Dive Brief:
- A new study suggests that commonly-held beliefs about medical tourism may be bogus, based largely on promotions by those already with a financial stake in the business.
- Three common misconceptions about medical tourism include that the medical tourism business is constantly growing; that there are "enormous global market opportunities" associated with medical tourism; and that governments can stimulate the sector by spending on technology, researchers said.
- Most medical tourism is linked to historical relationships between the countries of origin and destination, not marketing by medical tourism providers.
Dive Insight:
This study should give pause to those who see medical tourism as a force which will impact the U.S. healthcare system. Sure, U.S. patients may be able to find much lower prices on some procedures in foreign countries, but too few patients are willing to uproot themselves and work with providers they don't know to force down U.S. prices. Certainly, medical tourism has a place in the array of options available to patients, but in most patients' minds, it's no substitute for local care.