Get an Online Consultation with World's Top Doctors - Why do Americans choose treatment abroad?
- Top medical destinations among Americans
- What diseases do Americans treat abroad?
The material shows medical tourism trends and describes the leading expert-opinion-based specialties in the country. This information relies on the Bookimed statistics, patient reviews, analysis of the health tourism characteristics in 28 countries, data compiled from multiple variable sources: IMTJ, the Ministry of Health, NCBI.
The report aims to specify health care peculiarities for international patients in a particular country, patients' preferences and factors that affect their choice. It is not a call to action — use it for informational purposes only.
Every year, more and more people over the globe prefer treatment abroad. Medical tourism is developing very fast — about by 25% annually according to IMTJ (International Medical Tourism Journal). The tendency is explained by:
- more affordable health care in other countries
- innovative technologies and treatment options unavailable in a native country.
Americans are among those nations which form a significant part of medical tourists. American medical tourism statistics show that 1,500,000 US citizens have crossed the borders to receive treatment abroad for the last year according to Patients Beyond Borders.
Bookimed, the providers of medical tourism services, arranged the treatment worldwide for record number of Americans in 2018. So, we determined American patients’ preferences and trends conforming to requests on bookimed.com. In keeping with the collected statistics, Bookimed managers describe the most popular countries for treatment among Americans and what diseases they have cured in 2018.
Why do Americans choose treatment abroad?
American healthcare is considered one of the most advanced but expensive in the world. It leads to 3 primary reasons why Americans look for the treatment options outside the USA:
1. Lower prices for medical procedures
Countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, the Czech Republic), Thailand, India, Turkey offer a world-class service for 2-5 times cheaper than in the USA. The potential saving of money can reach 90% even if including the charges for tickets and accommodation during the treatment.
The medical team gave us the best of care and showed professionalism, and at the same time friendly. Even though the result I wanted couldn't be achieved but I really appreciate the support and care I received from Dr. Anna. Bumrungrad International hospital gave us the best of care and professional advice I must say once again. I'm still seeking medical attention for my wife's "Diffuse Cerebral Dysfunction". That's the diagnostics and results we received from Bumrungrad International hospital Bankok! Thank you!
Bumrungrad International Hospital is a global medical facility in Bangkok, Thailand that specializes in oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, neurosciences, heart surgery, check-ups, etc.
Over 1 million patients choose Bumrungrad annually. 50% of them are international ones from over 190 countries.
The hospital is one of the largest private centers in Southeast Asia and one of the most significant world’s outpatient clinics.
Bumrungrad International is recognized as TOP-10 best hospitals and TOP-30 most technologically advanced clinics in the world.
For instance, the IVF (in vitro fertilization) cost in the USA is $25,000-35,000 on average. While in Spain, Poland, Thailand, Turkey, the price ranges between $2,500-5,000 according to bookimed.com data. Such a difference in the cost is explained by the price policy in these countries and the average income of local citizens.
Hair transplant in Turkey will cost about $1,800, but in the USA — $7,000 on average. American patient can save about 60-65% of money even with ticket charges.
Below you can see how much money an American patient saves for treatment in a particular country:
| Country for treatment | Amount of your savings |
|---|---|
|
Thailand |
50-75% |
|
Turkey |
50-65% |
|
India |
65-90% |
|
South Korea |
30-45% |
|
Germany |
20-30% |
|
Czech Republic |
50-60% |
|
Malaysia |
65-80% |
2. Access to therapies unavailable in the USA
Despite the state-of-the-art therapeutic technologies applied in the USA, some of the unique treatment options are not available here. For instance, therapy with stem cells. It is a new treatment option with fetal, fat, umbilical cord or bone marrow immature cells that can transform into any other cell of the body. This therapy restores organs, improves body functions and stops aging. The therapy is available in Poland, Malaysia, Ukraine, Turkey, the Czech Republic. So, searching for alternative treatment is one one more reason for American medical tourism.
Submit a request to receive the treatment you are interested in:
Anadolu Medical Center is a multidisciplinary facility providing American treatment standards at affordable prices in Istanbul (Turkey). Anadolu affiliates with the Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the best medical facilities in the USA.
Oncology, oncohematology, check-up, women's health, cardiology are the leading specialties in Anadolu Hospital.
The medical center is among the Top 10 hospitals in the world according to the Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA), an international organization that promotes excellent standards of health services for medical tourists.
Patients from the United States, the United Kingdom, Romania, Bulgaria, and Azerbaijan choose Anadolu Medical Center.
3. Long waiting time
This issue mostly concerns organ transplant procedures. Often, Americans wait for years to receive a donor organ for transplantation. For instance, it takes 4 years to get a donor kidney on average. That’s why, patients are forced to travel outside the USA to have an organ transplant in the shortest term. Their primary choices are Indian and Turkish hospitals according to bookimed.com data.
