society increasingly often needs physical and mental leisure. Furthermore, there is noticeable development in the market of services for disabled tourists.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. research methodology.

The aim of the article was achieved on the basis of a review of the current literature on medical tourism based on the SotA procedure, as detailed by Barry et al. [ 43 ]. The study used bibliometric methods in order to facilitate the analysis of a large number of publications [ 44 ]. The authors relied on descriptive bibliometrics in analyzing the scientific research trends and in identifying the right scientists and research centers [ 45 , 46 ].

The following tools and techniques were used in the bibliometric analysis: analysis of changes in the number of publications; citation analysis; and the co-word method. The analysis of changes in the number of publications and citations allowed identification of the trends and determination of the levels of knowledge transfer and dissemination by representatives of different scientific centers. In turn, the co-word analysis enabled the identification of main thematic areas addressed in health tourism publications with the use of a cluster analysis method developed by Zhu et al. [ 47 ]. The clustering was estimated with VOSviewer (Visualising Scientific Landscapes) version 1.6.18 (2022) [ 48 ], a tool for building and visualizing bibliometric networks that is capable of handling large text files with descriptions of bibliographic records from well-known databases, including the Web of Science (WoS).

3.2. Data Collection and Research Tasks

The data used in this analysis were retrieved from the Web of Science database on November 15, 2022. Web of Science is one of the major search engines for scientific sources, and it offers a wide variety of documents. The fundamental issue in searching for records is to identify the keywords believed to be of relevance for the problem concerned [ 49 ]. The analysis covered papers with the following expressions in their titles: “health tourism,” “medical tourism,” “spa tourism,” and “spa and wellness.” Only articles that were grouped in the "title" section have been addressed.

This resulted in retrieving a set of 1533 publications, which were then subject to a refined selection process based on the following limitative criteria:

• (1) date published: the study took account of papers published between 2000 and 2022;
• (2) publication type: the study took account of papers published in reviewed scientific journals and books;
• (3) publication subject: the study took account of publications focused on selected keywords.

After applying the limitative criteria, the dataset comprised 1493 publications.

As the next step, the authors tried to discover the general trend in the number of publications and citations, and to identify the main researchers, centers, countries, journals, and research areas related to health tourism.

4.1. General Trend in Health Tourism Publications

Figure 2 presents the number of WoS publications addressing health tourism from 2000–2022. Note that the interest in the topic covered by this analysis follows a steady growth trend. Three sub-periods of development of health tourism publications can be identified: (1) small interest: 2000–2009; (2) medium interest: 2010–2018; (3) high interest: 2019–2022 (with an average of 140 papers per year). The significant growth in the number of publications over the last years can be explained by greater care in addressing health tourism issues.

Number of health tourism publications from 2000–2022. Source: own elaboration based on the dedicated database.

The growing interest in health tourism topics justifies the need for a review with a structured approach to the most recent literature and for identification of future areas of research in that domain.

The largest number of papers were written in English (1343). The database also included articles written in Spanish (68), German (21), Russian (10), Chinese (7), French (6), Croatian (6), Portuguese (6), Czech (5), and Italian (4).

Most publications addressed such research topics as social sciences, business economics, and public environmental occupational health ( Table 2 ).

Top ten research areas related to health tourism.

Source: own elaboration based on the dedicated database.

Table 2 suggests that the authors represented various fields of research. However, a large number of publications addressed topics related to medical sciences, e.g., public environmental occupational health, healthcare, and internal medicine.

4.2. Web of Science Categories

The next step consisted of dividing the scientific publications into Web of Science categories ( Table 3 ).

Web of Science categories.

Most publications (as many as 411) fell into the category of “Hospitality Leisure Sport Tourism”.

4.3. Analysis of Publication Sources

The most popular journals with health tourism papers include Sustainability, Tourism Management, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Iranian Journal of Public Health , and International Journal of Healthcare Management ( Table 4 ).

Scientific journals with the largest number of health tourism publications.

The most popular publishers include Taylor & Francis, Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Emerald Group Publishing ( Table 5 ).

Publishers with the largest number of health tourism publications.

The next step was to present publication authors, their countries of origin, and their affiliations.

4.4. Analysis of Publications by Country and Research Center

The greatest number of health tourism publications were authored by Jeremy Snyder ( Table 6 ).

Authors of health tourism publications.

