New Doctors Burnout and Stress Cause of Concern

Health Travel – Medical Travel – Medical Tourism –2^nd Medical Opinion

Doctors heal, hospitals don’t.  So, how important is it that your doctor is not a “burn out” and unable to deal with stress in their own life?

A Mayo Hospital study of 16,000 internal medical interns published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reveals that more than half of graduate medical students reported symptoms of burnout.  (source:  “Mayo Study: Widespread Burnout Among New Doctors”, 9/7/11)

The study suggests burnout and high student debt is contributing to students’ decreased ability to learn as evidenced by low test scores, according to the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Colin West.

Lower test scores of graduating doctors threatens your quality of medical care.

This at a time when the demand for more doctors is higher than any other time in our history due to the demands on the healthcare system of our aging population.  You have to wonder, “How many Baby Boomers will be treated by burned-out physicians”? (more…)

Designer Babies are Big Business in Medical Tourism

Sperm Donors – Sperm Banks – Surrogacy –Donor-Conceived Children

Sperm Donors and Surrogacy are Big Business for Medical Tourism

Follow the money.  Sperm and egg donors and surrogacy are big business for medical tourism.

Perhaps it’s time for ethical companies to freshen up the privacy disclaimers on the contracts donors and surrogates sign.

Men and women both need to realize that there are businesses promising donors and surrogates privacy; privacy that they cannot realistically deliver in this world of technology.

Sperm Donors Beware

No Such Thing as Anonymity

According to Wendy Kramer, Co-founder and Director of the Donor sibling Registry (DSR), no one should be promising any donor anonymity; not with DNA testing and Google searches.

“It is astounding that sperm banks still make this promise to donors,” said Kramer, “The Donor Sibling Registry, alone, has united more than 8,500 donor-conceived siblings and many with their biological parents.”   Read about how people can find their donors through DNA testing without their donors being aware. (more…)

Nurse sounds alarm on thoracic surgery

Lung Tumor – Lung Surgery – Thoracic Surgery – Thoracic Surgeon – Health Travel

U.S. surgeons operating outside their area of expertise is something patients expect never to happen; but apparently it happens quite a lot in thoracic surgery.

Is it creating problems for patients?

Yes it is, according to Kristin Eckland, a T4H member and an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner who specializes in Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Says Eckland, “In fact, in the United States, the majority of thoracic surgery procedures are not performed by board-certified thoracic surgeons.  Unfortunately, the majority of patients are uninformed about the different training and subspecialties among surgeons, and it appears that general surgeons are not hastening to inform them.” (more…)

The good guys holding down the cost of HSA's

Health travel – Medical Tourism – Health Savings Accounts

When it comes to holding the line against creeping invasions into your pocketbook, every penny counts!

These days when everyone is concerned about costs, it’s good to hear from a Traveling4Health member who has a stellar reputation for caring about holding down costs.  It’s not about the “pennies”, it’s about the principle!

A good friend of mine, Tim Morales, a top-notch medical tourism facilitator, happens also to be a subject expert in health savings accounts (HSA’s).

Tim is President of Costa Rican Medical Care and HSA Trustee Services which has been offering a No-Fee HSA since 2004.

A health savings account is a tremendously useful tool in the hands of anyone traveling for treatment, because you can use the funds to cover the cost of travel and accommodations as well as procedures. (more…)