Having surgery? Greetings from Mumbai!

August 22, 2:01 PMHealth Care ExaminerDoctor Lissa

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   God Ganesh in Mumbai

Clients of medical travel company Companion Global Healthcare Inc. can add India to their list of possible destinations for obtaining surgery and other medical care at a fraction of the U.S. cost.

The state-of-the-art Wockhardt Hospitals in Mumbai and Bangalore, both accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) and affiliated with Harvard Medical International, have become the first two facilities in India accepted into Companion Global Healthcare's network of overseas hospitals.

Ok so what's up?  Well, Companion Global Healthcare, Inc. is a company that helps self-funded health insurance groups and individuals get health care overseas.  These people need to save money where possible since there is no giant health care company to back them up in case of catastropic claims. Because costs are so high in the U.S., they are looking to other countries, in other words, outsourcing surgeries in lower cost countries to care for their members.  This will rock the health care industry in the U.S. if it becomes a trend.

Their members can be now also be directed to India to have their surgeries done, instead of going to their local hospital or even the closest hospital on plan.  In fact, members of this group could go to hospitals in Turkey, Singapore, Thailand, Ireland or Costa Rica.  And all of them have Joint Commission Accreditation (which means they should provide quality care). All U.S. hospitals do not have Joint Commission Acceditation.

Patients can be directed overseas for cardiac surgery, spinal surgery, hip replacement, knee replacement or hip resurfacing.  In other words, the big high cost surgeries.  And the physicians are backed by high tech equipment, good nursing care, private rooms for patients with DVD players and high speed internet.  Something we can't often offer here.

In case you're thinking, well, this will only affect a small number of people in this self funded plan anyway, think again.  Companion Global Healthcare provides services to BlueCross Blue Shield of South Carolina and BlueChoice Health Plan of South Carolina.  While it is a separate company, it does provide services to these members.  If it's providing services to this organization, it's only a matter of time before the other big boys come calling.

The health care industry does not see this coming.  Politicians do not see this coming.  John McCain wants to put health care in the hands of families but that won't happen as cost is ultimately the driver of care and care is too expensive in the U.S. with no end in sight.  Besides,  by the time they figure it out, we'll all be in Mumbai anyway.