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    Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Edition: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Care Abroad
    Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Edition: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Care Abroad
    Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Edition: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Care Abroad
    Ebook252 pages2 hours

    Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Edition: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Care Abroad

    By Josef Woodman

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    About this ebook

    Patients Beyond Borders is the first comprehensive, easy-to-understand guide to medical tourism, written by the world's leading spokesperson on international health travel. Impartial, extensively researched and filled with authoritative and accessible advice carefully culled from hundreds of resources in the US and abroad.

    Healthy Travel Media has teamed up with the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council to produce the Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Second Edition, featuring leading international hospitals and clinics that offer nearly every imaginable medical procedure--at 50-80% savings over US healthcare costs.

    The 240-page guidebook offers an in-depth overview of Malaysia's most-frequented international hospitals and clinics, nearby recovery and guest accommodations, and area travel information.

    Located centrally between Singapore and Thailand and with some of the best healthcare in Asia, Malaysia receives visitors from more than 90 countries throughout the region and the world.

    Prices for procedures in Malaysia are on par with popular medical travel destinations of India and Thailand. Malaysia's favorable climate and English-speaking culture attracts medical travelers from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHealthy Travel Media
    Release dateDec 13, 2016
    ISBN9780990315421
    Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Edition: Everybody's Guide to Affordable, World-Class Medical Care Abroad
    Author

    Josef Woodman

    As CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, Josef Woodman has spent the past 15 years researching and vetting international options for quality, affordable medical care. He has met and consulted with ministries and key stakeholders in the world's leading medical travel destinations, touring more than 200 medical facilities in 35 countries. Co-founder of MyDailyHealth (1998) and Ventana Communications (1987), Woodman's pioneering background in publishing, healthcare and technology has allowed him to compile a wealth of information and knowledge about international medical care, telemedicine, wellness, integrative medicine and consumer-directed healthcare. Woodman has lectured at the UCLA School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, Duke Fuqua School of Business, Scientific American and the International Society for Travel Medicine. He has keynoted and moderated conferences on medical tourism and global healthcare in 20 countries. He has appeared in numerous print and broadcast media, including The Economist, The New York Times, CNN, ABC News, Fox News, Huffington Post, Barron's, The Wall Street Journal, and more. Woodman is an outspoken advocate of affordable, high-quality medical and preventative care for healthcare consumers worldwide.

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      Book preview

      Patients Beyond Borders Malaysia Edition - Josef Woodman

      Preface

      SINCE PENNING THE FIRST EDITION of Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia some five years ago, I’ve been privileged to follow Malaysia’s evolution as a healthcare travel destination. A few years back, Malaysia was little known outside the immediate region; now this Southeast Asian country of 30 million appears on nearly every top-ten healthcare travel destination list, from Bloomberg News to International Living magazine. The prestigious International Medical Travel Journal has honored Malaysia as the Best Medical Travel Destination for two consecutive years—both 2015 and 2016.

      Malaysia’s influence on international healthcare is increasingly apparent as I travel to medical centers around the world. Complementing a vibrant network of private hospitals and specialty clinics, some of the largest, most powerful healthcare networks on the planet are investing in Malaysia. Healthcare giant IHH Healthcare Berhad boasts 30 hospitals in Malaysia, Singapore, and Turkey, with additional medical holdings in Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, India, and the UAE. Similarly, one of Malaysia’s most prestigious medical networks, Sime Darby Health Care, recently joined world-renowned Ramsay Health Care, with hospitals in Australia, France, the UK, and Indonesia. KPJ Healthcare Berhad is not only Malaysia’s largest healthcare network (with 25 private hospitals throughout the country), but it also operates medical facilities in Indonesia, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

      As Dato’ Dr. Jacob Thomas (President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia) recently mused to me over dinner, International sharing of expertise, research, patient support resources, and medical data is growing and works for the betterment of all. Places like Malaysia are at the forefront of the big changes coming to the delivery of healthcare. From everything I have seen over the years, I heartily agree with him.

      In an era when aging populations are in need of affordable, quality healthcare, Malaysia dominates as one of the world’s leading value healthcare travel destinations. Compared to US pricing, patients can find savings of between 50 and 70 percent on simple procedures and up to 90 percent for the treatment of more complex conditions. Even nearby Singaporeans are increasingly bypassing their own renowned healthcare system to seek treatment at Malaysia’s top-quality medical centers.

      Malaysia’s ideal geographic location also contributes to its success as a healthcare destination. Four billion prospective international patients can reach Kuala Lumpur after a few hours on a nonstop flight—air travel from Shanghai is less than six hours, Jakarta is two hours, and Mumbai is five. Many Middle Easterners can arrive in Malaysia’s capital city in about the time it takes to get to London or New York.

      While all the leading healthcare travel destinations have their strong points, cultural familiarity and language access can be challenging. Malaysia’s broad demographic mix is a big plus for healthcare travelers: most Malasians speak English and many also speak a variety of Chinese dialects, Tamil, or Hindi. Translation services are readily available for a wide range of languages, including Arabic, Russian, and Bahasa Indonesia. Successful patient-doctor relationships depend on precise communications, and language parity is critical.

      Speaking of big changes, one can’t talk about healthcare without addressing preventive care and integrative medicine. Malaysia is an early innovator in the wellness arena, beginning with its reputation for comprehensive health screenings. The country’s ethnically diverse population ensures that Malaysian clinicians are comfortable with multiple modes of treatment, including complementary medicine. Partially because of this, I have observed that the Malaysian patient (or medical visitor) is less prone to the over-treatment, over-testing, and over-prescribing that has become so prevalent in Western practice.

