Retail Travel Professionals Benefit From Medical Tourism

Online, May 10, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Atlanta, GA -- The international leisure tour industry has been in a slump for the past few years, but a new product -- medical tourism -- is finally providing the means for a positive recovery and growth for many years into the future.

Last year, more than one million Americans traveled overseas for medical treatment, and fewer than 30% involved dental or cosmetic procedures. As the number of uninsured and under-insured continues to grow, Americans are finding they can plan their surgery in another country and save 50% to 60% off the price of healthcare at home.

Fears about the quality of offshore surgery soon vanish when prospective patients discover that Harvard Medical, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic and 18 of the leading U.S. medical schools anticipated the growing demand for the outsourcing of medical procedures, and are all operating leading-edge hospitals overseas.

Jack Schafer of Global Surgery Providers, Inc. says, "It has taken our company three years of traveling and visiting medical facilities around the world to set up our network of 16 providers from among the very best hospitals and surgeons anywhere. It was surprising how many quality US facilities have overseas operations that expanded overseas not only for the tremendous cost savings, but also for opportunity to work with medical processes and procedures that are not available here."

One such treatment with a tremendous following beyond U.S. borders is adult stem cell treatments.

Congressional approval of the new U.S. health care initiative is expected to give medical tourism an even further boost. Industry experts who had anticipated a two-fold growth in overseas medical travel now foresee its expansion by five times in the next two years. That translates into five million new customers shopping for travel agents

Now an Atlanta company, one of only seven accredited Medical Tourism Facilitators in the world, is changing everything. Global Surgery Providers (GSP) has announced a new program for training and licensing travel agencies to handle the hundreds of patient leads they receive every day on a more personal basis. GSP founder and CEO Jack Schafer has been a wholesale leisure tour operator since 1985. He became a pioneer in medical tourism and earned distinction as the first and only "Wholesale Medical Tour Operator" in the industry. "There is not only a desire for retail travel agencies to get involved in this explosive new business", says Schafer, "but those of us dealing with the assurances that the trip experience and the procedure are perfect, need local representatives who are able to work one-on-one with patients/clients as well. This is a natural fit. W need these agencies now to assist is in this exploding client paid industry sector, but as we continue to evolve into providing 50% medical and surgical discounts to self-insured companies and the insurance industry, we need to have hands-on representatives around the country." Schafer adds, "This is the 800 lb. gorilla just now entering the room, and those who are not afraid to grow will have a brand new industry to expand into." Schafer added, "I've been a tour man for a many years, and believe me when I say, this industry has never seen a another niche that will have this much impact."

This licensing program is the first venture of any medical tourism company to develop a distribution channel involving local agencies. "With the medical outsourcing industry expecting growth over 40% per years," Schafer said, "we need to have quality trained people in place to represent the client, and this licensing and training program does just that.

"Training is at the forefront, and with Internet services and DVD, that process is ongoing. From an agency standpoint, insurance and liability remain concerns, but with this new licensing program, our agencies are licensed under our umbrella as long as they follow our protocol. Lots of different industry players have tried to stake their claim in medical tourism, but this is not for the mom & pop or the weak of heart. This is a sector of the tourism industry that has the potential to dwarf leisure travel in the next three years." Schafer said.

This year. GSP plans to start turning over all of the leads generated from 32 medical tourism related internet sites, and by year's end they will be strictly wholesale operators, expecting upward of 100 licensed agencies around the USA.

Global Surgery Providers is now offering exclusive territories to those travel agents who can qualify, and once they start turning over client leads, they will be contacting the larger agencies in each market to introduce them to the industry. Schafer said, "As a facilitator in Atlanta, we've had to work with clients all over the country, and send them to facilities all over the world. What had always been missing was the one-on-one contact. As a tour operator working with a traveler, our agencies were critical in the introduction, sales, and personal contact with the traveler. But these are not just travelers, they are patients who need someone local they can develop a relationship with." Schafer added. "This programs lets GSP reach out and work closer with our clients, brings local agencies into the food chain of an exciting new market, and most importantly, it enhances the value and outcome of what we are doing here to the patient. That is what medical tourism is all about."

"We are eagerly looking forward to the launch of this new distribution channel that will better serve both the travel industry and their clients," Mr. Schafer concluded.

Medical tourism licensing information is available by calling 877-866-8558 or by email to: [email protected].