PUERTO RICO: The authority in medical tourism

Sure there are palm trees and riotous bougainvillea along the medical center and hospital grounds, which are located amidst verdant hillsides, tropical gardens, bustling chic boulevards, or alluring seafront vistas. More importantly, however, the facilities also meet the world’s toughest medical and healthcare standards, with the staff and facilities 100% U.S. certified and accredited. 

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Puerto Rico also boasts numerous surgeons and medical practitioners who have earned international rock star-like status for their level of skill and enviable training and experience in nearly every specialty under the sun, including organ transports, open heart surgery, orthopedics, cosmetic surgery, mental health and addiction assistance and advanced non-invasive procedures on numerous fronts. Its facilities are also top notch with cutting edge technology. The island is not only a great place to come for medical treatment; it is probably among the best destinations in all the U.S. for medical care, on top of its treasured location with the world’s finest beaches.

Moreover, it will cost patients – and their healthcare plans (whether through a self-insured company plan or a group or individual insurance policy) – a lot less for a procedure in Puerto Rico than in the continental  U.S., with most procedures 40% less expensive and some as much as 70% less expensive. And because Puerto Rico is part of the U.S. healthcare system, most insurance plans fully apply on the island making traveling here for a procedure a breeze.

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Many of the island’s top healthcare institutions offer medical tourists full services, including logistics for medical procedures, trip planning, lodging, tours, transportation and meals, and anything else that comes up. The government’s Puerto Rico Medical Tourism Corporation, set up in 2014, is promoting the tremendous benefits Puerto Rico offers medical tourists and also implementing an island wide  concierge service that will serve as a liaison between  patients and health providers on the island, from the trip’s planning stages, through booking airport pickup to hospital registration and checkout to medical checkup once the patient leaves.

Facilities of all sorts are also getting trained and certified by the Medical Tourism Association, the Florida -based entity that is the most recognized in the world in certifying medical tourism providers worldwide. So far, dozens of entities have been certified, including 10 hospitals, five dental clinics, six hotels, a host of labs, x-ray and imaging services, as well as complimentary services like transportation and travel tours. 

World-class hospitals on board include Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital, Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico, Hospital Auxilio Mutuo, HIMA Health, Metro Pavia Hospital, San Jorge Children’s Hospital and Doctor’s Center Hospital. Other providers include Ashford Dental, Dietrich Dental, Centro Sononuclear Rio Piedras, San Patricio MedFLIX, Vista Ophthalmic and PRUSA Health.

With so much going for it’s no wonder that Francisco Bonet, the executive director of the Puerto Rico Medical Tourism Corporation, expects the number of medical tourists to roughly triple over the next two years to more than 30,000. 

Puerto Rico is the No. 1 medical tourism destination in the Caribbean and is one of the most advanced internationally, along with Singapore, South Korea, and Costa Rica. It attracts residents from across the region and Latin American destinations as well from the U.S., particularly along the East Coast. However, Puerto Rico makes sense for most U.S. residents and other patients in the Americas looking to tap into top level quality U.S. healthcare services at an amazing price.

“We have to comply with the standards of the most regulated system in the world, the US, but we have lower costs,” Bonet said. “We are under the U.S. healthcare system and have the best physicians and healthcare personnel available to treat patients in an array of specialties. We are the most affordable healthcare destination and you won’t be sacrificing quality.”

Island healthcare specialists are U.S. trained and many have excelled at some of the finest institutions in the U.S. before returning to practice in Puerto Rico. The sophisticated healthcare sector supports an enviable assortment of medical specialties that are world class yet offer big savings on procedures.

Institutions excel at particular specialties, with many having won internationally renowned in specific areas, but Puerto Rico’s world-class healthcare facilities are multi-faceted, offering visitors outstanding care in all capacities.