medical tourism

A term coined by travel agencies and the mass media for the practice of travelling across national borders to obtain health care. It also refers to the practice of healthcare providers travelling internationally to deliver healthcare, which is both pejorative and less common.
Services provided Joint replacement (knee/hip), cardiac surgery, dental surgery, cosmetic surgery, as well as alternative treatments, convalescent care and burial services

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.

medical tourism

Global village The combination of medical care–usually of a type–eg, pediatric neurosurgery or experimental cancer therapy, that is not available to a Pt near his/her home–with pleasure–eg, visit to a theme park, Disneyworld, MGM studios

McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

medical tourism

Travelling abroad to undergo expensive invasive procedures in countries where high-quality, low-cost care is available, e.g., India. The funds saved on the care received are used to sponsor recuperation and vacation in the host country. Medical tourism is a form of outsourcing of health care and is typically used for highly technical, costly surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

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