Commentary

A new survey by RevaHealth indicates that 84 percent of patients traveling abroad for dental care are satisfied and that cost savings average 60 percent of the home market price, or about 4800 Euros. Read more at RevaHealth.com

From the New York Times (In Pitches to Doctors, Promise of Big Payday)

"Using e-mail solicitations that promise high pay, US HIFU (pronounced you es HIGH-foo) is trying to build and train a network of American urologists for its offshore prostate cancer treatments. “The opportunity before F.D.A. approval is very lucrative,” said one message sent by the company...

It seems like a no-brainer: patients in consumer directed health plans --which combine a Health Savings Account (HSA) or Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) with a high-deductible PPO-- should be early adopters of medical tourism. And sure enough, a lot of people are saying that's the case. AIS's Health Business Daily picks up on the theme today with a reprint from Inside Consumer-Directed Care, inanely headlined as follows:

Is medical tourism contributing to a recession in plastic surgery? Could be.

The Wall Street Journal ran a story suggesting that reduced spending on plastic surgery in the US signals a coming recession. (See Evidence Grows That Consumers Are Pulling Back). Quoting from the Journal:

Continued from Part 9: Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital

November 30, 2007

Departure from the Incheon airport was efficient. The security line was short, and they actually gave me flip flops to wear as I went through the metal director, a nice touch. (I saw shoe sterilizing machines there, too.) The airport lounge had free wireless access and my flight left on time. On the plane I sat next to a young kid and his grandmother and right behind a woman with a baby. Still, the flight wasn't bad. As I mentioned on the trip over, United is not above chiseling the coach experience. One of the flight attendants, who hadn't flown this route in a while, noted that one of the coach meal services had been replaced with a small bag of pretzels and a small cookie. "Why do they even bother?" she asked. "It's shocking!"