With medical tourism industry on a global high, new aspects are added to it each day. One such noticeable addition to the dimension of this industry has been that of medical exchange as an exclusive concept. To bring about a basic difference in the concepts of medical tourism and medical exchanges one can say that medical tourism ideally deals with travelling abroad for availing treatments like cosmetic surgeries, spa treatments in conjunction to a vacation. However, the recent concept of medical exchange refers to availing treatments abroad, for intricate medical ailments such as cardiac surgeries, orthopedic procedures etc.
Medical exchange, and how it can affect your medical tourism prospects
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Changed objectives
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Understanding patient choice for medical exchange
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The guideline givers for medical exchange
Changed objectives
In today’s time for a patient who is travelling as a medical exchange patients, the criterion for choosing a treatment destination has changed manifolds in comparison to those who are travelling a simple medical tourist in a holiday mood. The aim for medical exchange patients is to avail medical treatment from a place that offers them best treatment at the best price, irrespective of the location.
This changed aim has brought in a trend to rely upon referral sources excessively. These referrals are rooted through new medical exchange programs most of the times. These new medical exchange programs act as a directing embodiment for all those who are a part of the exchange process in any which way.
Understanding patient choice for medical exchange
Various researches have highlighted it time and again that patients’ choice for medical exchange is quality and price driven. High quality is often stated as the key to success in healthcare systems. Under the medical exchange programs, quality evaluation usually lies in the hands of referral sources. These referral sources of the patients have a better understanding of technical provisions of the hospitals; this makes them better evaluators of rating systems and services offered by the hospitals.
This may sound astonishing, but price is often the last consideration when it comes to medical exchanges. The focus is to have the best treatment available, with high quality healthcare and services irrespective of the costs involved. This does not mean they want to remain completely ignorant about the costs so involved. They wish to be adequately aware about the pricing of the package.
The guideline givers for medical exchange
Key players of the medical exchange programs are the referral sources. These referral sources include brokers, physicians, facilitators, insurance companies, third party administrators, and government agencies. They set the path for medical exchanges to flourish with gaining huge profits in return.
Summary
Medical exchanges are the more organized way of travelling abroad for availing treatments to complex medical ailments. It objectives and working models vary from that of traditional medical tourism.
