Deciding where to go for overseas treatment can be a challenging task for people trying medical tourism for the first time. They usually seek the help of medical intermediaries who work with foreign hospitals, clinics, doctors, hotels, airlines and rehabilitation facilities, among others, to ensure safe and smooth medical tourism.
Here we tell you how to choose a medical tourism intermediary .
Types of Medical Tourism Intermediaries
Medical intermediaries mainly include the following three types:
1. Medical Tourism Planners: they represent travelers to find suitable medical service providers overseas.
2. Travel agencies: they provide travelers with medical travel plans based on their experience in organizing trips.
3. medical service provider consortiums: foreign medical service providers have partnerships with international and U.S. medical institutions dedicated to providing services to medical travelers.
Advantages of using medical travel intermediaries
Medical intermediaries provide guide services for medical travelers, which is more convenient than finding medical service providers on their own. The advantages brought by the services of these intermediaries are as follows:
1. Overall: Medical intermediaries are experienced in solving medical travelers' safety, insurance and accommodation problems.
2. Familiarity with medical facilities: Medical intermediaries are familiar with the medical facilities and providers they work with, including accreditations and types of facilities, and ensure that the doctors performing medical procedures are appropriately qualified and certified.
3. Logistics: Medical intermediaries can assist in handling the relevant documentation, permits and other travel arrangements required for medical tourism, including hotels, transportation, accommodation, etc., and can provide after-care facilities.
4. Packages: Medical intermediaries offer a full range of medical tourism packages at a lower price than if travelers were to obtain the services themselves.
5. Financial support: Medical intermediaries will help medical travelers to obtain funds for medical tourism.
Disadvantages of working with medical tourism intermediaries
Using the services of a medical intermediary may be the easiest way of overseas medical tourism, but there are certain disadvantages such as:
1. Limited choice of medical services: medical intermediaries usually work with medical service providers in only a few destination countries.
2. Inconsistency with needs: The healthcare providers offered by medical intermediaries may not suit your needs and provide a single type of service.
3. Intermediary fees: Medical tourism packages offered by medical intermediaries may be priced higher than those purchased directly from the provider. This is because the medical intermediary organization charges an intermediary fee.
Travelers' Choices
There are many medical intermediaries and travel agencies that provide services to medical travelers, some of which are located in the United States or Europe, and others in destination countries.
For travelers interested in medical tourism, the pros and cons of using the services of a travel agency should be considered.