Most authors of health tourism publications originate from the United States and China. Many other publications were related to authors coming from countries such as Malaysia, United Kingdom, and Canada ( Table 7 ).

Number of publications by country.

The next step focused on analyzing the research centers. Note that research on health tourism was highly dispersed, with the largest number of papers published by employees of Simon Fraser University ( Table 8 ).

Number of publications by research center.

The authors also represented the State University System of Florida, the Ministry of Education Science of Ukraine, and the University of London.

4.5. Analysis of Main Research Areas

The next step in identifying the research areas related to health tourism was the co-word analysis, which served as a basis for the subsequent cluster analysis. Note that the co-word or co-occurrence analysis is a technique that allows examining the actual content of a publication [ 50 ]. It uses words derived from the keywords defined by the author(s), and it can also be employed in analyzing words contained in the paper’s keywords, title, abstract, or index, and even in its full text [ 51 ]. As a consequence, a thematic relation can be established between frequently co-occurring words, which allows identifying thematic clusters and outlining the trends of future research areas.

The co-word analysis was performed as follows:

• Retrieving database records using criteria detailed in the Methodology section.
• Exporting data, including authors’ names, title, abstract, keywords, and references.
• Mapping the relationships that underpin the thematic clusters. The analysis of frequencies was carried out for a set of keywords that occurred in no less than ten phrases.
• Analyzing the results.

Figure 3 presents the visualization of keywords for the “health tourism” thematic area, with “travel”, “health-care”, “care”, “health”, “satisfaction”, “impact”, “model”, “quality” and “destination” as the most frequent occurrences.

Co-Word Cluster Map. Source: own elaboration based on the dedicated database.

The co-word analysis identified four research clusters related to the topic of health tourism ( Figure 3 ).

Cluster 1 (green): patient satisfaction built upon trust; Cluster 2 (yellow): health impacts of the destination; Cluster 3 (blue): health behavior as a major part of human activity; and Cluster 4 (red): traveling with a view to regain one’s health.

5. Discussion

5.1. cluster 1 (green): patient satisfaction built upon trust.

The first cluster covered by the analysis dealt with medical sciences because it was related to patient satisfaction built upon trust in healthcare institutions. Highly interesting research on these matters was presented in a paper by Khodadad Hosseini and Behboudi [ 52 ]. Their goal was to examine the impacts of brand trust on a population of healthcare service users. Nowadays, healthcare managers and activists tend to increasingly rely on marketing and branding measures in order to attract and satisfy their customers. Hence, the study focused on a conceptual model designed to assess brand trust and the impact of brand image on customer satisfaction. Data were sourced from 240 survey questionnaires. The study found the following to be the most efficient aspects with the greatest impact on customer satisfaction and use of healthcare services: brand image; personnel’s sincerity in handling patients; and interactions and relationships with doctors. The authors believe that identifying important elements related to healthcare branding helps healthcare managers and operators create and protect their brands and, as a consequence, drives an increase in profitability due to greater consumer satisfaction.

Highly interesting findings on how to build patient satisfaction were brought by Liu, Ching-Yick Tse, and He [ 53 ]. The purpose of their study was to compare the impacts of health-related corporate social responsibility (CSR) factors on the intents of casual restaurant customers in the U.S. and China. They adopted an approach based on survey questionnaires to collect data in both countries. A total of 828 complete answers were used to validate the hypotheses through the modeling of structural equations. The results revealed some considerable differences in replies between the two countries. The research framework underpinning health-related CSR aspects, critical variables, and relationships among them was subject to a theoretical test and verification procedure. From a practical point of view, these findings allow the management to develop efficient (yet different) market strategies in order to promote CSR initiatives among consumers with a different cultural, political, and economic background (such as the U.S. and China) in order to increase financial benefits while building consumer satisfaction and loyalty. This is one of the few empirical studies on the impacts of consumer decision-making factors on culinary behaviors based on how the restaurants present their health-related CSR initiatives in countries with different market environments.

5.2. Cluster 2 (Yellow): Health Impacts of Holiday Destinations

In recent years, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people traveling for health reasons [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. Many scientists indicate that domestic and international health destinations are attractive mostly because of the differences in prices of products and services offered [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ]. According to [ 62 , 63 ], a broad range of tourism services and products—combined with the patients and their accompanying persons having an enjoyable stay in a tourist destination—has a clear positive effect on their health. Another aspect of importance to tourists [ 63 ] is the destination itself and its surroundings.

