This report lists the Medical Tourism Association’s guidelines for those considering travel abroad for medical treatment.

They are:

• Medical care outside the US should be voluntary.
• Financial incentives to go outside the US for care should not inappropriately limit diagnostic and theraputic alternatives, or restrict treatment referral options.
• Financial incentives should be used only for care at institutions accredited by recognized international accrediting bodies
• Local follow-up care should be coordinated and financing arranged to ensure continuity of care.
• Coverage for travel outside the US for care must include the costs of follow-up care upon return.
• Patients should be informed of rights and legal recourse before traveling outside the US for care.
• Patients should have access to physician licensing and outcomes data, as well as facility accreditation and outcomes data.
• Transfer of patients’ medical records should be consistant with HIPAA guidelines.
• Patients should be provided with information about the potential risks of combining surgical procedures with long flights and vacation activities.

If your medical facilitator ensures that standards on each of these points is high, then you have chosen a good facilitator. But there is much more to this equation.

Read more: