There is a need for greater professionalism and ethical behaviour to develop the medical tourism industry, particularly among agents and facilitators. You expect your regular travel agent or tourism consultant to have professional qualifications, so why not your medical tourism agent?
The Council on the Global Integration of Healthcare is developing professional certification for agents.
Certification through CGIH will denote that an agent has successfully demonstrated skills and mastery of the body of knowledge established as a minimum requirement to coordinate patient care and travel arrangements for patients seeking internationally and domestically integrated medical care from outside their home communities. Through exams, case studies and field demonstrations, certification denotes ability to utilize knowledge for practical application.
The certification is a three-step process:
1. First an applicant must submit a portfolio of information about their business history, professional liability insurance and business establishment, and professional references to demonstrate that he/she is actively engaged in the profession.
2. The second step is an examination covering all core areas of the knowledge. A score of 92% is required to meet certification requirements.
3. To continue to Advanced Status and Fellowship, a third step is to select one project that will serve as the applicant's thesis. This project may be completed as part of the applicant's job or as a result of their training/education. A peer review panel must approve the subject and methodology of the thesis project. A peer review panel will also evaluate the finished thesis and a required oral presentation to be presented at the Annual Institute of the Council.
The Council will enlist the assistance of psychometrists who will validate the testing and metrics to ensure that the program meets its professional development objectives.
Medical agency training course classes should be available from 2010. They will help agents meet the course work requirements for certification through the Council's Certificate Program
There will be over twenty courses/ modules with online study materials, a pre- and post-test, and a completion certificate. CGIH is looking for expertise within the membership to assist with the development of these courses. The goal is excellence in patient safety and customer service. CGIH aims to certify the individual agent, not the company they work for, as knowledge is for the individual. Agents from all over the world are invited to become certified by CGIH.