One of the very few positive consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic is people becoming environmentally committed and interested in nature. An interesting study on this was presented by Allison Williams and Rannveig Ólafsdóttir (2022), who indicate that traveling has become possible again, and, thus, people can restart using healthcare tourism services based on natural assets viewed from a therapeutic perspective. Their research suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to drawing a number of conclusions. First, people realized that they can work remotely from any location (obviously depending on the nature of their work). Second, as they rely on innovative solutions to communicate with others (and for other purposes), they started to appreciate the benefits derived from modern technologies. Third, they started to value and pay particular attention to their health. The last aspect indicated by the researchers were natural values. The COVID-19 era saw a breakthrough in tourism because the traveling restrictions and social isolation made people appreciate nature and enjoy leisure in a natural environment. Similar conclusions were presented in a case study for Poland by Wojcieszak-Zbierska et al. [ 64 ], who demonstrated that at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people decided to spend their free time on agritourism farms because they found it to be the right option for them and, most of all, to be a safe form of leisure. The study also highlighted that staying on agritourism farms had a beneficial impact on the visitors’ recovery and health. Another important aspect addressed by Xiang Yan and Shenjing He [ 65 ] is the way of financing a stay, which is expected to improve one’s physical and mental health. The authors noted that tourists increasingly often opt for staying in an attractive location, which is supposed to meet their specific individual needs related to maintaining a good physical and mental state while having a thrilling experience. The thing that matters to tourists is the destination, whereas financial resources are often a secondary concern.

As shown by the analysis of international papers, including by Aikaterini Manthiou, Volker G. Kuppelwieser and Phil Klaus; Agapito, D., Mendes, J. and Valle, P.; Cetin, G., Bilgihan, A. [ 66 , 67 , 68 ], respectively, the location of a tourist destination is of tremendous importance to the visitors’ health. This is mostly due to the growing value and importance of needs (especially including higher-order needs) and changes in the structure of the population’s needs and preferences that have been witnessed over the last ten to twenty years. These developments largely affect today’s social consumption model, which triggers changes in the service market and in the production and supply of goods. There is continuous growth in the capacity to meet a broad range of needs, and consumers keep changing their inclinations, preferences, and even habits. In turn, it follows from a study by Hung, W. L., Lee, Y. J., Huang, P. H.; Rodríguez Molina, M. Á., Frías-Jamilena, D. M., Castañeda-García, J. A. [ 69 , 70 ], respectively, that consumer expectations are no longer limited to having a place to rest. Visitors also want their destination to add value through positive emotions, experiences, education, and improved health.

5.3. Cluster 3 (Blue): Health Behaviors as an Important Part of Human Activity (Including the Economic Aspect, Which Plays a Decisive Role in Choosing a Tourism Destination)

Today’s lifestyle concept attracts constant interest from researchers around the world [ 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 ]. Its definition encompasses the whole range of an individual’s characteristic daily behaviors, which express his/her personality traits. The concept has strongly gained in popularity over recent years because of intense changes in two areas of human life: health and consumption of goods and services. As rightly noted in a number of studies, including by Han H. and Heung V., Kucukusta D., Song H. [ 76 , 77 ], respectively, currently, people can be observed to attach greater importance to their own safety and wellbeing when traveling and upon arrival at a holiday destination. This can be explained largely by the COVID-19 pandemic situation, which has certainly reinforced the changes in health habits related to the adherence to hygiene and sanitary standards at tourism destinations. Health behaviors mean those related to human health; the literature on the subject divides them into health-promoting and self-destructive actions. A number of researchers, including Hofer S., Honegger F., Hubeli J. and Hopkins L., Labonte R., Runnels V., Packer C. [ 78 , 79 ], respectively, emphasize that in order to discuss the changes in health-related behavior, it is necessary to gain in-depth knowledge of the underlying mechanisms. As there is growth in demand for diverse forms of health tourism (including medical tourism), there is also a restructuring of the tourism product offered. According to Białk-Wolf, A., Arent, M., Buziewicz, A. and Alejziak W. [ 27 , 80 ], respectively, many tourists today realize the positive role of physical activity. For a modern human, proper nutrition habits, a positive mental attitude (especially after the aggravation of the COVID-19 pandemic), reliable information, preventive healthcare, and physical activity itself play an important role in improving his/her living conditions. Hence, health behaviors are undoubtedly a major part of today’s human activity.

