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WHAT IS THE Medical Tourism Association ™?

The Medical Tourism Association ™ is the first international non-profit association made up of the top international hospitals, healthcare providers, medical travel facilitators, insurance companies, and other affiliated companies and members with the common goal of promoting the highest level of quality of healthcare to patients in a global environment. Our Association promotes the interests of its healthcare provider and medical tourism facilitators members. The Medical Tourism Association ™ has three tenets: Transparency, Communication and Education.

Transparency

The Medical Tourism Association ™ seeks to provide transparency in both quality of care and pricing. Every day we see more and more that the globalization of healthcare has created a very flat world. We exchange technology, information, communication, physicians and patients. In order to ensure patient safety, it is our goal to create a transparency about the quality of healthcare that can be found in each country. With this, it is increasingly important to create a transparency in pricing as well so patients traveling overseas for care can be sure of what they are receiving without hidden costs or unforeseen expenses. The Medical Tourism Association ™ is also working on the Quality of Care Project, which will change the way we look at the reporting of global healthcare statistics and the quality of care available at hospitals around the world. For More Information click here.

Communication

The Members of the Medical Tourism Association ™ agree that communication is the key to success, particularly with respect to ensuring positive patient outcomes. Last year, the Founders of the Medical Tourism Association ™ polled international healthcare providers and found that each provider has the same concerns with the increasing globalization of healthcare. Why should we all try to resolve these concerns individually instead of collectively? The members of the Medical Tourism Association ™ have agreed to put competition aside and work together to resolve the issues one by one and to work together to address them as they arise. We have created a forum for communication for all of the actors in the global healthcare environment. We have committees that work together to address issues such as legal, economic, patient financing, Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, communication with insurance companies, media support and more.

Education

Although we live in a world where information is at our fingertips, there are so many people who lack the information that they can receive the highest quality of care outside of their home country. Some patients in countries like the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom have a lack of access to healthcare due to high cost and high wait times. Patients in some other regions as in some parts of Africa and the Middle East do not have access to high quality of care in their own country and need to look elsewhere. Some patients just would like to travel outside of their country for healthcare to incorporate high quality of care with a holiday and tourism. Regardless of the reason, patients need education and information to understand what they should look for in finding a provider overseas and considerations that should be taken seriously to ensure patients safety. As insurance companies continue to incorporate global healthcare and medical tourism options into their benefit plans and domestic healthcare providers are required to treat patients for aftercare when patients return to their home country, education is required to accomplish this seamlessly. The Medical Tourism Association ™ strives to provide education to anyone with any interest in this industry using various means: the media, conferences, and through the Medical Tourism Magazine. The Medical Tourism Magazine is a monthly trade journal aimed to provide a wealth of information for anyone interested in or affected by the globalization of healthcare. For More Information click here.

Our Mission


Non-Profit Status

The Medical Tourism Association ™ is an international non-profit organization which has been designated for 501(C)(6) status by the Internal Revenue of the United States Government. Section 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code provides for the exemption of business leagues, which are not organized for profit and no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual. The Medical Tourism Association ™ does not have shareholders or investors.

As provided by www.IRS.gov, a business league is an association of persons having some common business interest, the purpose of which is to promote such common interest and not to engage in a regular business of a kind ordinarily carried on for profit. Trade associations and professional associations are business leagues. To be exempt, a business league's activities must be devoted to improving business conditions of one or more lines of business as distinguished from performing particular services for individual persons.

How is the MTA Different?

We are a True, Un-Biased, Non-Profit Organization

The Medical Tourism Association ™ is the first non-profit association created in the medical tourism industry. Unlike other organizations, the Medical Tourism Association ™ was not founded by any government or governmental organization, hospital, or private for-profit corporation, nor are we funded by or indirectly run or controlled by any such organizations. The Medical Tourism Association ™ is truly an unbiased association influenced only by the will and intent of its members.

We have Full Time Staff

The Medical Tourism Association ™ is the only industry organization with a full time staff dedicated to promoting the goals of its members. We are the only organization with staff and offices located in different regions of the world.

