Ms Eliane Cheong, CEO, Sime Darby Healthcare, Malaysia - Talks about medical tourism

In this issue we are going to feature our discussion with Ms Elaine Cheong, CEO, Sime Darby Healthcare Group, Malaysia. She talks about Sime Darby, quality of care and support of Malaysia government. She revels that there are more number of digestive related,gynaecological disorder and chemotherapy patients then orthopedic and other widely published trends.

Ms Elaine Cheong, (CEO of Sime Darby Group of Hospitals)

CEO of Sime Darby Healthcare Group, Malaysia. Ms Cheong qualified as an accountant and is a member of the Australia Society of Certified Public Accountants (CPA Australia) and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) respectively. Ms Cheong has been with Sime Darby Healthcare for the past 24 years. During this time, she has spear-headed several cost-containment projects in the hospital and implemented many initiatives leading to enhancement of shareholders' value.

Please tell us about Sime Darby Medical Center.

As Malaysia's multiple award-winning medical centre for quality excellence and also as a JCI-accredited 393-bed tertiary care private hospital, Sime Darby Medical Centre Subang Jaya is reputed for its medical expertise and cutting-edge medical technology. For the last 24 years, we have been at the forefront of the private medical facilities sector in Malaysia, and hopefully by 2015, we would have gained an even stronger foothold in the medical travel industry in Asia.

Why Malaysia is preferred Medical Tourism destination?

Foreign patients are starting to see that Malaysia offers a unique combination of high quality healthcare & Malaysian hospitality. The level of medicine and technology available here is on par with the developed world and this region. At the same time patients can enjoy the Malaysian warmth and hospitality that is attracting millions of tourists to our country every year. We are also politically stable. English is widely spoken here and our melting-pot of cultures cater to a diverse group of people from all over the world. All this comes at very competitive rates, making Malaysia, the value-for-money choice of the region and globally.

What is the major area of treatment used by international traveler at Sime Darby Medical Center? Tell us about some of the unique features of Sime Darby?

From our 2009 statistics, the biggest group of medical travelers came for treatment of digestive-related illnesses; followed closely by those with gynaecological disorders. As we are reputed for cancer care, chemotherapy came in third. The rest of the cases were mainly for orthopaedic surgeries, as well as urological, ENT, neurological, respiratory and heart procedures.

The foreign patient growth in our hospital has uniquely been due to word-of-mouth recommendations or medical referrals. It helps that our doctors are multi-lingual too with many of them being key opinion leaders or peer-acknowledged experts in the country in their respective specialties. Foreign patients who choose to come to us also place great emphasis on our technological advances and capabilities, as that impacts their diagnosis findings and treatment outcomes. And acquiring the latest medical technology is one area we have frequently been ahead of the pack.

As a Medical Travel association we want to bring transparency in quality care data reporting and inform patients about quality of care in hospitals worldwide. What initiatives Sime Darby is taking to improve quality of care and to reduce infection rates?

Our mission is to deliver quality tertiary services and best care to our patients, in an environment that is conducive to innovation and continual improvement. Because a patient's welfare and safety are our priority, we have various processes and plans in place for this. We also use the 7 QC tools and have established a Quality Council to review status of action plans implemented to reduce and / or prevent medical/healthcare errors as well as to improve patient safety, quality and reduce risk. Standard precautions, personal protective equipment such as gowns, gloves, masks, hand hygiene, good isolation practices and participation in the Employee Health Program are used to prevent spread of infection. We have an Infection Control Committee which is chaired by a doctor that is responsible for the prevention and control of infection.

As testimony to the commitment of our initiatives, our hospital has received accreditation under Joint Commission International (JCI), Malaysian Hospital Accreditation Standards (2nd edition), ISO 9001:2000, Occupational Health & Safety OHSAS 18001:2007 and the Environmental Management System ISO 14001:2004. The hospital's main laboratory is also accredited to ISO 15189.

How supportive is Malaysian Government to Medical Travel industry? Can you discuss any initiatives by Malaysian Government to promote Medical Travel industry in Malaysia?