In turn, another issue was addressed by Forgione DA, Smith PC.; Bagozzi, R. P., Gurhan-Canli, Z. and Priester, J. R.; Lam, T. and Hsu, C. H. C.; March, R. and Woodside, G. [ 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 ], respectively. who found that demand- and supply-side changes in today’s tourism market are driven by changes to the tourist’s purchasing behavior. According to them, there is change in the forms of travel organization; in the quality, duration, and frequency of traveling; and in the ways and forms of spending free time. Consumers increasingly often opt for leisure scenarios that involve physical activity. Many researchers also focused their attention on one more aspect. Namely, according to Hudson S., Xiang R.L.; Heather Hartwell, Alan Fyall, Cheryl Willis, Stephen Page, Adele Ladkin, Ann Hemingway; Allison Drinkert, Neha Singh; Ediansyah, Mts Arief, Mohammad Hamsal, Sri Bramantoro Abdinagoro; Yingru Li, Lin Liu, Jianguo Chen, Jiewen Zhang [ 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 ], respectively, despite society becoming increasingly aware of the importance of healthcare, there still is need for social education on how to take care of one’s health condition. In turn, Chihiro Morito and Sunildro LS Akoijam, Tabassum Khan [ 90 , 91 ], respectively, note that building adequate levels of awareness of one’s own health behaviors is of key importance, as it drives health-promoting attitudes. Health behavior is also related to a social and cultural context [ 91 ]. Culture has an impact on a number of aspects, including the standards of living and lifestyle of a community, how much they know about their health habits, and how they perceive their health [ 92 , 93 , 94 ]. The use of media in shaping health-promoting attitudes also plays an important role. The technological and technical development, combined with state-of-the-art social messengers, is what makes media an important stream of information, including about health. Hence, social campaigns ran on the TV, radio, FB, and Instagram are designed to make the information reach a wide audience [ 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 ].

5.4. Cluster 4 (Red): Traveling with a View to Regain One’s Health

Tourism is a form of physical activity [ 100 , 101 , 102 , 103 , 104 , 105 ] that consists in traveling away from one’s place of permanent residence to rest or explore. It includes business trips, as well as holiday, health, and other travels with accommodation away from home. According to the literature on the subject, health tourism means curative tourism, spa and wellness tourism, and medical tourism [ 106 , 107 ]. As shown in a study by Kachniewska [ 108 ], it develops in response to today’s social and demographic changes (including needs related to diseases of affluence and ageing societies), while also triggering the potential for new consumer needs and trends. An interesting aspect was also presented in studies by Saint-Pierre, C.; Herskovic, V.; Roberts, F.S.; Darbellay, F.; Stock, M.; Neil Lunt, Percivil Carrera; Tze-Jen Pan, Wen-Chang Chen [ 109 , 110 , 111 , 112 , 113 , 114 ], respectively, who indicated a new trend emerging in health tourism. It suggests that in addition to products and services, tourists also buy the accompanying experiences, emotions, and sensations when traveling. According to the researchers, the consumers’ health-oriented trips should be connected to a holiday destination that offers appropriate values (e.g., environmental benefits: clean air, favorable climate, mineral waters, etc.), while also delivering some components that affect emotions. Traveling is supposed to be interesting, pleasant, and engaging. Therefore, studies by Pearce, P.L; Buda, D. [ 115 , 116 ], respectively, reveal yet another crucial factor that guides health-oriented trips. The authors mostly focused on explaining the roles and importance of sophisticated technologies and techniques, which make it possible for today’s consumers to travel long distances with the use of state-of-the-art tools.

Nowadays, people expect to be able to relax in a healthy and active way in urban and rural areas. The tourism sector is currently focused on offering a customized portfolio composed of medical, spa, wellness, and other services [ 117 , 118 , 119 ]. People travel to clinics, spa resorts, and sanatoriums (go on therapeutic trips) for different reasons and want to improve their health status by undergoing professional rehabilitation or treatment programs [ 120 ]. An important topic addressed by Neil Lunt and Percivil Carrera was the context of how medical tourists finance their travels. According to them, some tourists rely on social health programs, while others use their own resources (pay out of pocket for accessing dentist, beauty, and programmed treatments). The authors indicate that as a consequence of administrative and legal regulations, tourists very often rely on their own funds in paying for medical services (especially in Europe), which can be viewed as a financial disharmony. They also note that there is still confusion as to the rights of patients who travel abroad, e.g., in order to receive a treatment.

