Well, I am just back from the Consumer Health World Congress / Healthcare Globalization Summit presented by Transmarx in Las Vegas, NV where I, MedNetBrazil, was very proud to be asked to present A 360° Case Study of the Patient Experience from Start to Return.
It was very well received and, I was told, “thought-provoking,” as the presentation addressed many important issues that are key to the whole “Patient Experience” that are largely being ignored as both consumers and big business first look at the lower costs of treatment or surgery abroad.
While MedNetBrazil, Prime and BestMedJourneys all stressed the importance of being guided by a Medical Tourism Service of some kind and choosing the right one, the true message was irrelevant of whether you are going for heart bypass, hip replacement, or cosmetic or elective surgery but dealt with the need for post op transitional care and actual in-country Concierge support in the interim time of being discharged from the hospital and being ready and cleared for your return home after recovery in the country. Ironically, it is in this “interim time” that infection and complication rates, as well as “horror stories” take life, yet up until now, even in countries that are well-established medical tourism destinations already, cohesive, consistent aftercare and medical support are sorely lacking. It is however, one of the first things I realized was of absolute importance as I myself, recovered in Brazil after my reconstructive surgeries. This is just one facet of the many faceted sides to the medical tourism experience that was my vision to provide. I hope to share it with the rest of Latin America and my fellow peers..
The Conference was timely, since the long awaited McKinsey Report on Medical tourism was also released at this event, and for those of you that get to the newsstands…. US News and World Report is all about Medical Tourism this week!
It was great to finally put a face on many of the countless emails and phone calls of the inspiring and dedicated people (“MT junkies” like myself, LOL!) that I have been in contact with these last two years. I also did a lot of networking and meeting new people and gained exposure to new opportunities. It was great to hear the trends coming in this industry that many of us in it since the beginning, 4+ years ago or more, already intuitively felt and have been preparing for. The validation was exciting! That being said, as MedNetBrazil was a pioneer six years ago, we are prepared and committed to pioneering once again and will be evolving our services as well as “business model” to continue to provide advocacy, transparency and value to the Medical Tourist’s experience.
I missed this event in Washington, DC in December last year and almost was not able to attend this one… both for medical reasons. For about one year now, I have been having severe issues with edema (to the tune of 10+ kilos!) that, ironically, a Brazilian Cardiologist diagnosed as being due to protein deficiency, mostly likely related to my gastric bypass procedure and its inherent malabsorption issues.
Upon my last return to the USA and starting to see a doctor here, I could not get her to “agree” to the Brazilian Cardiologist’s diagnosis and begin the recommended treatment as she wanted to make her own diagnosis… sigh… so this has delayed and frustrated my recovery somewhat. Not surprising though since a big topic at this weekend’s event was the lack of continuum of care once returning to the USA. Interesting how I am truly entwined in the medical tourist experience to this day, six years after my first experience. However, it obviously serves a purpose and keeps me in tune and sensitive to the ongoing and ever-present need for the advocacy of the patients, whom we in the Medical Concierge business serve and I still refer to as my peers.
Stay tuned… Change is good….
Blessings and Boa Saude (Good Health),
Christina deMoraes, BA, CMC
President and Founder
MedNetBrazil Concierge Services, Inc.
Medical Concierge Brasil, SA
Tags: aftercare, best hospitals, Brazil, complications, concierge, Consumer Health World, continuum of care, franchise, home health care, mckinsey report, medical concierge, medical tourism, medical travel, nursing, plastic surgery