The Malaysian Government is very supportive in growing the medical travel industry sector. Recently announced initiatives by the Government to boost the industry include:-

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  Providing selected private hospitals with 100% tax exemption for qualifying capital expenditure incurred for 5 years for the construction of new hospitals or for expansion/modernization/refurbishment of existing hospitals and setting up of an International Patients Unit;

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  Reviewing existing advertising regulations and guidelines;

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  Double deduction incentive under the Income Tax Act 1967 for expenses incurred to obtain recognized accreditation for quality healthcare;

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  Issuance of permit to hospital vehicles to ferry patients and accompanying persons from and to airport/port and hospital/hotel of stay;

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  Approval to convert "Visa-On-Arrival" status for foreign patients entering Malaysia for medical treatment on emergency, to social visit pass upon recommendation of private hospitals registered under the Ministry of Health for promotion of healthcare travel;

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  Expedite approval of extension of stay for medical tourist at the state level; and

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  Encouraging more Malaysians or non-Malaysian medical specialists to return or come from abroad to serve in Malaysian hospitals, the specialist's non-Malaysian spouse who qualify as a professional as per the Malaysian Classification of Occupation, will automatically be offered an employment/professional pass, subject to registration with the relevant professional bodies where appropriate.

What is the most important factor to promote medical tourism?

To promote medical tourism, it is vital that international insurance plans provide for out-of-country coverage to enable these foreign patients to seek cross-border treatment

Medical Tourism At IWHTA

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Medical Tourism At IWHTA

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IWHTA supports International Medical Tourism & Travel 2010

Edison, USA, February 16, 2010 —International Wellness and Healthcare Travel Association (IWHTA) president Mr. Naresh Jadeja, an expert on medical tourism trends and patient’s perspective is to address at a Singapore Health Ministry supported ‘International Medical Tourism and Travel 2010’ conference.

Experiencing the remarkable growth in Singapore Medical Travel industry, Marcus Evans is organizing a global conference “International Medical Tourism and Travel 2010” to be held on 1 – 2 March 2010, Marriott Hotel, Singapore. The conference will feature every detail necessary to better serve international patient’s pool.

‘International Medical Tourism & Travel 2010’ will experience healthcare industry leaders & experts addressing the important core issues for growth in medical travel industry. Supported by Ministry of Health Singapore, big hospitals institutions, various medical association and medical tourism facilitators the event will focus on

1.                   Technology superiority advantage for medical tourism

2.                   Exposure to new emerging destinations for medical tourism

3.                   Collaborations and strategic partnerships with various parties

IWHTA is a supporting organization as well as the official media partner for this event. Mr. Naresh Jadeja, President of IWHTA will be addressing at the event on revising long term strategies to develop the medical tourism sector in Asia’.

“Asian countries are increasing their market share and finding new markets for medical travel Industry. With proper tools and branding it can truly become leader in this industry”, said Mr. Naresh Jadeja. He added,” networking opportunities like this can expand the opportunities for entire global healthcare travel industry and help the patients.  If someone wants to enter Asian healthcare market then this is the event for them.”

Asian destinations and medical facilities have evolved as key players in the fast growing market for global healthcare service with their post surgery outcomes being at par with USA.

“IWHTA looks forward to strengthen ties and intensify collaborative efforts with other healthcare related organizations to undertake a major industry renovation and ultimately advance the healthcare travel industry. This is the reason IWHTA is supporting this event and we believe that an international organization like ours along with the experienced professional and global presence can assist medical facilities, medical travel facilitators, tourism & healthcare department, employers and healthcare clusters develop an international presence to attract patients and to better serve them,” said Mr. Naresh Jadeja.

International Wellness and Healthcare Travel Association is a USA based international non profit association promoting Medical Travel industry and offering great networking opportunity among industry leaders. IWHTA is promoting independent regional chapters and healthcare clusters and  distributes a newsletter educating its members, subscribers and international patients about affordable yet quality health care treatment available at Accredited/ certified international medical facilities.

Essentials for international hospital by Dan Synder

What is important for international hospital? answers Dan Synder?

