Taking Off to Take It Off: Medical Tourism and Bariatic Surgery

As Medical Tourism, the act of leaving one's country to receive health and wellness treatment in another country, gains popularity among Americans seeking alternatives to the expensive and often inaccessible US health care system, international medical providers are aggressively competing for cash-paying patients. Competitive factors delivered primarily via the Internet include better access to medical treatment, high quality of medical care, and low price. This paper creates a replicable model which could be used by prospective medical tourists and others to evaluate the credentials of hospitals offering weight loss surgery. Through literature reviews, Internet research as well as telephone calls and email conducted in English and Spanish, thirteen JCI accredited hospitals in Central and South American countries were evaluated through the eyes of a hypothetical US consumer who is considering bariatric surgery using four criteria: (1) types of bariatric surgical options offered; (2) effectiveness of the hospital web site in delivering relevant information to English-speaking patients; (3) quality of medical services provided; and (4) price. Conclusion: Poor communication, a lack of international standards, and unavailability of key pieces of information are obstacles for 11 of the 13 hospitals reviewed to attract English speaking patients for bariatric surgery.