VoyagerMed Launches Medical Tourism Online Marketplace

New York, NY, July 6, 2015 (Newswire.com) - ​​VoyagerMed announced the launch of their online marketplace for medical tourism, a concept which ushers in a new era in consumer healthcare, and was inspired by one man’s struggle with a life-threatening disease.

VoyagerMed makes it easier than ever to find the best specialist for a user’s life-changing medical condition. The application’s algorithm helps users determine which doctor is the best choice when traveling to and within the U.S. based on desired expertise, insurance coverage, ratings, and — most importantly for some — out of pocket costs. The VoyagerMed website simplifies the complicated doctor search process with an easy-to-use yet robust platform. Patients can search, evaluate and choose from a proprietary, curated marketplace of over 14,000 doctors using 11 languages, 14 currencies, and then book travel to over 50 of the most popular destinations throughout the United States.

This “inbound medical tourism” model has been used for years by the over 400,000 international travelers who visit U.S. centers of excellence like Johns Hopkins and Cleveland Clinic each year. VoyagerMed takes the same model directly to doctors and traveling patients. The company is focused solely on U.S. licensed doctors who serve the needs of traveling patients seeking high quality outcomes and not necessarily the lowest cost option.

“We are connecting patients exclusively with U.S. licensed doctors  because  we want to be the leader in medical tourism by providing our customers with access to the best doctors in the world, says VoyagerMed CEO Anthony Girand. “Unlike other “medical tourism operators” who find the cheapest treatment options, we only want the best but at an affordable cost.” Girand cites a survey by McKinsey & Co. which found that the top two reasons people travel any distance for surgery is to access the latest technology and to get treatment by top specialists.

VoyagerMed lets users sort through doctors based on ratings, location, price, insurance and other factors to find the best doctors that specialize in a given procedure. Each doctor’s page provides an introduction to that doctor,  a street view of the center’s location, their qualifications and accepted insurance, price transparency for many specialties, and a unique and highly integrated hotel and flight reservation system through their exclusive travel provider Expedia.

The site offers treatments for plastic surgery, orthopedics and dental in their initial beta launch, followed by spine, fertility, weight loss, addiction treatment, ophthalmology and others. The company focuses on the most popular places in the U.S. that people travel to for vacation or medical treatments including New York, Miami, Las Vegas, and Beverly Hills as well as Centers of Excellence like Hospital for Special Surgery, Johns Hopkins, and Cleveland Clinic, among others.

Doctors with current, full profiles on the site include Struan Coleman, MD/PhD, one of the leading sports medicine surgeons in the world. Dr. Coleman performs complicated multi-dimensional surgical procedures at the leading orthopedic surgical center in New York City. Also on the site is Victoria Veytsman, MD,  an expert at smile makeovers and counts as one of her patients the current Miss America. And Ronald Hillock, MD, who specializes in the Mako robot knee replacement surgery for patients who come to his Las Vegas center from around the world.

So why would someone travel a great distance for medical treatment? Oftentimes, people need the expertise of top surgeons who may not be affordable or available where they live. The VoyagerMed team found through their research that over 400,000 people from other countries including Canada, England, China, Dubai, Mexico and elsewhere come to the U.S. each year to find the best surgical care in the world.  These medical tourists spend nearly $5 billion per year, almost double the average amount spent by a non-medical tourism visitor.

The founder of VoyagerMed was inspired to start the company following his personal battle with cancer over 20 years ago, and the doctors who helped him claim victory over the disease.

“I was lucky enough to be able to take a short cab ride to one of the best medical centers in the world, Johns Hopkins, but not everyone has that convenience,” said Girand. “People have to take their health and choice of doctor into their own hands when looking for the best specialist or finding a more affordable option for elective procedures like plastic surgery.  That’s what VoyagerMed’s mission is: to bring the best, most affordable healthcare to everyone.”

About VoyagerMed

VoyagerMed is a leader in the new field of online medical tourism marketplace companies and is based in New York City. Its mission is to connect patients with the best doctors they can find and afford in the U.S. The online marketplace makes it easier for people to quickly search, evaluate and coordinate travel to the doctor that is the right fit for them. The company is located in New York City within close proximity to some of the world’s leading healthcare providers, hospitals and surgical centers.