Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• What are medical travel, medical tourism and health tourism?
• Am I a good candidate for medical travel?
• Why are the costs for many procedures significantly less than in the United States?
• What countries and hospitals does HealthGlobe work with?
• How does HealthGlobe choose medical providers?
• What are the benefits of using HealthGlobe?
• How will I pay for my procedure?
• What is the cost savings I can get by using medical travel?
• Why do patients consider medical tourism?
• What is a medical travel facilitator?
• I want to take control of my Healthcare. Can you help me?
• My company self-insures. Can you help us add a Medical Travel Benefit to our plan?
• Assuming we hire HealthGlobe as our Medical Travel Benefits Provider, will you help us educate our employees on the benefits of traveling for medical treatments?

Q: What are medical travel, medical tourism and health tourism?

Medical travel is the practice of traveling away from your home, generally across international boundaries, to obtain medical care. Medical tourism is when the more functional practice of medical travel is extended or enhanced with tourist activities during your stay in the host country. This is often done by patients wishing to see and learn more about their host country and to enhance their travel experience. Health tourism is the practice of traveling for improved wellness as opposed to traveling to address a specific medical need.

HealthGlobe works with a global network of health care providers to assist our clients with all aspects of medical travel, medical tourism and health tourism. Contact us for more information or send an email to info@myhealthglobe.com and a member of our staff will get back to you as soon as possible.

Q: Am I a good candidate for medical travel?

Good candidates for medical travel usually fall into one of three categories. If you are looking for more affordable alternatives for a surgical procedure, are seeking treatment for an existing condition that is new or not approved in your home country, or if you are planning to travel and would like to have a dental or cosmetic procedure done while you are away, you are a good candidate for medical travel.

HealthGlobe can educate you about your options and help you to make any and all necessary arrangements for your medical travel at any of our network hospitals around the world. From getting initial price quotes to arranging every detail of your trip, our professionally-trained Case Managers are prepared to assist you. Please contact us, call 800-290-0197 or email us at info@myhealthglobe.com and one of our staff will be available to assist you.

Q: Why are the costs for many procedures significantly less than in the United States?

There are many factors that go into answering this question and there are several different answers that may all be true within their own set of circumstances. Each country, hospital, specialty practice, etc. that we work with has their own set of economics to work within. As with all pricing, if costs are lower, services can be offered at a lower price. In some cases these costs are tied to salaries, in some they are tied to costs of insurance and in still others they are tied to government sponsorship and incentives. In most it is a combination of several factors that allows the procedures to be delivered with the highest of standards at a competitive price. HealthGlobe does NOT refer patients to providers who offer lower rates due to 'cutting corners' on quality.

Q: What countries and hospitals does HealthGlobe work with?

HealthGlobe currently has working relationships with providers in several countries including the USA, Mexico, Korea, Costa Rica, Spain, Turkey, India, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. Our provider network is continually changing as we evaluate new facilities and build working relationships with top-quality hospitals and clinics across the globe. If you would like to work with HealthGlobe using a provider not on our list, please contact us or email info@myhealthglobe.com and we will work with you to do so.

Q: How does HealthGlobe choose medical providers?

The HealthGlobe management team is passionate about quality. Providers to whom we refer have a history of delivering quality service in a risk managed environment. All providers have attained a recognized quality accreditation, with as many as possible receiving the 'gold standard' of Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation. The JCI is an arm of the same institution that accredits facilities in the United States. HealthGlobe personally visits our affiliated providers on a regular basis to further ensure high quality standards.

Q: What are the benefits of using HealthGlobe?

HealthGlobe is a full-service medical travel facilitator (also called a medical tourism facilitator or a health tourism facilitator). Healthcare in the U.S. is among the most expensive in the world. We connect our clients with established, reputable medical facilities in other countries, providing access to high quality medical care at more affordable costs. We do this by establishing relationships with only the highest-quality physicians, specialists and facilities around the world, and then working with individuals, the companies they work for, or their insurers to facilitate the entire medical travel and medical tourism process from referral through post-operative care.

