Patients Seeking Treatment outside the U.S. The world is full of people, and for a vast majority of those people, medical care is available when needed. Health care differs country to country, although most would agree the United States has some of the best medical care available. Health Care Abroad If a patient is traveling in Europe and needs medical attention, they can get it, and statistically speaking, it should be comparable to what they would receive in the U.S. This is true for other countries as well; a patient would be well cared for if hospitalized. One never knows for certain when they will need medical care, emergencies happen, accidents happen, and illness can occur at any time. It is always a good idea to advice patients to speak with their insurer prior to traveling abroad, just to be certain of their rights and coverage. Traveling, and needing medical care in most countries would go off without incident, and the patient would return home without incident. Related: Language Barriers in Communication Looking for Savings This is where complications can arise, serious complications. Some patients want an elective surgery, such as a face lift or tummy tuck, yet insurance will not cover the cost. To pay for even a partial face lift out of pocket within the U.S. is easily going to cost $20-25K by the time the anesthesiologist is paid. Should complications arise cost could escalate higher. Suppose you wanted a facelift more than anything, and you received a brochure advertising what looks to be a beautiful resort in another country. This resort offers 5-star service, and, face lifts at a drastically reduced cost. The advertisement states that for $9k you can come there, and stay 5 days in a beautiful hotel. Surgery will happen your second day there, you recover 3 -4 more days and then return home. Sound appealing? Not so quick, remember the old saying, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is�. Margret was 48 years of age, and a recent empty nester. She wanted a face lift and a tummy tuck. She had saved for many years in anticipation of having work done some day on her rather large nose. After visiting a plastic surgeon, here in the U.S. and learning that her cost for the procedures would be $38K, she was about to give up. She researched on the internet, and there it was, popping up in her face. A beautiful clinic/resort, offering plastic surgery combined with a mini vacation. She contacted them, and of course got a very cordial welcome, and sales pitch. She first had to send a
copy of her medical records, which seemed reasonable to her, so she did that the following day. The next day she was approved for the trip, at a total cost of $16k. She took a friend with her, and the first thing they noticed upon arrival is that the resort was more of a 3-star hotel, nothing special, and of course the good rooms were all taken. The clinic appeared to be ok, so the following day Margret put her life in the hands of a surgeon that she had no background information on. The results-
Margret developed a very bad infection in her face and once back in the U.S. had to have a portion of her chin and jaw removed. She had to have more nose surgery, as the cavity in the nasal was damaged, and she was unable to breathe properly. She had several mini strokes following the surgery, and now lives with a permeant dropping eyelid. The tummy tuck did not go as planned either. The incision was made too deep, and one of her kidneys was damaged. Upon arriving back at home, she had to have a kidney removed, and get more surgery to correct what had been done. Related: Caffeine-Free Tips to Stay Awake
Of course, not every procedure such as this turns out bad, however it is more common than you may realize. Advise patients that consider traveling out of the U.S. for treatment, to be extremely careful. Always check and recheck to ensure the authenticity of the doctor and clinic. Speak with U.S. references for the perspective clinic, and keep in mind, if it is that great of a deal, there is a reason why. Related: Exceptional Registered Nurse Donna S. Gloe, RN, EdD, will be Presented in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter