EN
Today, there is a fairly large number of operators in the medical tourism market. All of them are divided into different types, accreditations, sizes, as well as the destinations they are covering. However, almost nothing is known about them to the patient. What is their role? Refer to them or not? What is the difference? That is why MediGlobus experts will tell about the participants of the medical tourism market, about what types of providers exist, and what are their features. Let’s destroy the stereotypes about them and define you the market.
READ IN ARTICLE:
Why do we need local intermediaries?
How companies work at the clinic?
What is the difference between large companies?
LOCAL MEDIATORS
Local intermediaries – firms, usually located within the same country and offering medical services within its framework.
There are larger and smaller firms covering treatment in the whole country or only in a particular region. This category of intermediaries is the most numerous.
They are located almost in all countries, the more popular the country, the more local intermediaries exist in it, and the greater is the level of competition between them. The largest concentration of local firms are in some of the most popular destinations – Israel, Germany, Poland, India, Spain, Asia. The larger the local firm, the more hospitals it covers.
Local intermediaries organize logistics services, providing assistance in booking accommodation, providing an interpreter and a transfer. In addition, often the patients are offered both tourist services or excursions. As a rule, the patient will have to pay for the services of such a company separately.
COMPANIES FUNCTIONING FROM INSIDE THE CLINIC
To date, there is the concept of affiliation with the medical center, such companies perform the functions of an international department for a particular hospital. These companies in most cases represent the interests of only one medical center and are located directly in the clinic’s building or in the neighborhood. According to the organizational structure, such companies have agreements with the hospital and use name and logo of the medical center in their activities the to provide organizational services to patients. Most often, such companies can be found in the countries of the European Union and Israel.
MARKETPLACE
This group includes large multi-specialty Internet platforms, on the pages of which various medical centers of different forms of ownership are collected. Marketplaces to a greater extent represent advertising and marketing services for medical centers and other intermediaries, posting information about them on their website.
Among the advantages of such sites, it is worth mentioning that patient can obtain information about several clinics or counties directly from the company’s website.
Disadvantage can be attributed to the fact that the marketplace automatically collects applications of patients, many of which may remain without attention.
In addition, there is no guarantee of treatment offer directly from the clinic, as it maybe from mediator who covers the clinic chosen by the patient.
LARGE COMPANIES
One of the most reliable structural units of the medical tourism market. Such companies can cover one country entirely, and many other countries.
Such companies do NOT limit the patient, placing it within the framework of a particular country or clinic, but offer to choose among the best possible options the modern world medicine is providing, taking into account the criteria of the patient himself. Large companies do not depend on a particular hospital and have a huge database of relevant and reliable data of hospitals and doctors.
Advantage of such companies is the fact that a medical specialist is an expert in the field of medical tourism, who is ready to help, advise, give answers to questions and support, immediately responds to the patient’s request. The services of such companies are paid for by hospitals, which in most cases does not affect the patient’s cheque for treatment.
This is the principle of the Global Medicine Platform MediGlobus. The company’s services for patients are FREE OF CHARGE. Activities of MediGlobus are funded by partner clinics, which are important for the patient to be provided with quality information, psychological and organizational assistance on the way to receiving medical services.