Bookimed is an international platform to search for the best treatment worldwide. We cooperate directly with over 300 hospitals in 27 countries to provide the best option for you. Our services are free. You pay all charges to the official account of the chosen hospital. With Bookimed you avoid queues and start treatment immediately.
Top medical destinations among Americans
Currently, Bookimed cooperates with 301 hospitals in 27 countries. In 2018, patients from the USA have chosen Germany, Turkey, Israel, Thailand, Austria, etc.
The diagram below shows the preferences of American patients in 2018:
Top countries for medical tourism among the US patients in 2018 according to Bookimed data
Germany and Israel are the most popular among American patients because of the advanced medicine that is confirmed by numerous accreditations, high success rates, and conducted clinical trials. The level of medicine in these countries reaches the American one, but the price for treatment is 2-3 times lower.
Some Turkish and Thai hospitals (for instance Anadolu, Bumrungrad medical centers) work according to strict American treatment protocols applying the latest technologies. Despite such a high quality of medical services, the cost here is 3-5 times cheaper than in the US medical facilities due to the price policy in these countries.
Read also on Top 10 medical tourism destinations worldwide
What diseases do Americans treat abroad?
According to Bookimed statistics, medical tourists from the USA go to other countries with medical problems of any complexity — from treating a toothache to cancer.
Patients, who want to have plastic surgery or dental care, go to Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia, South Korea or the Czech Republic. Neurological, gynecological, gastroenterological, orthopedic pathologies can be successfully treated within Europe and Asia. Cancer patients go to Germany, Israel, Austria, and Korea. The primary destination for organ transplant is Turkey and India.
Read on about the best liver transplant specialist in the world
Below you can see which medical specialties are popular among American patients who requested to Bookimed for help in 2018:
- Oncology 11%
- Neurosurgery 9.5%
- Plastic surgery 9%
- Neurology 8.4%
- Gastroenterology 7%
- Gynecology 5.5%
- Transplantation 5%
- Oncology-Hematology 4.5%
- Orthopedics 4%.
If you want you want to receive the best treatment overseas, submit a request
I have had multiple visits since November’19 and Haven’t had anything but positive experiences. Everyone is very kind and accommodating, even when I had a little panic attack about having 6 route canals in one day, the staff put my mind at ease and all procedures went seamlessly. Most or all the work they do is 70-80% cheaper than Canada, but the quality doesn’t suffer whatsoever. By the end, I will have had: -a cleaning -whitening -6 (or more) route canals -fillings -an extraction - a bone graft -an implant -10 crowns -4 veneers All of which would’ve been over 60k back home for somebody without insurance (me).
On the recommendation of an American dentist, resident of Playa del Carmen, l ventured with some angst to this clinic to seek consultation regarding a TMJ concern. My positive experience was so successful. The dentists are more than qualified, speak English without hesitation, are part of a larger base of specialists, equipment is state of the art and everything is as clean as “at home.” Should you need dental work while here you may want to visit this clinic.
I highly recommend Bokanova! Dr. Esteban and his team were incredibly friendly, accommodating, and understanding. I originally came to have a broken tooth fixed with a crown, and they discovered that my root canals also needed work done soon. They booked me in immediately for the extra work, and I got all the treatments done by the end of my trip! They consulted me on the best dental procedures for my situation and helped me come up with a treatment plan for the future as well. I couldn't be happier! Thank you so much!
Dr Esteban is a professional. Truly appreciate his attention. Had a crown without any issues. Mucho Gracias. As well Elizabeth was so proactive in accommodating our time/vacation schedule. Will always. recommend as a Canadian tourist. Gracias. "
After researching a lot of dental practices, we got in contact by email with the staff at Bokanova as my partners filling/tooth crumbled away stopping him from eating and drinking. Bokanova were really helpful in identifying what the potential problem was and solutions could be, and fitted us in for an emergency appointment. My partner is petrified of the dentist, and despite still feeling like he wanted to run for the hills, the staff here put his mind at ease and talked him through the whole process, options and pain relief. They also let us take photos of the xrays and emailed them on to our U.K. dental practice so he could receive further care once home. The place was extremely hygienic and sterile, if it was cheaper to fly, I would 100% travel to this dentist to receive treatment! For X-rays, treatment and pain relief cost (at the time of writing) $55 which is approx £43! They spoke both English and Spanish - Thank you for everything!
Bokanova Dental Center is a modern medical facility located in Riviera Maya, coastal Mexican resort. It’s specialized in dental implants, oral and maxillofacial surgery, veneers, crowns, and Smile Design. Bokanova dentists have over 30 years of experience. Their skills allow providing patients with the 5-year warranty for implants. Bokanova Riviera Maya is popular with international patients, in particular, from the USA and Canada.
The number of patients from the US and other countries looking for treatment outside their place of residence, is getting higher each year by 10-25%. The medical boarders are erasing, and this is a great news. Everyone gets access to a world medicine and can find the most effective treatment option for a reasonable price.
The service of the hospital is really excellent and the house keeping and the quality is amazing. The doctors are professionals and they are really treat patients very humble.