International Media

Only the Best for His Father Trusting Thai Doctors to Treat His Father’s Heart Condition| June, 2011

Mr. Hai Phan is confident his 78-year old father, Luan Van, is in good hands – getting the attention he needs for a serious heart condition. Mr. Phan lives in Boston; his father lives in Vietnam, where he owns a rubber company called Bin Phuoc Rubber. “The hospital Bumrungrad has given my father great treatment,” said Mr. Phan.

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Travel Smart for Treatment| June, 2011

Patients from different markets seek healthcare abroad for different reasons, according to Kenneth Mays, senior director, hospital marketing & business development of world-renowned facility Bumrungrad International hospital in Bangkok. “People fly to hospitals like Bumrungrad mainly to seek better care than they can get at home: better-trained doctors, specialists in certain diseases or treatments, advanced medical technology and internationally accredited patient safety.” And this is also often at a lower cost as compared to their home countries, to boot.

Life After 50 (Page 24-25) - The pros of overseas care| June, 2011

In 2005, Pearson began vetting local doctorswith the help of a friend who is a retired ortho-pedic surgeon. Unhappy with the choices they had, a hospital in Thailand kept coming up in Pearson’s research: Bumrungrad International (pronounced bahm-roong-RAHT, a Thai word meaning “care for the people”) an internationally-accredited, multi-specialty hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. His friend said, “Go for it.” 

Medical tourism wins fans| June, 2011

In terms of amenities, hospitals like the famed Bumrungrad in Bangkok put their cash-strapped American counterparts to shame. Touches like marble floors, gourmet food, and “Royal Suites,” more reminiscent of a resort than a hospital.

No Other Choice: Why Medical Tourism Continues to Thrive| June, 2011

Bumrungrad hospital is pretty close to what we call a 360-degree automated hospital. From the point the patient has been admitted (from his overseas location) till discharge, all processes are centrally linked to the patient's records and care delivery, and support services are delivered and monitored at the level of each patient.

livingprepared.com| September, 2009

Health insurance is a necessary evil or is it?

Bruce Pearson, a 61-year-old plant nursery owner in Boynton Beach, Fla., was desperate for relief from excruciating back pain. Worried that his health insurance might not cover treatment, he searched the Web for options—finally choosing to have spinal stenosis surgery in Thailand. Pearson's total bill: $4,618.03 for services that would have cost him at least $14,000 out of pocket at home.

So pleased was Pearson with his care by a U.S.-trained doctor at Bangkok's Bumrungrad International Medical Center that he says unless it's an emergency and he can't travel to Thailand, he won't seek treatment in the United States again. "I will crawl back to Bumrungrad if I have to," he says.

patientsbeyondborders.com| September, 2009

Medical tourism takes flight

IN THE PAST THREE MONTHS, THE CREAKY Barron's staff has replaced a hip, two knees and undergone various nips and tucks. Based on average prices, these cost a total of at least $100,000. But abroad, say in Singapore, the tab would have been about $50,000, including stays in a private room, airfare and a vacation for the patients and their companions. Elsewhere in Asia, medical care is even cheaper. That's why more U.S. insurers are considering financing treatment for Americans willing to travel abroad.

knowledge.wharton| September, 2009

Expanding the footprint of offshore healthcare

It's been called the Mecca of medical tourism. For the past 10 years, Thailand's Bumrungrad International Hospital has been wooing patients from Boston to Bahrain with a combination of lower-cost, state-of-the-art medical care along with service worthy of a five-star hotel.
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magazine.jhu.edu| August, 2009

High cost creating medical tourists

Ravi Aron tells the following true story, with the central figure’s identity made vague to protect his privacy. A business consultant retired early, then found he needed heart surgery, a triple bypass. The bill for the procedure plus treatment for some co-morbidities was projected to be six figures. The man was too young for Medicare and his private insurance was going to leave him with a huge co-pay. Then a physician he had known for a long time told him of an alternative, a hospital in Thailand, Bumrungrad International.