6. Conclusions

The recent years have seen growing interest in and importance of health tourism. A healthy lifestyle, as currently developed around the globe, is at the very core of today’s social changes. It promotes physical and mental fitness; determines the condition of an individual’s body; affects people’s pace of work, efficiency, and mental capacity; and conditions their creativity and ability to take action.

This paper was a review of the current literature on medical tourism. It provided a basis for identifying four research clusters spanning the following content: patient satisfaction built upon trust; health impacts of the destination (including the economic aspect, which plays a decisive role in choosing a tourism destination); health behavior as a major part of human activity; and traveling with a view to regain one’s health. This study provides grounds for some conclusions. First, health tourism contributes to improvements in individuals’ mental and physical health; in that context, an important role is played by the behavioral and emotional dimension and by the experience lived in a tourism destination. Another important aspect to humans is the destination itself and its surroundings, where visitors can undergo a variety of medical and curative procedures and—first of all—take care of their health and recover their vitality. Health-oriented trips, especially in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, changed the way tourists behave when their own safety is concerned. It means that they expect their hosts to guarantee a safe and peaceful experience during their stay.

The authors realize certain restrictions affecting this study, but believe that a further analysis would provide valuable grounds for continued in-depth scientific research. Indeed, there is a great need for more research on health tourism based on knowledge resources shared between tourism and related sciences.

Funding Statement

This research received no external funding.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, M.R. (Michał Roman) and M.R. (Monika Roman); methodology M.R. (Monika Roman); software, M.R. (Michał Roman) and M.R. (Monika Roman); validation M.R. (Monika Roman); formal analysis, M.R. (Michał Roman) and M.R. (Monika Roman); investigation, M.R. (Michał Roman) and M.R. (Monika Roman); resources, M.R. (Michał Roman) and M.R. (Monika Roman); data curation, M.R. (Michał Roman) and M.R. (Monika Roman); writing—original draft preparation, M.R. (Michał Roman), M.R. (Monika Roman), and M.W.-Z.; writing—review and editing, M.R. (Monika Roman); visualization, M.R. (Michał Roman), M.R. (Monika Roman), and M.W.-Z.; supervision, M.R. (Monika Roman); project administration, M.R. (Michał Roman); funding acquisition, M.R. (Michał Roman), M.R. (Monika Roman), and M.W.-Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Informed consent statement, data availability statement, conflicts of interest.

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Planning a summer trip: What you need to know about medical tourism

• Alia Willson | Freelance Writer
• Wednesday, June 26, 2024

Summer is vacation season. Many people opt to visit family, tour theme parks or relax on the beach, but there is a subsection of the vacationing population who travel for an altogether different purpose. For these people, summer travel is about medical tourism.

Many people view medical tourism as the ideal solution to seeking plastic surgery because of a tough economy and no help from medical insurance companies. Individuals looking to improve or change something about their appearance hop in the car or on a plane and travel to another city or country in search of the procedure of their dreams at a lower cost. Unfortunately, medical tourism carries real risks and can turn a person's dream "vacation" into a nightmare scenario.

Why do people leave the country for plastic surgery?

Why do so many people choose to seek medical procedures in foreign countries? ASPS Member Surgeons Josef Hadeed, MD, FACS , and Kristy Hamilton, MD , both agree that it all boils down to cost.

"Oftentimes, people will travel outside the United States for plastic surgery because it's being offered at a price point significantly lower than what is normally found domestically, even when factoring in travel costs," said Dr. Hadeed.

Dr. Hamilton's practice is in Houston, only a hop, skip and jump from the Mexican border. She often hears about people traveling there in search of cheaper plastic surgery options.

"I tell patients there are phenomenal plastic surgeons in Mexico, but you are not going to get them at the 'discounted' rate that leads people to seek plastic surgery tourism there," said Dr. Hamilton.

She said the price is 100 percent the draw of traveling abroad for plastic surgery. Additionally, she noted that while Mexico is a popular destination for low-cost body contouring procedures, such as liposuction and tummy tucks , Turkey takes the crown for rhinoplasty tourism and hair transplants for men.

Dr. Hadeed, located in Beverly Hills, also listed the Dominican Republic and Colombia as medical tourism hot spots.

The cost of medical tourism

Yes, in some instances, medical tourism and plastic surgery procedures cost less in foreign countries. However, what is the real cost of medical tourism? It doesn't always come down to simple dollars and cents. There are costs associated with travel, accommodations and the procedure itself. What about the costs to your health and safety?

