Medical travel can offer patients many benefits such as rapid access to care and improved quality, service and savings, but, not all patients can or should travel for treatment. There are many elements – some obvious, some not so obvious – that should be evaluated in advance to determine if a patient is a good candidate for medical travel.

On December 1st, GHA Interim Chief Quality Officer, Ann Jacobson and Director of Business Development, Bill Cook will travel to Bangkok, Thailand to provide training and advisory services for a well-known hospital in the region that is preparing for accreditation by GHA.

As the head of a hospital or hospital department you are probably not in the habit of waking up each morning thinking: “Wow, the sun is shining, the coffee is percolating, and I just can’t wait to see all the new patient complaints we’ll receive today!''

Recognizing and responding to the needs of an individual is critical to the development of a responsive service that is truly patient-centered. Patients experience needs on several different levels: medical, psychological, related to attitudes and beliefs and even concerning information and communication preferences.

First impressions can make or break a potential relationship. For medical travelers, their first impression of your organization often occurs on your website.

For someone who is ill or suffers from a serious medical condition, the act of preparing for surgery or treatment can be debilitating both mentally and physically. In the best of cases the person may face multiple doctor appointments, medical exams, financial burdens, and perhaps even doubts about the ultimate success of the treatment, all while attempting to balance work and family commitments.

Getting lost on a hospital’s sprawling campus or labyrinth of hallways may soon be a thing of the past. A healthcare provider in New York State recently implemented a wayfinding app that allows patients to quickly navigate to any area of the hospital or hospital campus.

With high-profile destinations such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, Southeast Asia has been a dominant region for medical travel for more than a decade.

This past week we were gratified to read three news articles highlighting different activities or issues that impact the patient experience. While none of the articles dealt specifically with medical travel, all focused on values that GHA promotes in its standards. Below we provide a brief synopsis of each article and some key takeaways for healthcare providers treating traveling patients.

Say your doctor informed you that you are in need of a surgical procedure not covered by your insurance or one having a high deductible. Would you choose a surgeon who is warm and empathizes with your concerns but pay a higher price for your surgery? Or would you choose a surgeon who is cold and disinterested but charges you a lower price?

Back in the day (early 2000’s), mentioning the words medical travel in any discussion about healthcare usually triggered two types of reactions:

Walt Disney once said, “Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it they will want to come back and see you do it again and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.”

Standardized information templates (SIT’s) are a quick and easy way to improve operational efficiency and the patient experience, regardless of the stage of development of your medical travel program. Traveling patients are often seeking information and price estimates from multiple healthcare providers, the quicker you are able to respond with information that is relevant to their needs, the likelier it is that you will gain their trust.

Imagine for a moment that you had to seek medical care in another country or even another region of your own country. What concerns would you have? What information would you want? What services would you need? How would you and your companion or family want to be treated?

Vejthani Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand has been awarded a three-year term of “Accreditation with Excellence” by the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program for its Medical Travel Services Program.

European Interbalkan Medical Center in Thessaloniki, Greece, a part of Athens Medical Group has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation by the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program for its Medical Travel Services Program. European Interbalkan Medical Center is the first hospital in Greece and the second hospital in Europe accredited by the GHA program.

Prince Sultan Cardiac Center Al Hassa (PSCC) in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia has been awarded a three-year term of “Accreditation with Excellence” by the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program for its Medical Travel Services Program. PSCC Al Hassa is the first hospital accredited by the GHA program in the Middle East.

On May 14th and 15th, a diverse group of medical travel stakeholders descended on Athens, Greece to network and discuss the latest trends in European and global medical travel.

If you are a healthcare provider treating medical travelers, your goal is to provide patients with the most accurate and timely information possible to ensure a safe and successful treatment outcome and a positive patient experience. Invariably, this will include sending physician profiles, information about treatment options, risks and benefits of the procedure or treatment, a treatment plan, patient financial obligations, and travel and destination information.

Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insurance Company announced today that it will pursue contracts with selected healthcare providers accredited by the Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) Program, an independent accrediting body that seeks to improve the patient experience and excellence of care received by patients who travel for their medical care and treatment.