We are Transparent

Our association is the only organization focusing on quality of care, transparency, communication and education. Everything we do is in furtherance of these goals and not to promote the interests of any private corporate or governmental interest. Unlike any other organizations, the Medical Tourism Association ™ performs due diligence on healthcare providers and medical tourism facilitator members which ultimately works towards ensuring patient safety.

We Promote a Forum for Communication

The Medical Tourism Association ™ has forged strong alliances between its members. Our organization is the only association with the capability to connect members with the largest number of media contacts, insurance companies and other opportunities to grow the businesses of its members. We have monthly teleconferencing to discuss the issues common to everyone involved and creating a pyramidal structure for the growth of the industry to withstand the test of time.

We Educate

The Medical Tourism Association ™ focuses on education. The Medical Tourism Magazine is a monthly journal that is free for anyone wishing to receive a subscription electronically or in hard copy. The revenues received through advertising are used to support the cost of producing the magazine and increasing the printed distribution. Other magazines and newsletters have been created specifically to generate profits for private corporations and do not represent the industry or the interests of the industry. Members of the Medical Tourism Association ™ speak internationally at conferences and other venues to educate about the issues involved in the globalization of healthcare. This includes speaking engagements for physician groups, employer groups, consulting firms, insurance agents and brokers, and governmental organizations. Medical Tourism Association ™ regularly consults foreign governments about the growth of the industry in other countries, the opportunities created through marketing and the benefits of ultimately improving the quality of care within their national borders.

We Impact the Private and Public Sector

Many people believe medical tourism is a new phenomenon. This is just not true. People have been traveling outside of their borders for decades. The potential for this growing trend towards globalization is not designed to improve just the private sector. Raising the quality of care internationally in the private sector can have extremely positive effects on the public sector as well. The Medical Tourism Association ™ connects hospitals and countries with accreditation systems making the highest level of technology and healthcare information available to people from around the world in both the private and public sector.



OUR LOCATIONS

Our Headquarter are in
West Palm Beach, Florida with regional offices being created internationally.

The Medical Tourism Association ™ has offices in
United States
MTA Asia - Seoul
Korea
Middle East - Dubai
United Arab Emirates.
MTA Latin America - Costa Rica

We believe having our headquarter office in the United States best positions us to further our goals of education with respect to insurance companies, employers, physician groups and patients located within the United States. From this location, we can easily access the American, Canadian and European public which includes the largest growing population of patients looking for options overseas. The regional offices in Asia and the Middle East will be organized to address Chinese, Japanese and Middle Eastern patients which are the target markets for many of our Asian members. The office in Latin American and Europe will address the growth and the concerns of the Latin American and European healthcare providers, respectively.



OFFICERS

Jonathan Edelheit - Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Tourism Association ™

Previous to the Medical Tourism Association ™, Mr. Edelheit was in charge of United Group Programs a large US healthcare administrator with clients such as DaimlerChrysler, Sysco, State of Florida and Idaho. Mr. Edelheit was the pioneer of medical tourism in the US and the first person to implement medical tourism into a US health insurance plan. Believing that Medical Tourism could be a solution to the US healthcare crisis, Mr. Edelheit left United Group Programs to work for the Medical Tourism Association ™ and to help educate the world on the high quality of care available overseas. Mr. Edelheit has been featured or mentioned in over 40 magazines from Time Magazine to Newsweek, and in February who was featured as a visionary in US healthcare for his activities in Medical Tourism by Executive Managed Healthcare Magazine, which goes out to 40,000 top US healthcare executives.

Mr. Edelheit is also an attorney and is considered an expert in US healthcare.

Jon@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Jonathan Edelheit
Renee-Marie Stephano, Esquire -President of the Medical Tourism Association ™

Renee-Marie Stephano is the President of the Medical Tourism Association ™. Ms. Stephano is also the Editor of the Medical Tourism Magazine.

Having a background in international marketing and relations, health law and litigation, she provides a valuable service to the Medical Tourism Association ™ in these fields. Renee-Marie is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in the State of New Jersey. Ms. Stephano speaks regularly at international conferences on the Legal Issues Surrounding Medical Tourism and in the United States to employer groups, insurance groups and physician associations. Renee-Marie consults international government ministries, private sector organizations and NGO's about the growth of the global healthcare industry and accreditation, providing marketing assistance to promote their countries high quality of care.