"There are many risks associated with medical tourism," said Dr. Hadeed. "Broadly speaking, these risks can include health and safety, travel, financial, legal, ethical and public health. More specifically, there are risks associated with infection, blood clots, wound separation, quality of care, continuity of care, legal recourse, hidden costs and transmission of infection."

Dr. Hamilton recounted a particularly disastrous medical tourism experience she witnessed as a medical resident.

"We took care of some patients that had breast implants put in place, and they were growing a certain type of fungus," said Dr. Hamilton. "It wasn't even a run-of-the-mill infection. The thought was these weren't even sterile devices that were put in."

You may save money on the procedure itself, only to spend more than double on wound care and correcting medical errors down the road.

"Revision surgery is always more expensive than primary surgery because it's harder," said Dr. Hamilton, adding that revision surgery is significantly more complex due to scar tissue and managing the unpredictability of what you may find.

Patients should keep in mind that health insurance does not typically cover the cost of revision surgeries.

Individuals may also want to consider whether cheaper surgical options are worth the cost of their life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that at least 93 U.S. citizens died in the Dominican Republic between 2009 and 2022 following cosmetic surgery. Tragedy struck in 2023 when Mexican drug cartels killed several U.S. citizens who had crossed the border with a friend looking for a tummy tuck.

Medical tourism to a foreign country is not necessarily a bad thing. However, you must do your homework and assess the benefits and drawbacks. Understand that miscommunications and language barriers can also impact your care and cause complications.

ASPS offers the Find a Surgeon tool to help patients locate plastic surgeons across the globe who are board certified and focused on patient safety. This can help simplify the search, as medical tourists should be aware there can be confusing regulations for international surgeons since the requirements to become a plastic surgeon vary from country to country.

Coming to America: Plastic surgery tourism works both ways

Some Americans may seek healthcare options outside the U.S. border, but medical tourism works both ways. International travelers aren't just heading to the U.S. for sightseeing and Disney. They are coming to America to get plastic surgery.

Why are foreign travelers seeking medical care in the U.S.?

"Some of the reasons people are traveling to the U.S. for plastic surgery include the high quality of medical care and advanced technology, the widespread availability of procedures in the U.S., and sometimes combining medical care with tourism," said Dr. Hadeed.

At the end of the day, that's what it all comes down to – quality.

"They come to the United States because they are seeking that quality of service," said Dr. Hamilton.

Houston and the surrounding area have a robust oil and gas industry. So does the Middle East. Dr. Hamilton suggested that this connection may be why she sees so many patients from that region. She also mentioned that some countries are just beginning to explore cosmetic surgery. These places may not have solid, established physicians or medical frameworks, leading people interested in cosmetic surgery to the U.S. for the time being because they have limited access to the procedures and care they need.

Just because the U.S. has highly trained physicians and some of the best medical technology in the world doesn't negate the fact that, even in America, medical tourism still carries some risk.

"I ask patients to stick around," said Dr. Hamilton. "The further they are away, the longer I ask them to stay in town. I want to make sure they get through that acute window of healing, which varies depending on what type of surgery you're having."

Dr. Hadeed has similar requirements when treating patients from other areas.

"The length of time someone needs to stay in the U.S. before they can travel again will depend on the number and type of procedures they have," said Dr. Hadeed. "Generally speaking, a minimum stay of one week is recommended after any elective surgical procedure, and oftentimes, the plastic surgeon may recommend that the patient waits at least two weeks prior to traveling. We also provide our patients with detailed postoperative instructions and request that they promptly inform our office if they have any issues once they return home."

It isn't limited to international travel

Medical tourism doesn't have to entail crossing international borders. Both surgeons also said they regularly see patients from out of state. No matter where you come from, the most crucial part of medical tourism is ensuring the safety and well-being of the patient.

"I want patients to have access to me," said Dr. Hamilton. "They'll have multiple virtual visits and then an in-person visit before we operate on them. That way, we have everything set up with them, whether that is home nursing, hotels or lymphatic massage appointments. It's tailored to their needs so they can come in and not know Houston or the city and still be taken care of."

What it really comes down to, regardless of whether you're going down the street or around the globe, is putting in the work to make sure you're in safe hands.

