If you’re like most people, you’ve probably never considered domestic medical travel. However, if you have a serious or rare medical condition, it may be your best option for treatment. Care at some medical centers, including medical centers of excellence, may be covered by your insurance policy even if they are thousands of miles from your home.
Although it may not get the same news headlines as international medical tourism, interest in medical tourism within the United States has been growing over the past 10 years. There are several factors that seem to be driving the trend in domestic medical travel. Some of them include:
Cost. One of the biggest drivers is the potential to save money on medical care. According to Corporate Wellness Magazine, employers are “realizing they can reduce costs by 20 percent to 40 percent – more than enough to cover travel expenses – by persuading their employees to think … about traveling to locations that may be no more than a five-hour drive away.”
Employers such as GE and Lowe’s have programs to encourage employees to seek care at medical centers of excellence, which specialize in treating specific conditions and often report better patient outcomes. Some large employers have even contracted with such centers to provide care for their employees.
Even if your employer does not have such programs, or you pay for your own health insurance, you may still be able to save money with domestic medical travel. If you are seeking non-emergency treatment, you can ask medical centers to provide cost estimates for treatment and compare them.
Lack of appropriate care nearby. In the United States, the quality and type of health care available can vary greatly depending on where you live. If you live in less populous or less wealthy states, you may have limited access to even basic health care services, such as emergency medicine and primary care providers. To get needed care, you may need to travel to an academic medical center or a medical center of excellence.
Access to specialists or specialized procedures. If you need a complicated heart procedure, you’ll get the best outcomes from a doctor who performs that procedure daily. That doctor will know what to do if there are complications because they have likely dealt with those complications before. To find a doctor who performs the procedure you need, you may need to travel to a nationally ranked specialty center. You can find a list of hospitals ranked by specialty through an internet search or ask your physician for a recommendation.
Availability of clinical trials. There are medical centers throughout the United States that offer clinical trials to treat cancer. One of the best known is the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, home to the largest cancer clinical trial program in the United States. Other medical centers focus on neurologic disorders and other chronic diseases. If you want to take part in clinical trials, you may need to make one or more trips to a medical center that’s several states away from your home.
Proximity to loved ones or caregivers during recovery. You might choose domestic medical travel so that you can receive treatment at a facility that’s close to family or loved ones. This may be an important consideration if you will need help getting to and from appointments or during your recovery.
Domestic Medical Travel: Getting Help When You Need It
Depending on your medical needs, you may need assistance traveling long-distance for medical care within the United States. A medical transport service, such as SentinelMED, can provide peace of mind that you will be able to travel safely and comfortably.
SentinelMED provides medical escort, repatriation and transport services for patients who need assistance with long-distance travel. In many cases, our medical escorts travel with patients on commercial flights, a cost-effective alternative to air ambulance services. Our medical escorts are physicians, physician assistants, nurses and paramedics who provide care and support during travel. When you arrive at your destination, your medical escort will accompany you to a receiving health care facility or the home of a family member or friend who can care for you.
At SentinelMED, we understand the complexity of delivering exceptional care to domestic medical travelers. Please contact us if you’d like to learn more about our services and staff.
