How we Collaborate with Medical Tourism Facilitators & Industry Partners

We frequently collaborate with Medical Tourism Facilitators, International Patient Departments, Tour Operators & Travel Agents to develop medical tourism destinations and products.

These experts usually have their finger on the “pulse” of the medical tourism sector. They are usually the first to identify a market or destination, spa, resort, or a medical facility or provider they would like to work with and refer patients. Unfortunately, medical tourism development takes more than just a vision of what’s possible.  That’s where we can help solve many challenges through experience and know-how.

Medical tourism facilitators frequently inspect the local value chain of hospitals, clinics, hotels, spas, and other stakeholders on a fam tour. What often happens is that they immediately identify the raw goods that could eventually be a great medical tourism destination, but the health tourism “products” are not developed. That’s where we provide our greatest value. We build on your vision and your candidate’s services to create the medical tourism product for your target market.

Busy medical facilitators have clients to manage. They are on the phone, updating their websites, interviewing new clients and providers, attending fam tours, attending industry events, networking, sourcing leads, reaching out to their provider network for quotes, coordinating calls and video conferences between patient and provider, transferring medical records to and from the providers, arranging hometown follow up care, and building their own business. Their full-time job is marketing the providers and/or coordinating patient care.

Very few medical tourism facilitators, travel agents or tour operators have the time, training, experience, (or competency) to guide a tourism, health or economic development official on developing a medical tourism framework law or regulations. Nor are they able to advise investors, hoteliers, spa operators, hospital executives or a physicians on how to build a medical tourism product. They can advise them on what they believe the market wants to see in a product, but not how to guide them through the strategy, planning, and launch process of building a functional medical tourism infrastructure. To do so, would be tantamount to a car salesman attempting to guide the architectural design, mechanical engineering, framework infrastructure and operation management of an automobile manufacturing plant. The two are related, yes. But only at the product sales level. Without a marketable product, the salesman is at a disadvantage without salable inventory available for customers to buy.

The car sales professional can specify the features that consumers are demanding, that the body style should be one way or another, and the price point should be a certain level in order to be competitive. Most know very little beyond that in terms of “how” to take all the raw elements of steel, rubber and glass, to produce the car and bring it to the market.

We all know that it takes more than just stacking steel, rubber and glass in a neat little pile to make a functional car.

By the same analogy, we all know that it takes more than piecing together a hospital or clinic, a hotel, a taxi service and a flight booking to make a medical tourism product. Without proper infrastructure, workflows, and preparation, you might be able to successfully refer a one-off medical tourism case to a client. But to do so repeatedly increases the risk and likelihood of damaging your own brand, social marketing reviews, testimonials, and reputation (and your clients’ safety and satisfaction). the last thing you want is to steer a client towards an unprepared medical tourism supplier that could result in a sub-optimal medical tourism experience!

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If you are a medical tourism facilitator, travel agent, tour operator, or destination management company and you’ve identified a candidate destination or health tourism provider with the potential to become a medical tourism superstar, contact us. Here’s what to expect when you make an introduction.

Step One

Arrange a formal introduction to your candidate. There is no cost to you or the candidate for us to participate on a brief call or video conference at a mutually convenient time.

Step Two

If the medical tourism development candidate(s) are interested in moving forward, we set a date and arrange an initial consultation. Their low-risk cost for this is a reasonable advance retainer fee that includes the consultation, travel and accommodation. Fees are paid in advance of our purchasing airline travel reservations. All payments are by wire transfer, in USD, to our account. International travel is always reserved at fully-refundable business class level of service. Sometimes these flights and hotels are arranged by the client because they have barter advertising credit available with the airlines and hotels with which they work closely. We are always flexible in this situation.

Step Three

If the medical tourism development candidate decides to move forward with us, the next step will be to conduct a local assessment of the current situation and draft a report of our findings including a gap analysis and recommendations. The cost for this is determined by the scope of the project, the time required at the destination, desk research time, report writing time, travel costs, and per diem subsistence allowances.

Step Four

If the medical tourism development candidate decides to implement our formal recommendations, the subsequent activities are determined in order of developmental priority and needs. For each part of the program and product development (branding, accreditation preparation, staff training, drafting destination framework regulations for quality and safety, communications and workflow, internet-assisted international medical transactional privacy, telehealth consultations, medical records management, services pricing, marketing, advertising, public relations, sales tools development, conference stand marketing, etc.) an incremental budget and time line is developed to execute on the strategy and plan of the medical tourism product development. This usually culminates in one or more pilot projects, depending on the type of providers and their goals and objectives.

It is at that point that we bring you back into the loop to determine if the pilot project and product developed is something you can recommend to your clients. If so, it is up to you to arrange your confidential and proprietary collaboration with the candidate, your relationships, contracts, and business model. We don’t interfere with that part of your relationship with them. If necessary, and upon mutual agreement, we can guide the parties as mediator/neutrals to help you move through the provider relations contracting phase and not overlook any critical details.

Our business relationship with you

We know that as a medical tourism facilitator travel agent, tour operator or destination management company, you want a quality product to sell. We also know that you want your candidate to agree to proceed in the development of that quality product. We also know you appreciate transparency and integrity in all dealings.

Rather than pay big finder’s fees for your introductions, we extend our lowest, discounted rates to your candidates to better enable them to move forward with their market entry and pilot project. Your remuneration comes from successful case referrals to a high-quality medical tourism product and your remuneration for your professional value added services.  While we have been known to reward our loyal trading partners with a token of our appreciation in the form of a small gift, please do not expect us to extend our lowest rates without a transparent commission layered in, and expect us to pay you a commission for an introduction.

Who are likely candidates?

• Private sector hospitals and clinics, rehab centers, and outpatient surgery facilities
• Doctors and dentists with independent private sector health and wellness clinics
• Anti-aging clinics, wellness retreats and resorts
• Assisted reproduction and infertility clinics
• Spas and thermal springs resorts, balneology and thalassotherapy resorts
• Dialysis centers and senior expatriate communities near a private sector healthcare facility
• Hotels, resorts, and serviced apartments located proximate to private sector medical providers
• Airport authorities, commercial airlines and commuter air taxis with private sector medical facilities nearby
• Yachting and cycling suppliers, walking tour operators, local historical and adventure tourism attraction owners and operators
• Golf and tennis resorts with working pros and coaches that can incorporate medically-assisted golf swing and tennis serve analyses
• Limousine and shuttle services, motor coach tour operators, private drivers, guides and certified interpreters
• Destination management companies specializing in yoga and other spiritual, religious, and indigenous cultural ritual healing tours
• Medical marijuana dispensaries and certifying physicians (in locations where such sales have been legalized or decriminalized)
• MICE organizers who plan combined health and wellness activities and experiences that are unique to the destination
• Luxury travel brands that combine unique tours and activities with an executive checkup at exotic destinations
• Food and beverage outlets that can accommodate special needs travelers, prepare special diets and spa cuisine menus
• Wineries, cheese makers and organic farmers and ranchers that are oriented to wellness leisure experiences and tasting tours

The combinations are only as limited as your imagination and ability to sell the completed health and wellness tourism packages to your target market.

The first step towards working with us is to talk with us.

Mercury Advisory Group
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Call us: +1.303.823.4662