Davison Steven P, Hayes Kylie D, LaBove Gabrielle, Shaffer Peter
From Georgetown University School of Medicine; Howard University College of Medicine; the University of Arkansas School of Medical Sciences, College of Medicine; and the Carey School of Business, The Johns Hopkins University.
Plast Reconstr Surg. 2018 Oct;142(4):1075-1080. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000004816.
Medical tourism, or traveling abroad to obtain medical services, has evolved into a global health care phenomenon, with over 15 million U.S. patients each year seeking medical care internationally, representing a $50 billion dollar industry in 2017. Speculation and media fascination about the growing industry, diverse destinations, and rationale behind the medical tourists is rampant; however, the legal implications of tourism medicine, particularly when it goes wrong, are often unclear. On the international stage, accreditation agencies are limited in scope and practice, legal jurisdiction is difficult to establish, and the enforcement of rulings is nearly impossible. Patients seeking tourism medicine have little legal recourse and shoulder all the legal burden.
医疗旅游，即出国寻求医疗服务，已发展成为一种全球医疗保健现象，每年有超过1500万美国患者在国际上寻求医疗服务，2017年这一行业规模达500亿美元。关于这个不断发展的行业、多样的目的地以及医疗游客背后的理由，猜测和媒体的热衷报道盛行；然而，旅游医学的法律影响，尤其是出问题时的法律影响，往往并不明确。在国际舞台上，认证机构的范围和实践有限，法律管辖权难以确立，裁决的执行几乎不可能。寻求旅游医学服务的患者几乎没有法律追索权，承担着所有法律负担。
