This is a pet topic of mine, since I wrote a book about the subject.
So this news isn't unexpected to me, but I suspect it's an eye-opener to anyone for whom healthcare costs are an issue, meaning everyone. The AMA today released guidelines for traveling out of the country for healthcare.
"We need to address the cost of care in the U.S. and cover the uninsured so that every American who needs health care can get it right here at home," said AMA Board Member J. James Rohack, M.D. "Until there is significant action at home, patients with limited resources may turn elsewhere for care. It is important that U.S. patients have access to credible information and resources so that the care they receive abroad is safe and effective." (emphasis mine)
Guidelines on the flip ...
The nine principles given by the AMA are:
(a) Medical care outside of the U.S. must be voluntary.
(b) Financial incentives to travel outside the U.S. for medical care should not inappropriately limit the diagnostic and therapeutic alternatives that are offered to patients, or restrict treatment or referral options.
(c) Patients should only be referred for medical care to institutions that have been accredited by recognized international accrediting bodies (e.g., the Joint Commission International or the International Society for Quality in Health Care).
(d) Prior to travel, local follow-up care should be coordinated and financing should be arranged to ensure continuity of care when patients return from medical care outside the US.
(e) Coverage for travel outside the U.S. for medical care must include the costs of necessary follow-up care upon return to the U.S.
(f) Patients should be informed of their rights and legal recourse prior to agreeing to travel outside the U.S. for medical care.
(g) Access to physician licensing and outcome data, as well as facility accreditation and outcomes data, should be arranged for patients seeking medical care outside the U.S.
(h) The transfer of patient medical records to and from facilities outside the U.S. should be consistent with HIPAA guidelines.
(i) Patients choosing to travel outside the U.S. for medical care should be provided with information about the potential risks of combining surgical procedures with long flights and vacation activities.
See The Bridge for additional medical tourism news and commentary.