"Really do your research," said Dr. Hamilton. "Anyone can have a shiny website or cool social media presence. Do your research on the individual, where the surgery is being done, who is doing it and who the anesthesiologist is. These are all questions you should be asking. What is their certification and who is providing that certification? Just do your due diligence, particularly if it is in a different language."

No matter where your summer travel plans take you, you can have a positive medical tourism experience if you plan accordingly and understand the challenges.

To find a qualified plastic surgeon for any cosmetic or reconstructive procedure, consult a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All ASPS members are board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, have completed an accredited plastic surgery training program, practice in accredited facilities and follow strict standards of safety and ethics. Find an ASPS member in your area .

• Anxious to get in for a plastic surgery consultation? Why patience for patients is a virtue
• Understanding how medications interact with anesthesia and when to stop before plastic surgery
• A guide to preserving your mental well-being during your plastic surgery journey
• Uh-oh! It’s already swimsuit season: Procedures that will have you swimwear-ready fast
• Top five questions plastic surgeons want you to ask them

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How to Salvage a Useful Process That Isn’t Working Anymore

• Rachel Moyal-Smith,
• Kaisin Yee,
• Mary Brindle

Inside Singapore General Hospital’s successful effort to redesign and reimplement a longstanding surgical checklist.

It is a familiar story in health care and many other settings: the performance of an innovative process deteriorates over time. Instead of automatically discarding it, organizations should understand the causes. They may then decide to redesign and reimplement the process. Using the reimplementation of a surgical checklist at Singapore General Hospital as an example, this article explains how to conduct a reimplementation.

In health care and many other settings, innovation is a relentless pursuit. But what should organizations do when a promising innovative process fails to live up to expectations or a once-fresh innovation languishes over the years and eventually loses its effectiveness?

• Rachel Moyal-Smith is an implementation scientist and health systems researcher at Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
• Kaisin Yee manages health systems strengthening and innovation strategy at SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute and Singapore’s MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation.
• Mary Brindle , MD, is the director of the safe surgery and safe systems program at Ariadne Labs, a joint center for health systems innovation at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also a pediatric surgeon at Alberta Children’s Hospital and a professor of surgery and community health  sciences at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine.

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The Process Of Donald Trump's Healing Ear Explained

C ongressman and former White House doctor under the Trump administration Ronny Jackson has issued media statements regarding his recent observations of former President Donald Trump's ear injury following an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally on Saturday, July 13 (per  The New York Times ). The Republican nominee was reported to have been shot by a gunman during the event, which resulted in two other people being injured and one dying, reports CBS News .

Jackson disclosed being a friend of the politician, sharing that he had flown with Trump on Sunday, July 14 for the Republican National Convention taking place in Milwaukee. During the flight, Jackson tended to Trump's wound, changing out the gauze dressing on his ear. 

As of yet, no representative from the former president's team has issued any official statement regarding Trump's medical status. Jackson, who TMZ reports is still Trump's current physician, did however share details about what he saw underneath the bandage and the process behind the ear's healing.

Read more: Scary Symptoms That Aren't As Serious As You Think

Trump's Doctor Weighs In On The Extent Of The Ear's Damage

"The bullet took a little bit off the top of his ear in an area that, just by nature, bleeds like crazy," Jackson stated in a press release, as reported by The New York Times. More specifically, the former White House doctor stated that the skin and cartilage on Trump's upper ear appeared to have been completely severed, which is why routine changing of the dressing was necessary. "The dressing [is] bulked up a bit because you need a bit of absorbent. You don't want to be walking around with bloody gauze on his ear," he stated. 

In terms of any additional head injuries, the Republican Representative of Texas further stated that Trump did not experience a concussion following the injury (via Newsweek ). Jackson added that he believes it was the timing and manner in which Trump turned his head during his speech that prevented the bullet from going into his head.

Jackson has also publicly voiced that the former president's ear will not likely need any additional medical attention, as it is expected to heal on its own through granulation — or the process of new connective tissue repair — which he says will minimize the appearance of the injury.

What To Know About Ear Injuries And Granulation

Cleveland Clinic experts explain that outer ear injuries most often take three different forms: minor cuts or scrapes, subperichondrial hematoma (in which blood collects under the skin's surface), or avulsion, in which part of the ear is either partially or entirely torn off due to injury — such as in Donald Trump's case. In some instances, surgery may be needed to repair the damage.

