Hospitals Compete For Patients With Hotel-Like Amenities

      

Medical tourists to Malaysia and Bangkok enjoy superior service and amenities at hospitals that compete for their business, which is something American hospitals are finally emulating. Over one million Americans travel overseas each year for elective and non-elective procedures that cost far less than they do here, sometimes less than the co-pay an insured person would pay here. While there, patients stay in hospitals that cater to them, offering limousine pick-up from the airport, massages and other spa services, all while staying in a luxury room that has its own marble bathroom.

While hospital officials in the U.S. say that they are adding amenities seen in foreign hospitals because they reduce their patient's stress, these perks also attract patients with private insurance who can select which hospital they prefer. Certain extras, such as valet service, strike a balance between marketing and functionality; the patient's companion may walk in with them, providing support, as opposed to having the patient wait while they go park the car.

When the Forest Park Medical Center chain of doctor-owned, luxury hospitals went out of business, St. David’s Surgical Hospital took over their Austin flagship hospital to develop their own "destination" hospital. Performing only elective surgeries, St. David’s hopes to compete for private-paying patients in Dallas, banking on the fact that patients are willing to pay more for a hospital room that features hotel-like amenities.

Ironically, in a move angering the hotel industry, Medicare is now rating hospitals with a one to five star system. The new rating system is also angering hospitals that say the star ratings present an overly simplistic image of quality.

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