Bargain hunting for a new television or negotiating a better deal on a car is being a smart consumer. But what about shopping around for the best price on a major, life-altering surgery?

For those who are comfortable with the idea of medical tourism, the savings are enticing. The average cost of heart bypass surgery in the United States, for example, is $70,000. In India, the same surgery costs only $7,000—a whopping 90 percent less. For the 47 million uninsured people in the United States, these prices matter.

Josef Woodman, author of Patients Beyond Borders, has toured more than 140 medical facilities in 22 countries. He estimates that 240,000 Americans traveled for medical procedures in 2009, and the numbers are growing.

While the idea of going under the knife in a foreign country sounds daunting (if not dangerous), the Joint Commission International has given its approval to 240 hospitals around the world. The Joint Commission is the largest and most respected accreditation agency in the United States, Woodman says. To be approved, an international healthcare provider must meet the same rigorous standards as a hospital in the United States.

The most common treatments U.S. patients travel for are dental procedures, Woodman says. While a cleaning or simple procedure is probably not worth travel costs, the savings become significant for patients who need multiple teeth fixed or full mouth restorations.

Average dental implant procedure:
United States: $2,200
Mexico: $1,500
Cost Rica: $725

Cosmetic Surgery
Popular destinations: Thailand, Panama, Korea, Mexico, Costa Rica