      In short, Malaysia offers patients around the world not only access to some of the finest healthcare available, but it also shines a beacon from which other healthcare economies can learn and benefit. As you read the following pages and become more informed about Malaysia’s extraordinary medical and healthcare offerings, I hope to aptly relay to you how very impressive and influential Malaysia has become on the global healthcare landscape, and how this formerly hidden jewel has transformed to become an option for world-class, affordable medical care for you and your loved ones.

      Josef Woodman

      Chapel Hill, NC

      2016

      Introduction

      IF YOU ARE HOLDING THIS COPY of Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia, Second Edition in your hands, you probably already know you or your loved one need a medical procedure, and perhaps you are considering an affordable, trustworthy alternative to care in your own country. As you can see, this is a specialty edition in the Patients Beyond Borders series, profiling Malaysia as a leading healthcare destination. It is intended for those who already have (more or less) a diagnosis and already know (more or less) what treatment they need.

      Our researchers and editors have worked closely with the Ministry of Health Malaysia and the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council to bring you this revised and updated Second Edition. In these pages you will find general information about Malaysia as a destination for patients and leisure travelers alike. In Part Two, you will also find updated information about Malaysia’s healthcare system, as well as expanded data on facilities that were featured in our First Edition, including a section on top specialties.

      This edition does not provide the breadth of general information about international healthcare travel that you will find in our larger book, Patients Beyond Borders: Everybody’s Guide to Affordable, World-Class Healthcare, now in its Third Edition. Instead, this volume first offers an overview of the questions you need to answer before you commit to health travel; then, most of its pages are devoted to describing the best places in Malaysia to find excellent treatment and care.

      Patients Beyond Borders: Malaysia, Second Edition is not a guide to medical diagnosis and treatment, nor does it provide medical advice on specific treatments or caregiver referrals. Your condition, diagnosis, treatment options, and travel preferences are unique, and only you—in consultation with your physician and loved ones—can determine the best course of action. Should you decide to travel to Malaysia for treatment, we provide a wealth of resources and tools to help you become an informed health traveler, so you can have the best possible experience.

      The Phenomenon of Health Travel

      My research, including countless interviews, has convinced me that with diligence, perseverance, and good information, patients considering traveling to Malaysia or anywhere else for healthcare do indeed have legitimate, safe choices, not to mention an opportunity to save thousands of dollars. Depending upon the travel destination and type of treatment, uninsured and underinsured patients—as well as those seeking elective care—can save between 50 and 70 percent of the cost of the same treatment in Western destinations. For example, a spinal fusion procedure that costs $41,000 in the US may cost between US$7,000 and $18,000 in Malaysia, depending on patient needs and requirements.

      Costs vary widely...

      But cost savings are not the only reason to travel to Malaysia. Others include:

      Better quality care. Over the past decade, governments and countries such as Malaysia have poured billions of dollars into improving their healthcare systems, which not only serve local populations but also aggressively cater to the regional and international health traveler. Special waiting lounges, deluxe hospital suites, and concierge centers are common amenities, along with transportation to and from airports and discounted rates at hotels affiliated with the hospital.

      As a part of this health system transformation, healthcare providers and medical professionals in Malaysia are assessed according to strict criteria that satisfy and often exceed requirements of internationally recognized best practices for medical facilities, instrumentation, and customer service. Malaysia now has 13 JCI-accredited facilities, including ten hospitals and three clinics. Over 30 facilities have been accredited by the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health, Malaysia’s internationally recognized healthcare accreditation program. For more information about Malaysia’s healthcare system, please see Part Two, Malaysia: A Leading Healthcare Destination.

      Elective treatments. Many people do not have comprehensive health insurance. Even if you do, treatment options may not be readily accessible or affordable after insurance restrictions are applied. You, the patient, must pay these expenses out of pocket, so having a plan in a place where treatment is more easily available and affordable makes both medical and economic sense.

      Specialty treatments. Some procedures not available in your home country are available abroad. Some procedures that are widely practiced in certain parts of the world have not yet been approved in others, or they have been approved so recently that their availability remains spotty. Especially known for excellence in cardiology, neurology, oncology, orthopedics and joint replacement, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, weight loss surgery, and pediatrics, Malaysia offers comprehensive care in many top specialties.

      Shorter waiting periods. Many countries offer universal healthcare access as an important benefit for citizens of all ages and levels of health. As a result, health services in these countries are in great demand, and patients can encounter long waits for established procedures. Some patients decide it is better to pay out of pocket to get out of pain or halt a deteriorating condition rather than suffer the anxiety and frustration of waiting.

      More inpatient friendly. Due to limited resources, health providers are often under significant pressure to move patients out of costly beds as quickly as possible, sometimes before they are ready. In Malaysia, extra care is taken to ensure patients are discharged at the appropriate time and no sooner. Furthermore, staff-to-patient ratios are usually higher abroad, while hospital-borne infection rates are often lower.

      The lure of the new and different. Although traveling for medical care can be challenging, many patients welcome the chance to blaze a trail, and they find the hospitality and creature comforts often offered abroad to be a welcome relief from the impersonal hospital environments so frequently encountered at home. Malaysia is a particularly tempting destination for health travelers, with relaxing beaches, majestic mountains, lush rain forests, bustling markets, and some of the region’s most acclaimed

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