Dan and his team have over 100 years experience leading the finest integrated healthcare systems in North American and across Asia, the Middle East and Australia. Serving the premier private and publics health systems, Dan and team are leaders in strategy, planning, integration, mergers and buliding upon the best international practices for clinical, service and operational excellence.

What role does a government support play in the development of countries medical tourism industry?

Government of Malaysia and Singapore is very active in promoting medical tourism industry in their country. For example, Singapore Tourism Board initiated a separate organization to promote Singapore's healthcare industry. Under the name of 'Singapore Medicine' it does few things.

1. It creates close co ordination between government tourism board and private healthcare industry. This Public-Private co ordination brings values to this relationship and improved communication brings faster policy results.

2. 'Singapore Medicine' has become a national brand now. All Singapore hospitals speak under the umbrella of 'Singapore Medicine'. They present themselves under that brand and their presence is widely seen because of the combined efforts.

However it is not simple to create this public private co ordination. It needs vast resources and government support. Administrators in government should be very clear about the outcomes and each individual partner should believe in the core values or the organization. If someone can manage this, then as we have seen through Singapore's example, it is really rewarding.

You were the CEO of parkway group of hospital which has more than 40 field offices throughout the world. What as per you is more important, online presence or field offices?

In order to brand your image and attract international patients there are many factors then only two. You should have outstanding web presence but also should have outstanding healthcare management system, very high quality of surgery equipments, doctors as well as field offices. Without any of these you cannot see a complete growth of your hospital.

You lead Parkway health hospitals to a new height, what is the secret behind it?

Secret of success is parkway health's Strategic priorities. Focusing on these priorities helped us achieve many milestones.

1. People: It was our priority to attract, develop and retain employees. Co ordination of doctors-nurses and

    Para medical staff is very important and we tried to improve communication between them.
2. Quality: We achieved the best documented clinical outcomes. Documented clinical outcomes are very 

    important for the patients. It creates sense of security them.

3. Service: To attain highest levels of service excellence.

4. Finance: To meet and exceed our financial goals and targets.

5. Growth: To grow the system per our strategic plans. We promote our growth by expanding network of hospitals, through international healthcare travel meetings and advertised our best documented clinical outcomes.

What factors are very important to get into international medical tourism market and have a share of it?

A hospital should have a strong online presence and great information available about their equipments, machines, skilled doctors, facilities. Hospital should be a part of an association and should be member of organized marketing efforts. Hospital should be able to show that there is no difference between my hospital and any top of the class hospital when it comes to clinical results and outcomes. A great Doctor - Nurse co ordination is required during and after any medical treatment. Hospital should measure customer satisfaction in terms of clinical outcomes, service, comfort and safety and market these as their advantages.

Is Accreditation important for medical value seekers or international patients? What is your opinion?

Accreditation is very important, not only for international patients but also for local patients. It shows your standard of care, patient safety and proper system to handle data, procedures and surgery results. If hospital wants to get into medical tourism field then Accreditation is must. There is JCI and also some countries' has its own individual programs like Singapore, Malaysia and India has its own national level accreditation program. JCI standard is undoubtedly accepted at international level as it is the only international accreditation program. So whether we like it or not, Accreditation is very important.

For regular updates on medical, healthcare and wellness travel, log on to http://www.iwhta.org/  or Click here

Innovation in Healthcare Tourism

Innovation in Healthcare Tourism

Traveling from your home town to another world class medical facility for treatment is growing and mentioned as Medical Travel/Tourism Industry. Innovative ways are being employed to facilitate patient and match his/her needs. World is becoming flat and people are traveling across the globe for better treatment options. But some companies are employing innovative ways to cater those who don't want to go to another or distant country for medical surgery and still want to benefit from reduced cost, expert doctor and world class facility.

Mobile Surgery International(MSI) stands out in this field of providing treatment to any patient, anywhere in the world with patient's preffered US based surgical team, quality of care, reduced cost through Centers of Excellence with Global Convenience. MSI says, patient come to us, we go to the patient, or patient and surgeon meet at a mutually convenient location, we coordinate all necessary arrangements at a cost agreeable to the patient and/or the payer.

