McKinnon Brian J, Bhatt Nishant
Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, Medical College of Georgia, GA, USA.
Cochlear Implants Int. 2010 Sep;11(3):125-32. doi: 10.1002/146701010x486444.
To compare the costs of medical tourism in cochlear implant surgery performed in India as compared to the United States. In addition, the cost savings of obtaining cochlear implant surgery in India were compare d to those of other surgical interventions obtained as a medical tourist.
Searches were conducted on Medline and Google using the search terms: 'medical tourism', 'medical offshoring', 'medical outsourcing', 'cochlear implants' and 'cochlear implantation'. The information regarding cost of medical treatment was obtained from personal communication with individuals familiar with India's cochlear implantation medical tourism industry.
The range of cost depended on length of stay as well as the device chosen. Generally the cost, inclusive of travel, surgery and device, was in the range of $21,000-30,000, as compared to a cost range of $40,000-$60,000 in the US.
With the escalating cost of healthcare in the United States, it is not surprising that some patients would seek to obtain surgical care overseas at a fraction of the cost. Participants in medical tourism often have financial resources, but lack health insurance coverage. While cardiovascular and orthopedic surgery performed outside the United States in India at centers that cater to medical tourists are often performed at one-quarter to one-third of the cost that would have been paid in the United States, the cost differential for cochlear implants is not nearly as favorable.
比较在印度进行人工耳蜗植入手术与在美国进行该手术的医疗旅游成本。此外，还将在印度进行人工耳蜗植入手术的成本节约情况与作为医疗旅游者进行的其他外科手术干预的成本节约情况进行了比较。
在Medline和谷歌上使用搜索词“医疗旅游”“医疗离岸外包”“医疗外包”“人工耳蜗”和“人工耳蜗植入”进行搜索。关于医疗费用的信息是通过与熟悉印度人工耳蜗植入医疗旅游行业的个人进行个人交流获得的。
费用范围取决于住院时间以及所选择的设备。一般来说，包括旅行、手术和设备在内的费用在21,000美元至30,000美元之间，而在美国，费用范围为40,000美元至60,000美元。
鉴于美国医疗保健成本不断攀升，一些患者寻求在海外以较低成本获得手术治疗也就不足为奇了。医疗旅游参与者通常有经济资源，但缺乏医疗保险覆盖。虽然在美国境外印度为医疗旅游者提供服务的中心进行的心血管和骨科手术，其成本通常仅为在美国支付成本的四分之一到三分之一，但人工耳蜗植入的成本差异并不那么有利。
