FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MTQUA launches world’s first international certification in medical tourism for hospitals, clinics, agents.
February 20, 2014 – Bangkok and Scottsdale – The Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA), promoting better quality and safety for medical tourists since 2009, has launched the first ever international Medical Tourism Certification for health and wellness providers and agencies around the world.
“Medical tourists are traveling to get better, not to get frustrated, frightened or cheated,” says Julie Munro, President of MTQUA. “They are not ordinary patients. They need extra care, services and consideration, and they need to be able to trust their hospital or agent to deliver these.”
Medical tourists are faced with more choices for treatment than ever from a growing number of hospitals, doctors and agencies around the world that market their services to the medical traveler.
Certification looks beyond the luxuries of five-star hotel services to review aspects of care including communications, ethics, pricing and cultural sensitivity that are critical in good care but that travelers can’t judge on their own.
“I’m very pleased with the response from the medical tourism industry,” says Ms. Munro. “We have already certified hospitals, clinics and agents across Asia, in the Middle East and the United States.”
Medical tourism certification is awarded to a hospital, clinic or medical tourism agency that meets the international standard of quality in 10 areas that directly impact a medical tourist’s wellbeing and good results. These include:
- the website and internet marketing
- communication procedures and protocols
- privacy and security measures
- multicultural and multilingual sensitivities
- international patient services
- and other operations and business procedures that have been shown to affect the quality of treatment and care a medical tourist receives.
Medical tourism certification is awarded to a hospital, clinic or medical tourism agency that meets the international standard of quality in 10 areas that directly impact a medical tourist’s wellbeing and good results. MTQUA evaluators examine a provider’s website and internet marketing, communication procedures and protocols, privacy and security measures, multicultural sensitivity, international patient services, and other operations and business procedures that have been shown to affect the quality of treatment and care a medical tourist receives.
Certified establishments display the silver and blue “Medical Travel Certified” seal.
Medical Travel Quality Alliance (MTQUA, https://mtqua.org) is an independent international organization founded in 2009 to promote the special safety and quality concerns in the treatment and care of medical tourists and global best practices in care management for medical tourists. It publishes an annual list of the World’s Best Hospitals For Medical Tourists™ and operates a Patient Registry for international traveling patients.
Helpful Links:
5 Steps to becoming certified.
Download the Guide To Medical Tourism Certification.
Learn about the benefits of medical tourism certification.