Here are the answers to our HOW?

How it works?When any patient contact MSI for surgery, MSI designs a package based on the patient's choice of destination, doctor and affordability. Patient goes to selected destination, also travels surgical team, they meet at that hospital, perfom surgery and come back. The package is currently offered at Florida, Kansas, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad in USA and Russia, China, Africa, and Middle East in Asia.

How do they cut cost?MSI cites few case examples to show when surgeon is in the decision making, you can really cut the cost.

1. There is waste in American hospitals.
An anesthesiologist may refuse to move a stable patient out of an operating room - because the patient's temperature is 35.8 C. The anesthesiologist fears that payment will be denied by a post hoc insurance review if the patient's temperature is not 36.0 C. The temperature difference is clinically irrelevant. The delay it causes wastes money by making the operating room usage inefficient and necessitating salary for a clinically irrelevant insurance clerk. If anesthesiologist, not the insurance clerk, makes the clinical decisions, it will reduce waste.

2. MSI recently visited a small hospital devoted to heart surgery. It has 60 beds and 3 operating rooms. Among its gizmos are high definition video monitors and a voice-controlled surgical robot. Their robot had been unused because a surgeon who had used it left 5 years ago. Nobody on staff knew how to make it work. Within an hour one of MSI surgeons had the robot working. Within two hours he had identified every gizmo needed for prostate surgery. MSI explains that surgical subject expertise can source prostate surgery capacity in a heart surgery hospital.

Mobile Surgery International

The above described surgeon-driven, mobile surgical model depends upon:
1. Excess operating room capacity that can be rented for little.

2. Knowledge of what is necessary and how to source it.

3. Knowledge of what is not necessary and how not to pay for it.

4. Ability to perform surgery really well

5. Mobility.

These are the packages offered by MSI.

1. Orthopedic Surgery - Total Knee Replacement includes Case Management, Logistical coordination, Operating Room, recovery room, 4 night of stay, nursing care, anesthesia and pain management, surgeon, assistant, surgical team, travel and accommodation, local and remote continuity of care, 10 days inpatient and outpatient physical therapy, FDA approved American implant.

2. Cancer Surgery - Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy includes Case Management, logistical coordination, operating room, recovery room, 1 night of stay, nursing care, anesthesiologist, pathologist, surgeon, assistant, surgical team, travel and accommodation, local and remote continuity of care.

Mobile Surgery International: A surgeon driven mobile service model cannot be all thing to people. However, for patients, facilitator, payer, employers, government, and the industry this model is a partial remedy to the economic and other barriers that keep patient from getting what they want and deserve: treatment choice and quality.

For regular updates on medical, healthcare and wellness travel, log on to http://www.iwhta.org/ or Click here

Costa Rica a successful medical tourism destination

Why Costa Rica is successful bringing international patients?

Dr. Jorge Cortés is CMO in Hospital Clínica Bíblica, the largest and most prestigious private hospital in Costa Rica. Dr. Cortés has focused his work on hospital quality and patient safety, which has translated in Hospital Clínica Bíblica becoming the first organization in Central American to receive an accreditation by the Joint Commission International.

Mr Naresh Jadeja discussed with Dr. Jorge Cortés, Why Costa Rica has successfully evolved as a medical tourism destination?

Mr. Naresh Jadeja : How do you see the opportunities in medical tourism industry? What potentials does it hold? What promising benefits do you foresee in it?

Dr. Cortez : Absolutely remarkable, I think it's a growing industry and to continue with we must clarify some untouched issues particularly the legal aspect. But along with it we must also have this in our mind that the medical services available globally are almost same if not better then developed countries. That is because treatment is related to technology and technology is related to knowledge, which is universal and that means technological advancements are also universal. This leads to expectation of having the same quality outcomes in any place. It means that the matter to be addressed here are cost management and qualitative medical services.

Mr. Naresh : What extra advantage does Costa Rica has over other countries?

