As traveling overseas is becoming a more widely accepted way of receiving medical treatment, here are a few key questions to tick off your list when considering an overseas destination.
How far do I need to travel?, Is it a direct flight or multiple stop overs?
Where possible try to book direct international flights rather than flights with 1 or 2 stopovers. You might not notice it so much traveling to the destination, but returning home after surgery could prove to be far more taxing than it needs to be with lengthy stopovers included in your travel plans.
How easy is communication with the doctors and nursing staff of the destination Hospital?
When dealing with issues about your health it’s vital that you are not in the position of not being understood, or not understanding what the doctors and nurses are saying. For example if you are an English speaker, consider countries where English is spoken as the primary language first.
What is the total cost of the package
Most destinations advertise medical procedure costs only and compare them to similar US based medical procedure costs. This is meaningless as you need to factor in the cost of travel, accommodation, aftercare and transport costs within the destination country. Always compare the total package cost of the destination to the procedure cost in the US for a true savings comparison.
What are the Potential hidden costs in the packages?
You don’t want any surprise costs when you travel to the destination country. Never assume, always confirm what additional out of pocket expenses you can expect.
What happens after discharge from Hospital, does the destination country provide comprehensive aftercare?
This plays a critical part in aiding your recovery after a medical procedure. Some destinations provide daily physical therapy, excercise routines and nursing programs in your Hotel to aid in getting you back to full health as quickly as possible. Some destinations also provide domiciliary aids to help with shopping and even dressing if required. Not having comprehensive aftercare can impact on the success of your procedure and recovery time. Make sure you fully understand what you will be receiving in the way of aftercare post surgery.
How transparent is the medical destination?
Will the destination hospital share surgical outcome data concerning their hospital and the procedure that you are traveling for? How many operations has the surgeon you are seeing performed and what training has the surgeon undergone? Can you talk your procedure over with the surgeon prior to leaving home? Can you talk to other patients that have already been there? All important points to help build both your understanding and confidence in the overall process.
What happens when things go wrong?
In the majority of western hospitals, the risk of complications is minimal but never zero. Adverse events happen even to healthy people. Find out what contingencies the destination hospital has in place to ensure you are looked after if you have a complication, and what it will cost. Some Destinations include contingency insurance to protect you against additional costs incurred as a result of an adverse event. It’s an important point to check before you agree to travel.
Will you feel safe and comfortable traveling to the destination?
Traveling and having a medial procedure will make you feel considerably more vulnerable than usual, so you must feel you can trust the destination you have chosen to make you feel comfortable and safe. Complete culture shock can be avoided by selecting a safe and culturally similar destination to your own, consider destinations that are safe, friendly and conducive to aiding your recovery.
What is the main purpose of my travel?
While beautiful beaches and scenery might sound enticing, they shouldn’t outweigh the quality of care factor when deciding on the destination. The time you spend at the destination may involve some must see tourist sites and experiences before the operation. However, after the operation you are more likely to be solely interested in getting better and getting home, so plan carefully.
These are just a few things to consider when traveling for medical treatment. A professional well focused medical destination will have anticipated many of these issues and questions, making the process of traveling there is as simple and risk free as possible.
