Medical Tourism Program

Our basic process is outlined here:

After you reach out to our facility to consider visiting us for your procedure, we will help to facilitate your experience with us so that it is one of ease and comfort.

To begin the process, you will be asked to send all pertinent medical information, including medical records, X-rays and MRIs. Once we have your basic information and these studies, we will have Dr. Delcore reach out to you. At that time, a decision for the best course of action will be determined. We then begin the scheduling process, in which we make every effort to accommodate you on the preferred dates that you are able to travel and visit us. It is best to come in to town at least one day before your procedure, two days is best. This allows plenty of time to get everything in order and for you to visit our wonderful little city.

Through this process, we will help you gain a crystal-clear understanding of what your financial responsibility is. Our prices are bundled. These include the surgeon’s fee, facility fee (including implants), anesthesia fee and physical therapy while you are with us.

You will be responsible for your preoperative tests (cardiac clearance and labs for certain procedures), post-op prescriptions (very low cost), your travel to and from our facility and your hotel room. However, we do offer places to stay at our Kordeluxe Row property. These are offered at a very low rate and are much nicer than any hotel room that you can find in town. This also keeps you close to us so that we may assist in any situation that may arise while you are visiting us.

While you are here visiting with us, our team will do everything that we can to make your experience as wonderful and as comfortable as possible.”

After you have completed the preliminary process and have your surgery scheduled, you will then have the option to work directly with our medical-tourism-concierge, where you will be able to add whatever additional services that you desire to your medical-tourism trip.

Our basic process is outlined here:

After you reach out to our facility to consider visiting us for your procedure, we will help to facilitate your experience with us so that it is one of ease and comfort.

To begin the process, you will be asked to send all pertinent medical information, including medical records, X-rays and MRIs. Once we have your basic information and these studies, we will have Dr. Delcore reach out to you. At that time, a decision for the best course of action will be determined. We then begin the scheduling process, in which we make every effort to accommodate you on the preferred dates that you are able to travel and visit us. It is best to come in to town at least one day before your procedure, two days is best. This allows plenty of time to get everything in order and for you to visit our wonderful little city.

Through this process, we will help you gain a crystal-clear understanding of what your financial responsibility is. Our costs are bundled prices. This includes the surgeon’s fee, facility fee (including implants), anesthesia fee and physical therapy while you are with us.

You will be responsible for your preoperative tests (cardiac clearance and labs for certain procedures), post-op prescriptions (very low cost), your travel to and from our facility and your hotel room. However, we do offer places to stay on our campus. These are offered at a very low rate and are much nicer than any hotel room that you can find in town. This also keeps you close to us so that we may assist in any situation that may arise while you are visiting us.

While you are here visiting with us, our team will do everything that we can to make your experience as wonderful and as comfortable as possible.”

After you have completed the preliminary process and have your surgery scheduled, you will then have the option to work directly with our medical-tourism-concierge, where you will be able to add whatever additional services that you desire to your medical-tourism trip.

DOMESTIC MEDICAL TOURISM (DMT) TREND

In the past decade, with the exponential rise of health care costs, a phenomenon known as International Medical Tourism (IMT) has become a fast-growing industry in which patients travel to foreign countries to undergo medical procedures and treatment, usually at a far lower cost than they can find in the United States.  This evolution of IMT has led to the following concerns: 1) whether the care provided by physicians not trained in the United States actually meet U.S. standards of care, 2) who should bear the responsibility for complications that may occur after a patient returns to the United States, and 3) how that required subsequent treatment for the complication might be paid for.  Warnings are regularly given about language and cultural barriers inherent to travel abroad, as well as significant concerns for exposure to endemic rare antibiotic-resistant organisms which may lead to infections difficult to treat upon returning home.  In general, follow-up care is difficult to negotiate and remains a major flaw with IMT.  While many IMT patients admit that U.S. facilities provide superior care, “cost savings” is the primary incentive driving them overseas.

Fast forward a few years after IMT has become headline news… and a new trend has gained traction which alleviates much of the worry regarding standards of care, language and cultural barriers, post-operative follow-up responsibility and legal recourse should anything go seriously wrong.  Domestic Medical Tourism (DMT) allows patients to remain within the United States and find the same cost savings that they, otherwise, would have had to travel across entire oceans to realize.  Now patients can travel to see a physician within the continental U.S. and save thousands of dollars even with the addition of travel, lodging and sometimes even the cost of a travel companion.  Many employers are now beginning to see the value in DMT. For certain conditions, they are giving their employees the option to seek their healthcare outside of their existing traditional health insurance plan and travel for their surgical care in order to save on healthcare costs and in return receive highly specialized and efficient care.  Some very large companies in the U.S. including Walmart, Boeing and Lowe’s are giving employees the option of traveling to get medical care from facilities considered to be the best in the nation, deemed as “Centers of Excellence.”  Unfortunately, the problem of loss of follow-up care still exists with DMT.  Nonetheless, the growth of DMT has been fueled by several factors:

• The role of the insurer or self-insured employer in directing care
• The development of “Centers of Excellence”, which provide lower costs and better outcomes for patients
• The desire to reduce health care costs
• The shift to a “value-based” reimbursement system

As the cost of medical care has risen, new ideas and forces are brought to bear in the delivery of health care.  DMT facilities and self-insured employers or third-party payers have worked together to agree upon a standard bundled payment for certain procedures (such as hip and knee replacements or simple spine surgeries) that is much less expensive than the patients’ local care options.  Even accounting for the involved travel, lodging, forgiveness of copay, and patient stipend, this bundled payment arrangement with DMT still represents a significant cost savings opportunity for self-funded individuals, self-insured employers and third party insurance plans.  Again the only problem is…loss of follow-up care.

Upfront Pricing for Domestic Medical Tourism

Look on this site for our offered services and prices, and allow yourself to advocate for yourself and/or your employees on how to spend your medical dollar.  Hospitals are allowed to charge you for every single item at an incredible, and highly profitable, markup.  We pride ourselves in providing outstanding care without hidden costs, fees or unfair markups.  We will discuss your medical/surgical options and explore the best choice for you.  You deserve the best care and consideration for your time and money.  Our 360 degree approach to your clinical and surgical care means that your needs will be met whether you are from Cedar City, local long distance within the state of Utah, or out of state.  Let Dr. Randy Delcore and his team at Cedar Orthopaedic Surgery Specialty Clinic and Cedar Orthopaedic Surgery Center show you what personal, experienced and cost-conscious care really means. With our pricing engine, you can find true price transparency and make an informed decision regarding your medical needs.  If you travel from a distance, we are happy to lend you our local knowledge and assist with your travel plans and itinerary (which often includes an offering to dine with your surgeon upon arrival).