Eyeworld

about medical tourism are commu- nication issues that could arise due to language barriers, counterfeit or poor quality medications, antibiotic resistance, and blood clots associated with flying. U.S. physicians with patients seeking medical procedures elsewhere should encourage patients to do their homework not only on the proce- dure but on the doctors' and clinic's credentials and patient references or reviews, Mr. Woodman said. OB References 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medical Tourism. www.cdc.gov/features/medi- caltourism. Accessed August 30, 2017. 2. Chambers A. Trends in U.S. Health Travel Services Trade. USITC Executive Briefing on Trade. August 2015. www.usitc.gov/publi- cations/332/executive_briefings/chambers_ health-related_travel_final.pdf. 3. Sheng E. China's largest eye doctor chain is looking to expand to the U.S. Forbes. July 9, 2017. Accessed August 31, 2017. 4. VISA. Mapping the Future of Global Travel and Tourism. usa.visa.com/dam/VCOM/global/ partner-with-us/documents/global-travel-and- tourism-insights-by-visa.pdf. Accessed August 30, 2017. 5. American Medical Association. Proceedings of the American Medical Association House of Delegates. 15th Annual Meeting. June 14–17, 2008. Editors' note: Mr. Woodman, Dr. Chayet, Mr. Chayet, and Dr. Wang have financial interests with their respective institutions. Dr. Mendelsohn has no financial interests related to his comments. Contact information Arturo Chayet: daniel.chayet@codetvision.com Daniel Chayet: daniel.chayet@codetvision.com Mendelsohn: karensuedennis@gmail.com Wang: drwang@wangvisioninstitute.com Woodman: jwoodman@patientsbeyondborders.com home countries," Dr. Mendelsohn said. "Less commonly but occasion- ally, Canadians opt to pay out of pocket for the surgery because of long waiting lists or quality concerns. Canadians tend to have their surger- ies in the winter months, escaping the brutal weather and enjoying the Florida sun and activities with their families for a prolonged vacation." Counseling a patient on medical tourism U.S. patients are generally squeamish about going outside the country for medical care if they don't have to, Mr. Woodman said, which is in part due to the positive reputation of the U.S. healthcare system. He said, how- ever, there are many hospitals around the world with equal or better success rates. Dr. Wang expressed a similar sentiment, saying that while the U.S. still has "the best quality of health- care in the world," he thinks people are starting to realize that other countries have improved quality of care. Though Dr. Wang said he has not had a large number of American patients approach him about going elsewhere for ophthalmic procedures, some are informed of procedures or devices not yet available in the U.S. and might be willing to leave the country to pursue them. For a patient who is insistent on going outside his or her home country for a procedure, the Amer- ican Medical Association released guidelines on medical tourism. These include that patients be referred to institutions accredited by interna- tional accrediting bodies, that coordi- nation and financing be established before traveling to ensure postop care upon return to the U.S., and that patients be educated about the risks associated with traveling for medical procedures, as well as various other recommendations. 5 Among the general risks men- tioned by the CDC on its webpage country but told Ophthalmology Busi- ness it is also working on establishing a system that will bring people from China for ophthalmic procedures they can't otherwise receive in their home country. 3 Surgeries offered in the U.S. but not yet in China, Dr. Wang said, include some of the presbyopia-cor- recting procedures, like intracorneal inlays. Patients would be managed by Aier physicians at local clinics in China, but they would come to the U.S. to receive the procedure. "When you have patients trav- eling in either direction, you've got to have a well-established system to ensure quality of care," Dr. Wang said. "We think our Aier platform will ensure quality of care for medical tourism." Dr. Wang said Chinese citizens have a keen interest in traveling to the U.S. for general tourism and they are also now more likely to have U.S. buying power. A report from the credit card company VISA projected that China would be the top spender in global tourism by 2025. 4 This same report stated that "medical tourism is primed for accelerated growth," in general, "as more of these older travelers seek new treatments, as well as lower-cost, higher-quality care not available in their home country." Alan Mendelsohn, MD, Eye Sur- geons and Consultants, Hollywood, Florida, said medical tourism for plas- tic surgery, including oculoplastics, is a "booming industry" in South Florida. Though he doesn't perform oculoplastic procedures, he has had a small volume of medical tourists, most commonly from Central and South America, come to the U.S. for other ophthalmic procedures. "They are usually referred by a friend or relative who had the surgery performed by me, and they come to the U.S. to have femtosec- ond laser cataract surgery because it is not available or more commonly, if the surgical outcomes and visual results tend to be suboptimal in their 14 Ophthalmology Business • December 2017 continued from page 13

• Blank Page
• Blank Page (1)