Media Release: March 11, 2009
Modern Health Care Economics is Driving Inventiveness
in Delivery of Cancer Surgery and Management of Risk
Mobile Surgery International Sends First American
for Prostate Cancer Surgery in Trinidad
Mobile Surgery International Sends
First Specialized American Surgical Team to Trinidad
U.S. Risk Issues First Known Outbound
Cancer Surgery plus Travel Insurance Policy
AVENTURA, Fla. and DALLAS, Tex. March 11 — An uninsured patient from the Western US traveled to Trinidad last week for prostate cancer surgery — to be carried out by a highly experienced surgical team from Florida. The case was managed, the host facility was selected, and the surgical team was assembled by Mobile Surgery International (MSI). Although the patient personally paid the costs for his actual surgery, and related out-of-pocket costs, he was able to do this at a significant discount over the cost he had been quoted in the U.S. In addition, he was able to purchase a specialized surgical complications and travel insurance policy from the specialty division of U.S. Risk Underwriters, Inc. It covers complications related to procedures for cancer, cardiovascular, and additional disorders that other policies for ‘medical tourists’ exclude.
“Recent years have seen the development of a ‘medical tourism’ trend in which patients travel to overseas medical centers for certain types of surgical procedures at low cost,” stated Arnon Krongrad, MD, chief executive officer of MSI. “However, we believe that this particular operation in Trinidad may represent the beginning of a new trend — in which patient and surgeon agree to ‘meet’ at a mutually acceptable location for cost effective, high quality, surgical procedures.”
“In this case,” continued Krongrad, “by offering to conduct the patient’s procedure in a small, high quality facility in Trinidad, with relatively low hospital overheads, MSI was able to coordinate a clinical package that saved the patient more than 50% of the price he was quoted in the U.S. These savings also allowed him to purchase appropriate specialized surgical complications and travel insurance through U.S. Risk.”
Lorna Greenwood, a spokesperson for U.S. Risk Underwriters, added: “Insurance is clearly not a substitute for quality care — but it can be an important complement to it. ‘Medical tourism’ insurance coverage is in its infancy and U.S. Risk offers the premier program for the industry. We were able to provide for this patient coverage for a blended range of items, encompassing medical complications and travel insurance from hospital readmission to emergency repatriation to lost luggage.” This is believed to be the first time that any U.S. insurance underwriter has issued this specialized surgical complications and travel insurance policy.
“Currently,” says MSI’s Krongrad, “so-called ‘health tourists’ are not normally covered by major medical policies. Single-episode health travel policies could offer safety nets and peace of mind to otherwise uninsured patients traveling for surgery. We believe that the policy developed for this patient by U.S. Risk is a near-to-perfect complement for the innovative form of ‘surgical travel service’ that we are developing through Mobile Surgery International.”
About Mobile Surgery International: Mobile Surgery International offers patients and payers from anywhere in the world surgical choice and quality with cost containment through its Centers of Excellence with Global Convenience™. To do this, MSI is cutting overhead, recruiting outstanding surgical talent, and identifying host surgical facilities. It provides differentiating surgical programs and develops custom solutions to administrative needs with minimal regard to geography. Whether the patient comes to the surgeon, the surgeon goes to the patient, or patient and surgeon meet at a mutually convenient location, MSI coordinates all necessary arrangements at a cost agreeable to the patient and/or the payer. MSI is an operational unit of the Krongrad Institute. For more information about Mobile Surgery International, see www.emeseye.com.
About U.S. Risk Underwriters, Inc.: Organized in 1985, U.S. Risk originated as an underwriting manager for miscellaneous errors and omissions and non-profit directors and officers insurance. Based in Dallas, TX, U.S. Risk presently has underwriting authorities for a wide range of coverage for companies including Lloyd’s of London, Scottsdale, W.R. Berkley, General Star, Chubb Custom, and Zurich. U.S. Risk Underwriters is a division of U.S. Risk Insurance Group, Inc. For more information, see www.usrisk.com/medtour.htm.
Media contacts:
For Mobile Surgery International: Arnon Krongrad, MD
For U.S. Risk Underwriters: Lorna Greenwood
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