Integrative Care: Pathway to a Healthier Nation

On February 26, 2009, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions met to discuss America's healthcare policy including Integrative Care. 

The Committee advocates preventative, alternative and less costly healthcare reform as a means to a healthier nation. 

A video of the hearing is available online and can be viewed at the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension's website.

Medical Tourism Association Patient Surveys

The Medical Tourism Association (MTA), a Florida based organization made up of international hospitals and healthcare providers, has released preliminary results from its patient surveys in the industry. The complete results will be published in the medical tourism magazine. A few of the survey results are duplicated below:

How did you find out about medical tourism (traveling internationally for medical care)?
Internet 48.8%
Friend 17.1%
Newspaper, Magazine or TV 14.6%
My doctor 2.4%
Other (please specify) 17.1%

How did you research your information for medical tourism on country destinations and hospitals?
Internet 73.2%
Books/Magazines 0.0%
Asked a friend 4.9%
Medical Tourism Facilitator 4.9%
Other 17.1%

Did you travel alone or with a companion?
Alone 17.5%
Companion 82.5%

Did you or your companion do any tourism such as site seeing, shopping, eating dinner or a lunch out of the hospital or hotel or enjoying the local culture?
Yes 95.0%
No 5.0%

Was there a language barrier or communication problem at the hospital?
Not at all 70.7%
Occasional problems, but did not significantly affect my experience 29.3%
Yes, significantly affected my experience 0.0%

If you have travelled abroad for a medical procedure to either Baptist Health International in Miami or elsewhere, we want to know how your experience went, feel free to leave a comment detailing your trip. 

Get More Out Of Your South Florida Vacation

Florida has long been a tourist destination for travellers of all ages from around the world. Our beaches and attractions are some of the most famed destinations for those looking for sand, sun and Disney fun. 

But South Florida is now becoming one of the top destinations for Medical Tourism, especially for residents of Latin America. Whether it is for a yearly checkup or a high tech surgical procedure, the world class medical care offered at Baptist Health in South Florida will make the trip well worth it. 

On top of the care you receive at our South Florida International Hospitals, you can also enjoy all that South Florida has to offer. Enjoy a relaxing week at the beach after your recovery, or spend a few days with your family at Disney World Orlando. 

Of course, this is supposed to be a vacation, that's why Baptist Health International will do everything possible to make your stay enjoyable, comfortable and relaxing. We will arrange your transportation and accommodation for your stay and offer 24 hour emergency on-call services to international patients.

Miami Healthcare Mecca

Miami Today and Baptist Health System organized a roundtable “Miami: International healthcare Mecca.” 

The panel included Allen Brenteson, Baptist’s corporate VP international; David Angelone, CEO of UnitedHeath Group Int’s Cross Border Solutions; and Patricia Ziomek, a principal partner for S & Z Co.

Check out videos from the event featuring Baptist's own Allen Brenteson!

Florida's Medical Tourism is Thriving

Florida's medical facilities are helping foreigners seeking healthcare services which are too costly or have a long waiting list in their home country. 400,000 foreign residents visited the U.S. for medical tourism in 2008. Collectively, these foreign patients spent $5 billion on treatments which would have been more expensive or unavaliable in their country. 

Many Florida hospitals are beginning to offer special services for international patients, including help applying for tourist visas, scheduling flights and booking hotels. 

Baptist Health of Miami treats 12,000 foreigners per year. Most of these foreign patients are seeking treatment from specialists in cardiology, oncology, orthopedics and gastroenterology. 

Baptist Health of Miami is working to provide healthcare for those who need it, even if the services are not offered in the patient's home country. 

35 Florida Hospitals Make The Grade

35 Florida hospitals made HealthGrades' 2009 Distinguished Hospitals for Clinical Excellence list. 35% of Florida's eligible hospitals qualified this year, the fourth highest percentage in the nation. In 2008, 40 Florida hospitals made the list.

Baptist Health of Miami was among the 35 Florida hospitals which made the grade this year. 

Baptist Health South Florida Included in "100 Best Companies to Work For" List

Baptist Health South Florida has been included in FORTUNE's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. 

Baptist Health ranked 79th on the list of the top 100 employers. This is the ninth time that Baptist has made FORTUNE's top employers list in the 12 years of the list. The complete list will be featured in the February 2nd issue of FORTUNE and is also available now at FORTUNE.com/bestcompanies. 

One of the most important factors of this year's list is a company's ability to create jobs. 73 of the 100 companies listed, including Baptist Health, are currently hiring. Baptist was in the top 20 companies for job openings and the top 10 for child care. Baptist also ranked 44th for the highest salaries.