The value that HealthGlobe adds is pinpointing where to find the right, highest quality medical care. We are passionate about quality. There are far more low-quality than high-quality hospitals around the world -- we personally investigate facilities and physicians to identify only those who offer the best in quality and separate them from the rest.

Our patients consistently report exceptional medical travel experiences using our network of top-quality hospitals. See what they have to say on our medical tourism testimonials and medical travel testimonials page.

Q: How will I pay for my procedure?

Your HealthGlobe Patient Advocate will help you to organize for the payment of your procedure. All costs will be outlined in detail prior to your decision to work with HealthGlobe. If you have insurance, either privately or through the company you work for, that has contracted with HealthGlobe, we will help you to understand what is covered and how your package can be paid for. If you are paying on your own we will work with you to arrange payment during the appropriate time frame. Your HealthGlobe Patient Advocate will aid you in streamlining and simplifying this process to meet your needs.

To learn more about pricing for your specific case call us at 800-290-0197, email us at info@myhealthglobe.com or use our online contact form.

Q: What is the cost savings I can get by using medical travel?

HealthGlobe can usually save patients between 50% and 90% on their medical bill if they are coming from the United States. Often the patient will choose to have a close friend or family member accompany them on their trip. In nearly every case, the higher the cost of the medical procedure that the patient needs, the greater the savings will be. To learn more about your specific case, call us at 800-290-0197, email us at info@myhealthglobe.com or use our online contact form.

Q: Why do patients consider medical tourism?

Everyone who chooses to travel for medical care has their own personal reasons for doing so. Most often the cost of the procedure is the largest factor. However, it is also common for patients to use medical tourism because the most qualified surgeon for their desired procedure practices in another country, or because the patient wishes to enjoy their recovery in a resort setting while maintaining anonymity. Your HealthGlobe Patient Advocate can help you to learn about the full spectrum of options available to you and will work with you to make all of the necessary arrangements for a successful medical travel experience.

To learn more about your specific case, call us at 800-290-0197, email us at info@myhealthglobe.com or use our online contact form.

Q: What is a medical travel facilitator?

A medical travel facilitator (sometimes called a medical tourism facilitator or a health tourism facilitator) is a company that assists patients in obtaining health care away from their home, generally in another country.

As your facilitator, HealthGlobe will educate you about your options for medical travel including locations, hospital credentials, and available doctors. Once you have selected your hospital and doctor, your HealthGlobe Patient Advocate will be with you every step of the way from travel arrangements to concierge services in the host country and will continue to assist you throughout the recovery process.

To learn more about your specific case, call us at 800-290-0197, email us at info@myhealthglobe.com or use our online contact form.

Q: I want to take control of my Healthcare. Can you help me?

Some countries have significantly higher than average success rates in treating certain forms of cancer. Other countries are best able to use environment, extended monitoring and access to advanced therapies to produce the outcome our clients desire. Our trained Patient Advocates focus on your needs and support you as you evaluate the availability of treatments that can improve your quality of life.

Q: My company self-insures. Can you help us add a Medical Travel Benefit to our plan?

HealthGlobe has a growing number of relationships with corporate customers looking to pursue medical travel in an effort to lower costs and increase profitability. We have also established relationships with health plan managers, many of whom are now proposing HealthGlobe as the medical travel benefit provider they specify in their contracts.

Q: Assuming we hire HealthGlobe as our Medical Travel Benefits Provider, will you help us educate our employees on the benefits of traveling for medical treatments?

At HealthGlobe, we believe that an education program is critical to getting a corporate medical travel program off to a successful start. Employees are often skeptical when they learn that they can travel for medical procedures and that their employer may prefer for them to use their medical travel benefits for expensive procedures. We use a combination of in-person training, web and printed materials to outline the benefits and answer any medical travel questions in an easy-to-understand manner.