FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CORPORATE MEDICAL TOURIM PLANS 

What is meant by medical tourism?
Medical tourism is the process of traveling abroad to receive superior medical, dental and cosmetic care by highly skilled surgeons at some of the most modern and state-of-the-art medical facilities in the world...all at a fraction of the price in the USA, UK and Canada.

Why should my business be interested in medical tourism?
Medical tourism and dental tourism are of special benefit to businesses as they can save thousands of dollars on each case if their employees/policyholders choose to have their treatment done overseas. Cost of surgical care at Healthbase's partner hospitals costs a fraction (typically 60% to 80% off) of what it does in the US with equal or superior outcomes. You should be interested in medical tourism because of:
•  Incredible savings for both the business and the beneficiary
•  Top quality of health care
•  Zero waiting period
•  Access to procedures unavailable at home
•  Specialty treatments not covered by insurance
•  Opportunity to travel internationally for the beneficiary

How does care provided overseas compare with what is available in the US?
At Healthbase, providing top quality healthcare to our customers is our No. 1 commitment. When it comes to health care, quality takes precedence over everything else. We would like to assure you that the quality of care provided at our partner hospitals and dental offices is comparable and in many cases superior to what is available in the US, Canada, UK and other Western countries. To ensure that our clients get the best service possible, we work mainly with facilities that have international accreditations like JCI, JCAHO, ISO, etc. Our partners have state-of-the-art facilities, employ the latest equipments and technologies, have US/UK educated or trained medical staff, and provide round-the-clock professional care that's unheard of in most developed nations.

What is the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Plan?
The Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Plan allows you to offer overseas medical care as an option to your beneficiaries (employees, policyholders, and so on). Employers, especially self-insured businesses, may put medical tourism as a new expanded healthcare benefit to the existing benefits package. Health insurers may provide medical tourism and dental tourism as an optional service offering along with the regular service offerings whereby policyholders are given the option to receive non-emergency treatments overseas and any urgent care locally. The Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Plan also has benefits for third party administrators, brokers, agents and others.

Who all are eligible to participate in the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism program?
Parties eligible to enroll in the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism program include but are not limited to:
•  Self-insured businesses
•  Small and medium-size companies
•  Corporations, employers and institutions
•  Self-employed
•  Health insurance companies
•  Third party administrators (TPAs)
•  State and Federal agencies / governments
•  Brokers
•  Agents
•  Others

How much can my company save if our employees/policyholders elect to have their treatment abroad?
The amount of money saved per case will depend on the following factors:
•  Procedure sought
•  Destination chosen
•  Hospital selected
•  Amount of time spent overseas including recuperation time
•  The specific policy in use (allowance for companion to travel, travel cost reimbursement, etc.)
In general, the amount saved on global travel for medical or dental care may range between 60% and 80% of the cost of care in the United States.

What kinds of treatments are suitable for medical tourism?
Medical tourism is used for non-emergency treatments. So any type of medical, dental or cosmetic care that qualifies for non-emergency treatment and that does not require regular visitation to the healthcare provider is suitable for medical travel. Most medical tourists served by Healthbase choose to have procedures that fall into the categories of orthopedic, spinal, bariatric, cardiac, dental, laparoscopic, cosmetic, etc. Healthbase offers more than 200 procedures suitable for overseas medical care at over 40 healthcare providers worldwide. For more information about your specific needs, please contact us.

Which countries do you provide services to?
Healthbase has a geographically wide network of healthcare providers . We arrange surgical and non-surgical care in Asia, Europe, South America and North America. We have over 40 healthcare and dental care facilities on our provider network that are located in India, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Turkey, Belgium, Hungary, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico, and we are expanding to the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador and Guatemala.

How can I encourage my employees/policyholders to choose medical tourism as an option for their healthcare?
Medical tourism has a lot of benefits for the beneficiaries (employees, policyholders and others) so they should view it positively. Some suggestions to motivate beneficiaries to consider medical tourism as a viable option are:
•  Waiving their co-payment
•  Waiving their deductibles
•  Offering a companion to travel along
•  Reimbursing travel and accommodation costs
•  Allowing the employee to enjoy a paid leave during travel, treatment and recuperation
•  Extending recuperation time abroad
•  Waiving processing fees

What will be the reaction of competitors to this? Will we earn negative publicity by offering medical tourism as a benefit?
A medical tourism offering provides a real point of differentiation from competitors encouraging competitors to follow suit rather than criticize about it. Medical tourism or global medicine is not a new concept. It has been practiced for centuries by people from all across the globe. It is also earning favorable coverage from the media due to the large number of people who are successfully traveling overseas for care. For further information, you may read about media coverage on medical tourism.

What happens in the case of medical malpractice?
At Healthbase we would like to emphasize our commitment to connecting you with world-class healthcare. All our partners have been thoroughly evaluated by us to ensure that they provide the best quality of care to you. Our international partners' reputation and business largely depend upon the standard of service they provide to their international clientele and they take every measure to avoid malpractice issues. For any concerns about medical malpractice and liability, please contact us.

What about follow-up care? How is that handled?
We understand that with overseas treatment, follow-up care could be a concern. Therefore, we strongly recommend that the patient seeking care abroad keep their local doctor or surgeon informed about their decision of traveling internationally for treatment. Healthbase can arrange any communication required between the patient's local and international surgeons in that regard.

How does the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism program work?
When you sign up for the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Plan, we assign designated program managers who work with you to understand your needs and requirements. Based on that we provide you with a customized web portal to allow you to research, compare, specify and plan medical travel trips as per your company's and beneficiaries' requirements. The designated program managers help facilitate communications between you, Healthbase, the providers and all other parties involved. They also help plan and arrange all aspects of medical tourism to meet your specific needs.

As a client enrolled in the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism program, what services will my company and our beneficiaries get?
Following are some of the many services that will be offered to you as a Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Program partner:
•  Customized web portal
•  Comprehensive cost estimates allowing for cost comparison at the individual procedure level. Comprehensive cost estimates include travel, lodging, treatment quotes, and any additional expenses
•  Designated program managers for each employer / insurer to facilitate communications
•  Award-winning* patented software portal (patent pending) that allows you to research and plan everything online from medical treatment to travel and accommodation
•  High level of integration with our partner hospitals allowing for instant cost estimates, automatic inclusion of new procedures, direct access to hospital resources, online correspondence with hospitals, and electronic transfer of medical records
•  Direct access to elite US, UK and internationally trained surgeons at major internationally accredited (like JCI, JCAHO, ISO) hospitals
•  Over 200 medical procedures available in various categories like orthopedic, cosmetic, dental, general, plastic, weight-loss, wellness and more at 60% - 80% discount from typical US costs
•  Facilitation of all logistics – travel package, passport/visa, airport pickup/drop off, secure and selective transfer of medical records to hospitals, etc.
•  Partner hospitals and dental offices present in India, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Turkey, Belgium, Hungary, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico, and expanding to the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia, Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador and Guatemala
•  Thorough evaluation of partner hospitals by Healthbase
•  Tailored travel packages through our travel partners at a substantial discount
•  Support for easy integration of medical tourism service offerings with your existing plan / offerings
•  Online educational materials and procedural information including guidance for the post-procedure/follow-up care process
•  Seamless coordination of medical records

How can I sign up for the Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Plan?
Please go to Healthbase Corporate Medical Tourism Plan to sign up for the program. We shall be in touch with you soon to understand your needs and requirements. Alternatively, you may contact Healthbase directly for the same.

* Note: Healthbase was awarded the "Best Website for Accessing International Medical Information for Patients/Consumers" by Consumer Health World 2007.