Dr Cortez : Well, proximity is obviously the first one, as Costa Rica is geographically the closest medical travel destination to one of the major market of industry that is United States. Secondly Costa Rica has a reputed history about its quality medical services since seventy long years. Costa Rica has very well established social security system, as is the most ancient democracy in Latin America.The country does not posses army and is a peace full place to be.

Mr. Naresh Jadeja : What issues does Costa Rica as a medical travel destination face in attracting more patients?

Dr Cortez : The very first thing to overcome is to let insurers believe that the quality of surgery is same as they experience back home in United States above being low cost. Also, it is hard to achieve confidence of the people. I mean this is a new industry and people are still experiencing this carefully. But I think in the matter of Five to ten years this will be something as normal as domestic travel, I mean take a regional airline or international airline will be the same.

Mr Naresh. Jadeja : IWHTA is raising awareness about one of the major fear for an international traveler - transparency in quality data reporting. What initiatives do you offer right now?

Dr Cortez : The fact here is to have the equivalent results and to be so comfortable with the quality that we can bring those moderators to our hospitals. Along with comes the transparency for which we are recognized as 1 out 132 JCI accredited hospital worldwide and ranked fifth in Latin America by the financial analysis news magazine: American Economics. Clinica Biblica is one of the most prestigious in this region and we have a history of giving best medical services to the population of Costa Rica since 1929.

For regular updates on medical, healthcare and wellness travel, log on to http://www.iwhta.org/ or Click here

Three key factors promoting Medical Tourism

Dato' Mohr revels factors promoting Medical Tourism

Dato' Mohr, Masters in Healthcare Administration from Minnesota Public School. He is a Fellow of American College of Healthcare Executive and has been the CEO & CFO for various hospitals in California, Kansas, Tennessee, & Michigan, USA. Besides developing several medical science companies Dato' Mohr soulely carried the recovery of two bankrupt hospital in 1990's. From 1997 onwards he is CEO for Penang Adventist Hospital in Malaysia and on board of many hospitals in India, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal & Singapore and On July 2005, the Governor of Penang awarded him Dato' Ship for service to Malaysia.

Mr. Naresh Jadeja : What according to you promotes an individual to consider crossing his home country borders for healthcare?

Dato' Mohr : Precisely following three issues can be the deciding factors

Availability : Availability means the surgery is either not at all available at home or the queue is too long to wait for, or even in the absence of queue, the price is so high that it's not affordable for an individual. By either ways the non availability or the in accessibility of healthcare promotes to healthcare tourism.

Quality : Is the other factor. But quality could be defined as a cloud, for everybody approaches it differently. It varies for a person coming from Harvard versus what could be the view of a man from Kansas or Burma or even India for that matter. Well again in India one can experience tremendous variations depending upon the geographical presence. Thus quality is a variable and defining factor for buyer considering surgery abroad.

Price : The third and most mitigating factor is price. People from New York won't fly to Penang Adventist, were I live, for heart surgery although our outcomes are identical to that of United States. Unless we offer them something which is unavailable in New York City at an affordable cost like Stem Cell, which we do a lot and are at an advantage? Secondly its non affordability in New York City which could cost them out of pocket surgery expenses of $ 80,000 could divert them to us where they can get it done for $ 7,000. Hence price is and will remain the mitigating factor for medical travel. Also a very interesting factor is variable quality. For example A heart surgery abroad could mildly differ. Mild variation here means that they have to believe we are as good as New York City where the chances of dyeing on the table are very low, almost nil. Now if the difference is about 10 % versus that of New York City they are probably not coming for surgery. Similarly if we are doing Tummy Tuck and there is little variation one can live with it, as it saves me a lot of money. So these are the possible factors and people end up with availability, then with a crisp cross negotiation between quality and price.

This depicts that a bit varied quality could be considered for better cost, but we don't do so at Penang Adventist. We have to realize that basically we are in a commodity market and we are selling a commodity be it Open Heart Surgery, a face Lift, new knees its all based on all three factors.

For regular updates on medical, healthcare and wellness travel, log on to http://www.iwhta.org/ or Click here