Self-Insured Companies Shop Medical Tourism for Better Employer and Employee Healthcare Solutions

Roy Ramthun, former White House advisor, speaks on how healthcare reform affects medical tourism

Medical tourism is just exploding as a solution to our stressed healthcare system. 

And for a bird’s eye view of “who’s who” in terms of driving large groups of potential clients to Costa Rica;  it was interesting to me to observe the culture of the crowd attending The First Latin American Global Medicine and Wellness Congress, April 26-28, 2010 in San Jose, Costa Rica. 

The Congress concluded with an “attendee” tour of the private hospitals in Costa Rica (three JCI accredited hospitals) that cater to medical tourists. 

Here’s my report on the crowd, from the perspective of what it’s like to be an exhibitor at a major medical tourism convention. 

This has been an interesting people-watching event.  Unlike the conventions  I’m sure a lot of us have attended where it turns out to be a networking event of people all doing the same type of business or selling products to one another, I can say that I was impressed with the amount of what I would call “Buyers” for the products that the exhibitors were showcasing.

Exhibit booths were visited by Human Resources (HR) reps, banking organizations, and a large contingent of insurers and re-insurers, insurance underwriters and leaders of large self-insured groups like teachers unions, etc.  So in this scenario one third party representative (TPR) would represent literally hundreds of thousands of people who these representatives will influence to travel offshore for medical care. 

For many of the TPR buyers, I credit medical tourism facilitator, Tim Morales, President of CostaRicanMedicalcare.com (CRMC), as many of these industry leaders were wearing tags that identified them as having been invited by CRMC.  That’s not surprising because Morales’ and CRMC’s Roy Ramthun, former health advisor to the White House, both have a background in Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) with connections to employer groups. 

This was a very “intentional” crowd, with a lot of business transacted.  First-comers to Costa Rica took the time to arrive days early (or are leaving days open after the convention) to visit the providers of interest.  And here’s what is unique about these providers.  You find by visiting with them in their homes, as well as in their offices, that you are being treated the same way as they treat medical tourists. 

It is not unusual at all for a private practice doctor to invite you to their home, go zip-lining with you, turn you on to their favorite restaurants and pick up the tab.  I’m serious.  This is not just hospitality reserved for buyers.  I’ve been interviewing patients and that’s the story I have to share — is that many Costa Rica providers are not just friendly but warm and engaging people who will make a tremendously positive impression on patients. 

I guess it’s the job of facilitators  and consumer reviewers, like T4H, to identify who those star providers are and make sure they get noticed for the high-touch standard of medical experience that they offer patients.  Apparently they value a “happy patient” more than “professional distance.”  That’s quite different than in the U.S. 

Costa Rica is going all out to position themselves as the best hosts to medical tourists.  In speaking with Maximiliano Ruiz, General Manager of the Ramada Inn, Plaza Herradura, I learned that the Ramada Inn offers their medical tourist guests free services that include pick up/drop off at the airport, daily transportation to and from any medical appointments, a private medical tourist lobby with a separate entrance for privacy, and a nurse on duty 24 hrs a day.  Wow!