Medical tourism biz opens in Toronto Star Hospitals.net targets North American market
By Paul Imbesi TORONTO – Star Hospitals.net, a medical tourism company that arranges the hospitals, doctors, airlines and hotels for people looking for surgeries overseas, recently opened an office in Toronto. Since 1996, Star Hospitals.net operated in Dubai, United Arab Emirates under a different name. According to vice president Kumar Jagadeesan, the company was restructured and given the name Star Hospitals.net over the past six months when operations were set up in Toronto. He added that Star’s marketing office is located in Toronto, but the company’s call centers and operations are in Chennai, India. Jagadeesan, who is originally from Chennai, said there is a great opportunity for a company providing medical tourism services in North America. Between the long waits with the Canadian health-care system and Americans who cannot afford proper health care, Jagadeesan said there is a bigger market for Star Hospitals.net in North America for medical tourism than in the Middle East. According to Jagadeesan, Star Hospitals.net’s business model works like this: when potential customers call Star Hospitals.net to inquire about setting up an overseas surgery, the call is directed to the company’s call centers in Chennai, where one of the company’s medical professionals does an initial screening composed of sensitive questions. The medical professional hands it over to a doctor on Star Hospital.net’s staff, who goes through initial screenings, study cases and calls back potential customers. Star Hospital.net’s doctors go through medical reports of potential customers’ present conditions. Jagadeesan said his company’s doctors will discuss what was already discussed between people and their doctors, and asks patients to send medical reports, including the most current reports - electronically or by fax. He said the doctors request this information to ask appropriate questions. Once medical reports come in, Star Hospital.net’s doctors create a list of doctors who could perform the appropriate surgery. The doctors are selected from Star Hospital.net’s panel of hospitals in India, Singapore and Thailand. Star Hospital.net’s doctors work in the company’s call centers and evaluate customers’ first screenings but do not perform surgeries. The company works with 13 accredited hospitals in Thailand, Singapore and India. In India, Star Hospitals.net works with Apollo Hospitals, the Asian Heart Institute and Research Centre, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Ltd. Through these hospitals and their doctors, Star Hospitals.net can set up different types of surgeries, such as cardiology, neurosurgery, orthopedic, cosmetic and child health care, according to the company. Star Hospitals.net’s doctors come up with a list of about four doctors who can perform the required surgery. They also find out how much procedures cost, how long patients will stay overseas, treatments patients receive in the hospitals and where patients stay after surgeries. Star Hospitals.net sends its customers the cost differentiation in quotes so customers can decide which hospital and doctor they want for their surgery. Jagadeesan said Star Hospital.net also arranges a teleconference between the doctor who will perform the surgery and the patient to help develop a comfort level between the two. He added the doctors from Star Hospital.net’s panel can talk to patients’ family physicians. “If the patient wants to involve the family doctor, we’re more than happy,” he said. According to Jagadeesan, Star Hospitals.net does not have any exclusivity agreements with any of its hospitals because the company is committed more to customers than to doctors and hospitals. “Our commitment is to make sure that the patient gets the best doctors at any given time,” he said. Star Hospitals.net takes call of all the arrangements, including surgery, travel and hotel accommodations. In addition, the company also has a companion program, which encourages patients to travel with another. The companion program offers packages like Yoga and Ayurveda, as well as Pilates. Star Hospitals.net follows up with patients for three months following surgeries. For a medical tourist wondering about the price tag, Jagadeesan said a trip for a person looking to have knee surgery, for example, can cost about $10,000 for the surgery, $2,000 for an airline ticket, and $1,000 to $2,000 for other arrangements. For consumers looking into medical tourism, Karen Timmons, the president and chief executive officer of Joint Commission International in Oak Brook, Ill., said it is necessary to do research ahead of time. The Joint Commission International improves safety and quality health care throughout the world by providing education and consultation services and international accreditation. It is part of the Joint Commission, the largest accreditor of health-care organizations in the United States. She said people looking into medical tourism must take into consideration issues like translations, because communication is one of the major causes of error. She also said medical tourists should also notify their primary care physicians, bring their medical records when they travel abroad (and bring back their records from the trip), and also bring a companion with them who can serve as an advocate. In addition, she said medical tourists should not substitute quality, and should do their homework on the hospitals, such as researching it’s infection control and safety records. She added that medical tourists should also make sure all medical records of operating surgeons are available, and make sure doctors are accredited and licensed. http://www.indusbusinessjournal.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=C3976D82220B4AC9A7C76A96AF8B4529
