By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    medicare part d benefits
    Everything that You Need to Know About Medicare Part D
    August 15, 2022
    Best Ways to Boost Your Immune System this Winter
    Best Ways to Boost Your Immune System this Winter
    November 15, 2022
    back pain issues
    Ways to Treat Constant Back Pain
    August 21, 2023
    Latest News
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    More On Wellness Programs To Improve Health and Reduce Costs
    January 25, 2012
    Privatizing Social Security and Medicare: Who Can Defuse Political Dynamite?
    June 12, 2011
    Study: Risk of Death in Elderly Patients with Dementia Doubled with Some Antipsychotic Medications
    February 26, 2012
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Wal-Mart Offers Medical Tourism Legitimacy
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Wal-Mart Offers Medical Tourism Legitimacy
Business

Wal-Mart Offers Medical Tourism Legitimacy

drkevin1951
drkevin1951
Share
4 Min Read
SHARE

Employers are quieting changing their plans to encourage care delivery at high volume, good outcome, low cost facilities….

Employers are quieting changing their plans to encourage care delivery at high volume, good outcome, low cost facilities….

It’s a trend that I’ve been predicting for the last five plus years – medical tourism both domestically and internationally. It seems that the domestic approach got a big boast in recent weeks as Wal-Mart announced that it will begin offering their insured employees the option of undergoing certain procedures at highly ranked health systems across America with very little if no out-of-pocket cost to the employee — travel included (sometimes, even First Class). The approach is being taken for those high end procedures where it’s clear that volume equate to quality – for example, heart and spine patients – where data supports that notion that having the procedure done at a high volume institution results in improved care and lower costs.

The trend has started with the large companies that can negotiate a bundled rate with a health system in return for a guarantee on the delivery of a certain volume of services from the employer. Companies that are participating include: PepsiCo (250,000 employees), Lowe’s (234,000 employees), HCR ManorCare (64,000 employees) and, of course, Wal-Mart (1.1 million covered employees). Generally, the approach that’s taken is the procedure is offered at a highly reputable care delivery organization (e.g. The Cleveland Clinic) with no co-pays or deductibles and travel expenses for the patient and a caregiver or family member are frequently thrown in as part of the deal. The employee can still have the procedure done at their favorite, local hometown hospital but then the co-pays and deductibles apply – so there’s an out-of-pocket expense for the employee.

More Read

patient engagement
Patient Engagement: Blockbuster Drug Or Snake Oil?
Is NCQA Accreditation Right for You?
Radiofrequency Ablation Systems Drive a Multi-billion Dollar Market
A Go Live of EPIC Proportions
Opening Your Own Private Medical Practice in the Digital Age

So, who is benefiting from this on the care delivery side? To date, contracts have included such institutions as The Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio; Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania; Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland; The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Jacksonville, Florida; Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, Texas; Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle, Washington; and, Mercy Hospital Springfield in Springfield, Missouri. So, what’s with the Mercy Hospital in Springfield? Well, it just so happens that the hospital is the closest facility to Wal-Mart’s corporate headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Whether or not this reduces costs or results in better outcomes is an open question. But, the bet on the part of the companies is that savings will accrue. And, it’s clear that the health systems are very interested in gaining this type of business as a “bundled payment” arrangement. Randy Hargrove of Wal-Mart in announcing the companies decision noted that, “We’re looking to expand these programs to reduce our associates’ out-of-pocket medical costs and provide the highest quality of care and we plan to expand this program to include more procedures and providers.”

Furthermore, it seems that the shift is primary a “domestic” phenomenon. International medical tourism where the obvious cost differential can be huge has never really taken off despite early predictions that it would create a major shift in how healthcare was to be delivered. The Deloitte Center for Health Solutions has labeled the call for foreign medical tourism as “tepid” at best. We should anticipate that the trend for domestic medical tourism (is travel to Cleveland really “tourism”?) will only continue in the coming years as employers look for ways to reduce costs and enhance quality by driving better outcomes.

 

TAGGED:medical tourism
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025
a woman giving a key
How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
Health
July 16, 2025
a woman with kinesio tapes on her back arm
How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

What is ePrescribing?

April 5, 2012
online communities and disclosure
BusinesseHealthPolicy & LawPublic HealthSocial Media

Articles about Disclosure in Online Communities

October 20, 2014

Pay For Performance and HCAHPS

March 24, 2012

$3 Trillion in Lost Benefits Suffered by Caregivers

July 27, 2011
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?