McKinsey prticle on mapping the market for medical travel

An early but very interesting article that shows analysis done by McKinsey on the percentage flow of travelers from one part of the globe to another.  The key points made are that only 35-45% of the international patients are actually medical travelers. Of this number, which is stated at around 50,000, the approximate number travelling to the US for advanced technology is around 20,000 annually. Lower cost seeking travelers are a minority at about 15% of the medical travelers and consist of mostly travelers from the US that either go for orthopedic or general surgery. Those that go for discretionary procedures travel to smaller specialized providers. The number of US patients going abroad annually is predicted at 5,000-10,000 annually however, it could be higher if payers included international providers in their networks.

According to the article, prices charged by providers are affected by perception of the value based on reputation, location, regional economics and safety. The key dynamic here is the acceptance by the payers.


http://cureandcareindia.com/writereaddata/McKinsey-9547270771.pdf