Each year boundaries between countries are erasing: people travel more to share the experience, cultural and religious values. This tendency also impacts the medicine. Nowadays people go to other countries to relax and receive medical vacations. Over 16 million patients choose other countries for international medical tourism annually. Abroad they can get:

  • innovative and effective treatment options
  • lower prices
  • access to the best specialists in the world.

But before the medical travel, a patient needs to decide how and where it is better to undergo therapy. There are a lot of information on the Internet, but still, it is difficult to make a right choice. So people seek treatment assistance in medical travel companies.

What is medical tourism agency?

A medical tourism agency (facilitator, provider, etc.) is a company which brings together a patient and a hospital from a certain country. Best medical tourism companies assist a person during all the period of treatment from the first request to the returning home from a clinic.

Usually, such agencies help to choose the most appropriate hospital and country for treatment taking into account all the patient’s preferences. Representatives of the prudent health tourism providers facilitate a solution to the visa, legal and organizational issues.

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Medical travel companies: how to avoid frauds

Still, there are a lot of medical tours companies which cheat patients and want to receive extra benefits. Before choosing a medical tourism agency, pay attention to the following moments:

  • An agency renders the invoice with too low or high prices for medical services. Before accepting the treatment program, provide research of price policy in the country you want to undergo treatment. If the prices differ, find another medical tourism agency.
  • If a international medical tourism facilitator recommends only one hospital and persuades you to choose it, more likely a medical tours agency receives extra fees for advertising this clinic. The prudent health tourism companies offer a wide range of variants and describe their pros and cons.
  • A manager of an agency guarantees 100% of the success rates. It may be in evidence for non-threatening life procedures and diseases. But if it concerns treatment of cancer or sarcoma, there are no guarantees for such advanced cases.
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Signs of medical tourism agency you can trust

Medical tourism market is full health tourism providers, and only a few of them really want to help patients. You can trust a company if:

  • You get a consultation with a medical doctor (coordinator, concierge), not a marketing manager. S/he can recommend the most appropriate treatment and hospital, taking into account specific patient’s health conditions. The aim of usual marketing managers is to sell you a hospital; they can barely understand what medical help you really need.
  • A coordinator recommends hospitals taking into account your preferences about pricing, treatment methods, general health conditions. You always have an alternative to chose.
  • A coordinator asks you for medical records to send them to a hospital and receive the treatment program and its cost.
  • A patient receives a call back in the short term from a medical tourism agency doctor-coordinator to choose the most appropriate treatment program.
  • A medical tourism guide does not require prepayment before you receive a treatment program; it gives you an opportunity to pay for medical services right in a hospital.
  • Medical tourism facilitator has direct agreements with hospitals.
  • A representative of a company stays in touch with you and is ready to solve any issue regarding your medical travel.
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    Medical tourism: agency assisted or self-organized travel

    Some patients prefer to organize medical treatment by themselves. It makes a sense if a patient:

    • knows the features of law and medicine of country for medical tourism;
    • orientates in treatment options of a disease and its effectiveness in a particular country;
    • has had a successful experience in international medical tourism before;
    • has already undergone treatment in a certain hospital or country.

    If you are a newbie in treatment abroad or you need professional assistance, it is better to ask for help best medical tourism companies. With medical tourism guides, a patient receives such benefits:

    • Patients do not have to choose among the hundreds of hospitals. A coordinator helps to find the best one according to patients’ demands. The medical tourism agency cooperates with different clinics, so can recommend the most appropriate variants.
    • Agencies help to avoid queues. It is very important when an urgent treatment is required. In some cases, a treatment can be organized within several days.
    • Patients can choose a practicing physician in a particular hospital.
    • Agency for medical tourism provides a transfer from/to a hospital.
    • Patients receive several treatment programs and choose the best one.
    • Agency stays in touch 24/7 and assists in solving any unforeseen questions.
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    How much do services of health tourism providers cost?

    The cost is one of the primary reasons why patients prefer organizing medical travel by themselves. They mistakenly believe that the treatment with medical tourism agency is expensive.

    For instance, Bookimed medical tourism facilitator does not receive fees for the assistance. The cost of treatment with Bookimed is the same if a patient appeals to a hospital directly.

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    Bookimed services are financed by world clinics. That is why patients pay only for the procedures at a clinic.

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    What type of healthcare do medical tourists obtain?

    A lot of medical tourists go for treatment abroad to receive innovative therapy of cancer. There are a lot of new effective methods for treatment of oncology abroad which shows high recovery rates. Other health tourists go to other countries to do cheap but safe plastic surgery, dentistry; treat orthopedic, neurosurgical, cardiological, gastroenterological and other disorders.

    How can I trust hospitals which medical tourism agency suggests?

    Medical tourism facilitators like Bookimed work only with the internationally accredited medical centers. Certifications guarantee that these medical facilities provide treatment according to the international treatment protocols exclusively. It ensures the quality and use of the best world standards and practices.

    Why do the costs of the same procedure vary in different countries?

    There are two main reasons:

    • it depends on the qualification of a doctor who performs a procedure and the success rate, the level of equipment used for the procedure;
    • the price policy in a certain country may be lower because of the economics level, but the quality of procedures are the same compared with more “expensive” countries (for instance, prices in Germany and Turkey differ, but equipment and success rates are approximately the same).

    Can I speak with former Bookimed clients about the experience of treatment abroad?

    There are a lot of our patients’ reviews on Bookimed website. They are written by our patients so that you can find out about the treatment in different countries and hospitals.

    What if I don’t find the procedure I want undergo on your website?

    You can submit a request on Bookimed website, and our doctor will contact you to clarify whether the procedure is available or not.

    What should I do if something goes wrong abroad?

    Bookimed Doctor-coordinator always stays in touch with you and is ready to assist in solving any issues. Moreover, Bookimed has coordinators in the hospitals and patients can ask them for help as well.

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