About Guatemala Medical Travel
We bring the most highly skilled surgeons, doctors and dentists of Guatemala together with patients from America, and other countries, who are seeking a more cost-effective solution to their medical needs.
Before you even consider travel arrangements, think of Guatemala Medical Travel as your personal advocate -- in-country, on-site and on the job -- matching the patient to the appropriate physician, and making it work. It is our job to find you the finest quality medical professional to meet your needs, to maintain your bills at 60-80% less than normal US prices, and to accomplish all the hundreds of details that will make your stay in Guatemala not just satisfying, but outstanding.
As a very specialized medical tourism facilitator, Guatemala Medical Travel investigates and thoroughly qualifies the doctors and hospitals we represent in order to assure that our clients receive the finest medical care in the country. We verify credentials, conduct in-depth interviews and request letters of recommendation from both former patients and other doctors. Your assigned agent uses a variety of quality indicators to determine that the doctors that we recommend have the medical talent, modern instrumentation and quality staff to perform to your expectations at a fraction of the price that you might pay in America.
To complete a successful and exciting medical travel experience, we provide the patient with accommodations for their recovery, transportation to local and distant destinations, translation, transfer of funds, tour guides and all personal services.
What is Medical Tourism?
Medical tourism is a fairly new industry, but has grown at a tremendous rate in the past ten years. For example, India is serving more than 150,000 international patients every year and enjoying a 30% annual growth rate. The “World Medical Tourism and Global Health Congress” convention in San Francisco last July attracted 2000 attendees and featured 300 speakers and exhibitors from around the world.
As Americans grow more frustrated with the bloated, deteriorating US medical system, they turn to the internet to access the vast amounts of information regarding the health care options available in other countries. According to Deloitte, the global business and finance consultancy, over 750,000 Americans traveled overseas for medical treatment in 2007 and they report that that figure may increase to 6 million patients in 2010. We see Guatemala on the fast track to join the ranks of India, Malaysia, Thailand, Eastern Europe, Brazil and Costa Rica as one of the premier global healthcare destinations for American patients.
And the information is definitely out there. After many weeks of diligent internet research, you will be able to determine which hospitals are accredited by the JCI, the international division of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, by far the largest and most highly respected in the United States, and which doctors are board certified or have similarly high standards of accreditation in their home counties. You may be shocked to find out that you can save $22,000 on a knee replacement in India, or $139,000 on a new heart valve in Colombia, or $7000 on dental implants in the Czech Republic, or that an over-night stay in a high-tech, fully-equipped modern hospital in Guatemala City will set you back only $75. Check with IRS.gov to find out that if your surgery costs over $10,000, a good portion of it is tax deductable. And there is seemingly endless information about flight times and airfares.
Then, you have even more questions. Is it safe to travel in Guatemala? Who will arrange for transportation and choose the best accommodations for my recovery? Who will fill out and translate the paperwork for me? I forgot my x-rays or test results. How can I Fed-Ex or email them to my Guatemalan doctor? Who has used this doctor before and what is their recommendation? On the day of my surgery, the doctor will need payment in full. Who can I trust to handle the cash transfer and keep detailed financial records?
At Guatemala Medical Travel, we have already done the research, and continue to up-date important, pertinent data every day. Right down to prescription delivery, cell phone rental and reservations for restaurants, tours and cultural events, you can depend on Guatemala Medical Travel to take care of all your needs with just a few phone calls.
