AMA acks, provides guidance for medical tourism, health travel trend

June 17, 2008 by Atul.

If you had any doubts about AMA’s acknowledgement, acceptance for this trend, then, you owe it to yourself to read the press release issued by AMA today.

Of particular interest are the 9 guiding principles, meant -but not exclusively - for the patients considering this option.

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.

As some of you already know, PreviMed’s products and business models endorse and embrace these guidelines. For instance, from day 1, PreviMed has preached that dealing with accredited facilities is the way to go.

We plan to present, in the near future,  specific commentary on each of the AMA’s guding principles.

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