In searching online for doctors performing Artificial Disc Replacement (ADR) surgery in San Diego this morning, I came upon a company called Healthbase which conducts "medical tourism" operations in Mexico and various other countries. According to their website: "Medical tourism is the act of traveling to other countries to obtain medical, dental or cosmetic care. A combination of many factors has lead to the recent increase in popularity of medical tourism: high costs of healthcare in industrialized nations, waiting list, ease and affordability of international travel, improving technology and standards of care in many countries of the world."
I thought, what the heck, I'll fill out a questionnaire and see what happens. A guy named "Moe" (617-658-1401) with an Indian accent called me back within two hours, and we had a lengthy chat. And now I am seriously thinking about the possibilities! If Moe can be believed, getting a two-level disc replacement in India would cost approx. $14,700 -- which is all-inclusive with a 14-day hospital stay (includes room and board) plus a companion can come along for free. He said the procedure would cost around $65,000-$70,000 here in the US, which sounds about right. He said the doctors are excellent, have been doing the procedure for 20 years, and would work closely with my doctor(s) here in the States. He said they use the approved brand-name artificial discs, including Medtronic and ProDisc. He said they also do the procedure in Singapore and Belgium but that India was the cheapest alternative. I have since checked out their website which looks legit. I need to think about this....
Thursday, January 22, 2009
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