Medical travel: Articles and features: 2013

Our articles and features on medical tourism and medical tourism services are written by some of the leading experts on medical tourism and medical travel.

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Medical Tourism growth is dependent on quality of foreign healthcareJoseph Gregory and Analysts at GlobalData explains why the long term growth of medical tourism depends on the availability of comparative data on outcomes for foreign patients.
Which is the most beautiful hospital in the world?Destination attractiveness in medical tourism is not about beauty. But is the look of a hospital important in attracting patients? Will a patient feel better about treatment in a more beautiful hospital? To what extent does the environment affect the patient experience?
The medical tourism niche good news or bad news?Ian Youngman has been studying the broader aspects of global tourism, and is fascinated to see the number and variety of existing and new market niches that exist. So, where does medical tourism rank as a tourism niche?
Medical tourism destinations. Today, Nigeria..., next stop... Mars?More than 80 countries now consider themselves to be medical tourism destinations. Nigeria is the latest addition to the list. Are you serious? was the reaction from the audience at a recent medical tourism event. Can Nigeria be seriously considered as a medical tourism destination?
Is it time to medicalize medical tourism?Dr. Kevin Huffman of Medical Travel Associates and the American Board of Bariatric Medicine, believes it's time to get the medics more involved in medical tourism. Familiarity, confidence and trust must replace fear of the unknown if the industry is to thrive.
The growth of cross-border healthcare: A self-defeating prophecy?In his Second Opinion column, Dr Constantine Constantinides from healthCare cybernetics points out the difference between have to and "want to medical travel and how have to medical travel is driven by inefficiencies in domestic healthcare systems.
Has medical tourism passed a tipping point?At what stage of development is the medical tourism industry? Is it still a pioneer industry, or is the bandwagon effect still bringing new entrants into an industry that is still some way from being more than just a niche? Ian Youngman makes some industry comparisons.
New councils launched for health and medical travelTwo new industry bodies have been launched to bring together the disparate bodies representing medical travel both nationally and internationally.
Whatever happened to bedside manners?Stewart Hamilton, Chief Medical Officer at Medical Travel Commission looks at the soft side of delivering services to the medical traveller. What really makes a difference in terms of patient satisfaction? The surgery...the aftercare...or bedside manners?
Climate survey highlights fragmented nature of medical tourism sectorThe Medical Tourism Climate Survey 2013, carried out for the International Medical Travel Journal highlights widespread optimism about the future of medical tourism despite the economic downturn, with travel for cosmetic surgery expected to be the biggest growth area.
Are there opportunities for the Crimean sanatoria in Ukraine in the medical tourism market?Stella Tsartsara, Team Leader in Ukraine for the Crimean Tourism Diversification and Support Project, looks at the origins of Crimea as a medical tourism destination and the potential of its private sanatoria to meet the needs of the growing market for medical rehabilitation.
Choosing a medical travel destinationStewart Hamilton, Chief Medical Officer at Medical Travel Commission looks at what's important to a patient when choosing a destination and a healthcare provider for medical travel. What comes first? Destination or medical outcome?
The development of medical tourism in BarbadosKrystyna Adams, a member of the Medical Tourism Research Group at Simon Fraser University, Canada provides an update on current medical tourism initiatives in Barbados and future plans for the sector.
10 tips for making a medical tourism presentationHave you ever sat through a presentation at a medical tourism conference and thought, Why did I bother? With several medical tourism conferences coming up, Keith Pollard suggests some ways to improve the standard of presentations at these events and identifies what works and what doesn't.
Why medical tourism agencies need a disaster planIan Youngman considers the many natural and political problems that we have experienced over the last three years, and looks at what this has to do with medical tourism. He discusses the responsibility of facilitators and agencies to get patients home safely in a crisis.
The changing motivations and incentives for medical travelDr Constantine Constantinides from healthCare cybernetics puts forward a contrary view on the future of medical travel. Economic recession does not provide a boost to medical tourism. In fact, we have seen the opposite happen. Have to medical travel has run its course. In future, consumers will...
The approach to medical tourism certification in PolandJolanta Rab-Przybyłowicz from the Polish Association of Medical Tourism shares some observations and opinions on certification for medical tourism and outlines the approach taken by the Polish Association of Medical Tourism.
How consumerism, globalization and the internet are changing health careRuben Toral, a health care marketing consultant and founder of Medeguide, looks at how medical tourism has entered the mainstream, and how its disruptive model will change the nature of healthcare.
The potential of the powerhouse economies in medical tourismIan Youngman reports on five of the emerging economies in the global travel market and looks at their potential for outbound medical tourism.
The top ten most popular medical tourism articles in 2012What were the top ten most popular medical tourism articles on IMTJ in 2012? If you missed them, here they are. It's your chance to find out what was hot in medical tourism in 2012 and the topics that attracted attention.