The Wound Pros  state that granulation is a key part of the healing process. During granulation, new connective tissue and small blood vessels form in the wound. The newly formed tissue can be pink or red, per the source, and it has a "bumpy" appearance. They explain that it acts as a scaffold for new tissue and blood vessels to form, filling in the healing wound.

According to an updated 2023 continuing education activity published in StatPearls , the ears are at an increased risk for lacerations due to their anatomical structure. Our ear skin receives its blood supply from offshoots of two different arteries, yet the ear lobes receive relatively minimal blood flow (per  Faces PLLC ). For this reason, time is of the essence when it comes to repairing ear injuries, otherwise, a person is at greater risk for permanent tissue damage. 

In the event of an ear tear, apply pressure to the area with a clean washcloth or gauze to reduce bleeding. Do not put ice in direct contact with the skin , which can exacerbate pain, hinder blood flow, and prolong healing. Instead, use a cool compress to alleviate swelling and seek urgent medical care. For children, experts at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia state that caregivers will also want to reach out to their pediatrician if an ear laceration is larger than ½ inch in depth or length. The same is true if symptoms of discharge, redness, or warmth develop, indicating possible wound infection.

Read the original article on Health Digest .

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Medical Tourism

The role of medical tourism facilitators: enhancing patient experience and quality care.

Medical tourism is a growing industry that offers patients a chance to receive healthcare services abroad. There are many reasons why patients opt for medical tourism, including cost savings, access to specialized treatments, and shorter wait times. However, the process of medical travel can be overwhelming and complex, especially for patients who are traveling to a foreign country for the first time. This is where medical tourism facilitators come in.

Medical tourism facilitators serve as intermediaries between patients seeking healthcare services abroad and healthcare providers. Their primary role is to help patients navigate the complex process of medical travel. They offer a range of services that make the process more manageable for patients, including helping patients choose the right healthcare provider, scheduling appointments, arranging transportation and accommodation, providing translation services, and assisting with insurance and visa requirements.

One of the significant benefits of working with a medical tourism facilitator is the personalized care and attention they offer. Facilitators take the time to understand patients' medical needs, preferences, and expectations and use this information to tailor their services to meet individual needs. They also work closely with healthcare providers to ensure that patients receive quality care, with a focus on safety, efficacy, and patient satisfaction.

Another advantage of working with a facilitator is the cost savings. Facilitators have established relationships with healthcare providers and can negotiate better rates for patients. They also help patients navigate insurance coverage and ensure that they receive the maximum reimbursement for their medical expenses.

Facilitators also play a critical role in ensuring that patients have access to specialized treatments and procedures that may not be available in their home country. They have extensive knowledge of the global healthcare landscape and can provide patients with information on the latest treatments, technologies, and medical breakthroughs.

Medical tourism facilitators are also responsible for ensuring that patients receive the best possible care while abroad. They work closely with healthcare providers to ensure that patients receive timely and effective treatment. They also coordinate post-treatment care, including follow-up appointments and rehabilitation.

In conclusion, medical tourism facilitators are essential in providing patients with a seamless and stress-free experience when seeking medical treatment abroad. They offer a range of services that enhance patient experience and quality care, including personalized care, cost savings, access to specialized treatments, and coordination of healthcare services. As the medical tourism industry continues to grow, the role of medical tourism facilitators will only become more critical in ensuring that patients receive the best possible care.

To receive a free quote please click on the link: https://www.medicaltourism.com/get-a-quote

Patients are advised to seek hospitals that are accredited by Global Healthcare and only work with medical tourism facilitators who are certified by Global Healthcare Accreditation or who have undergone certification from the Certified Medical Travel Professionals (CMTP). This ensures that the highest standards in the industry are met. Click the link to check out hospitals accredited by the Global Healthcare Accreditation: https://www.globalhealthcareaccreditation.com/

It is recommended that consumers do not share their personal and confidential information on random medical tourism platforms as they may not be secure. Consumers must be cautious when disclosing their private information as some organizations may not protect their privacy and could misuse their information. Additionally, there are agencies that may prioritize their commissions over the well-being of the patients. Consumers should avoid choosing the cheapest price and instead make a thorough comparison across multiple facilitators to make an informed decision.

Unveiling the Power of Social Media Marketing in Medical Tourism

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The Medical Tourism Magazine (MTM), known as the “voice” of the medical tourism industry, provides members and key industry experts with the opportunity to share important developments, initiatives, themes, topics and trends that make the medical tourism industry the booming market it is today.