By Molly Bernhart,  Employee Benefit Adviser Magazine

Morgan Armstrong had heard a lot of casual talk about medical tourism; however, discussion on the subject had been growing louder over the past six months. So, the president of Plan Benefit Services, a Columbia, South Carolina-based employee benefit advisory firm hosted a meeting with his clients where he shared what he knew on the subject and asked the employers what they thought.

Armstrong’s clients were intrigued by the opportunity for significant cost savings. “[But] the same types of questions kept coming up and it was really a perception issue, in terms of quality of care,” he says. “At that point I determined that we needed to make a trip.” Read the rest of this entry »

By Sherry L. Branch, GPS-Magazine.com

August 21, 2008 – David Boucher, President of the American medical travel company, Companion Global HealthCare, announced today that India has been added as a new destination in their medical and surgical care network of providers. Medical tourism is on the rise as healthcare costs mount and coverage depletes. International travel for medical care can be accomplished for a fraction of what it would cost stateside.

Companion Global HealthCare assists self-insured employers and their employees find accessible international options for cost-effective healthcare. Boucher states, “A self-insured company can save tens of thousands of dollars if just one of its employees elects to have surgery at a fully credentialed Companion Global Healthcare network facility, and the employee can save thousands in out-of-pocket costs.”

Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai and Bangalore are the first two state of the art facilities in India to pass the strict credential checkpoints of Companion Global Healthcare. Both have been accepted and added to the list of international hospitals that are part of Companion Global HealthCare’s growing network. Each hospital on the list has passed the prestigious JCI accreditation and the Wockhardt Hospitals are affiliated with Harvard Medical International as well.

Wockhardt Hospital-Mumbai

Some of the procedures available at the Wockhardt Hospitals are: hip replacements, hysterectomies, cardiac and spinal surgeries and cervical spine procedures. Both hospitals are equipped with the finest surgeons, nursing care and state of the art technology.

Private rooms are available and contain computers with high speed Internet, televisions and DVD players. International patients can now comfortably add India to the list of options when seeking healthcare abroad

By Sherry L. Branch, GPS-Magazine.com

Human nature seldom deviates so the passing of time has done nothing to diminish the quest for eternal youth and healing.  Historically, journeys for this elusive beacon of hope have taken travelers around the world in search of soothing waters to heal what ails them. There has been no mountain too high or sea too wide when there is hope for the tempering of aches and pains. And if it is water you seek, Edipsos, a small town on the northwest coast of the Greek Island of Evia, offers exactly what is needed for the reclamation and renewal of mind and body.

While most travelers from other countries may not be familiar with the therapeutic properties of the spas that abound there, the small coastal town of Edipsos has held the attention of aristocratic society for centuries. So popular for it’s aesthetic and cosmopolitan atmosphere it warranted mention from Aristotle in his Meteorological and during the Roman era, Marcus Aurilius and other Roman dignitaries bathed in the healing waters of the spas.

Edipsos, Evia, Greece

The “healing waters’ refers to the more than 80 mineral springs that dot the Edipsos landscape. They can be quite hot with temperatures ranging from 28 - 86 degrees centigrade. There are few places that offer the phenomenon of hot water gushing from the seabed and it seems that nature has graced this little town with, what some would claim, is the ability to heal everything from rheumatoid arthritis to impotency. Because of this natural property to heal and the world’s obvious advancements in holistic research and therapy, the Greek National Tourism Organization has built a state of the art hydrotherapy facility.

This brand new facility offers 84 individual baths for hydromassage as well as an indoor pool for kinisiotherapy. Special baths and showers have been installed for limb therapy and the treatment of slipped disc and cervical spine syndrome. An outdoor pool offers the chance to swim in mineral as well as seawater and the staff consists of doctors, nurses and physical therapists to cater to all medical and therapeutic concerns. So if bathing in the hot waters of the sea is a little too natural for the traveler, this facility offers a comfortable diversion.

Whether the traveler is content to manage the submersion into this Greek wonderland or prefers to give the task to others, touring this historical and charming hamlet is mandatory.  There are many beach towns close by and quaint mountain villages to explore. But, the traveler may be just as content to partake in the abundant food establishments while at the same time watching the fishing boats return. The sunsets are extraordinary and lend to the overall aesthetic value of this natural healing destination.

Perhaps the greatest benefit for selecting Edipsos as a healing destination is the cost. The traveler is able to experience Natural Healing Therapy and the advances in Thermal Springs Therapy for just a fraction of what it would cost in the USA and Europe. Throw in the beaches and mountains of Greece and there is no comparison to the overall therapeutic and aesthetic benefits of this remote island town.

Place to stay: Thermae Sylla Spa and Grand Hotel

http://www.thermaesylla.gr/en/index.html

How to get there:

• 110 kilometers by car from Chalkida.
• By ferryboat from Arkitsa (150 km from the national road between Athens and Lamia).
• By ferryboat from Glyfa (for those that come from the north, or from central Greece).

Visas and inoculations are probably not necessary unless you fall on the short list of countries that require them.

When to travel: Summer months, April - September, are when the islands are most congested with tourists. Despite what may be rumored, the winter months are not as cold as imagined and most of the tourists have gone home. Airfares, hotel stays and car rentals are cheaper as well from October - March.  The best advice is to contact a travel agent familiar with Greek Island travel to make all of the necessary arrangements.