Renee@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Renee-Marie Stephano
Brad Cook - Secretary and Strategic Development Officer - Latin America

Brad Cook is considered an expert in global healthcare and medical tourism and is in charge of the International Patient Department of Clinica Biblica in Costa Rica.

brad@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Brad Cook
Jim McCormick, MD, MBA - Assistant Secretary

Mr. Jim McCormick has his board certified medical background in Emergency Medicine. He serves as the Assistant Secretary for the Medical Tourism Association ™. He completed his Masters in Business Administration at Pepperdine University. His facilitation company is targeted to formally launch operations in early 2009, Premiere Medical Travel Company, LLC.

Jim@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Jim McCormick
Jessica Johnson
Director of Operations

Jessica provides operational support for the MTA. Her responsibilities span the range of administrative, financial, operational and I/T support systems.

JJohnson@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Jessica Johnson
Gabriella Vicuña
Membership Coordinator - Latin America, Assistant Editor

Gabriella provides recruitment, coordination and retention support for members of the MTA in the Latin America Region. In addition, she supports the Medical Tourism Magazine.

gaby@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Gabriella Vicuña
Stephanie Falcone
Membership Coordinator, Social Media

Stephanie provides recruitment, coordination and retention support for members of the MTA. In addition, she supports the Health Tourism Magazine.

Stephanie@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Stephanie Falcone
Christin Erazo
Assistant Editor, Social Media

Christin provides coordination and implementation of social media for the MTA. In addition, she supports the Medical Tourism Magazine.

Christin@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Christin Erazo
Michael Quirose
Membership Director, Latin America- Costa Rica Office

Michael fills the MTA's membership development function for Latin America out of San Jose, Costa Rica.

Michael@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Michael Quiros
Prem Jagaysi - Dubai - Chief Marketing Officer

Prem Jagaysi - Dubai - Chief Marketing Officer Mr. Prem Jagyasi is an expert in international healthcare and medical tourism and has been involved running and managing hospitals as well as being considered a leading expert in the business of dealing with international patients.

Prem Jagaysi
Vivian Ho Managing Director - Asian Pacific Region

Vivian Ho is President of AGHP, a 501c3 that works on global health philanthropy ventures. She also serves as Managing Director, Asia Pacific for MTA, and Co-Editor of MTA's health tourism e-magazine. Prior to this, Vivian was President & CEO of Queens International in Honolulu, Hawaii building Hawaii's medical travel & health tourism initiative. She currently advises on country, sector and organization initiatives in Medical & Health Tourism.

Vivian@MedicalTourismAssociation.com

Vivian Ho
Moshe Steiner - Chief Executive Officer - MTA Israel

Mr. Steiner is President of Global Health Israel (GHI), a leading Medical Tourism service company in Israel. GHI is a subsidiary of I.S.I. Israel Scientific Instruments Ltd., which has been active in the field of medical equipment for over 35 years and has been working with the leading hospitals in Israel, supplying them with the most sophisticated equipment. Some of the current activities of the company include partnership with medical centers at various locations around the world. Based on this extensive network in Israel and worldwide, the company has now embarked upon a new venture and has taken on the challenge of developing the field of Medical Tourism in Israel, and has founded GHI to fulfill this goal.

info@globalhealthisrael.com

Moshe Steiner
Nathalie Steiner - Marketing Representative - MTA Israel

Nathalie Steiner is VP Marketing of Global Health Israel (GHI), a leading Medical Tourism service company in Israel, and a subsidiary of I.S.I. Israel Scientific Instruments Ltd.,Ms. Steiner serves as CEO of the Israeli office of the Medical Tourism Association ™ (MTA). In this capacity, Ms. Steiner is in charge of promoting Israel as a leading destination for Medical Tourism and is in close contact with top management of the leading hospitals in Israel and officials at various governmental offices.

nat@globalhealthisrael.com

Nathalie Steiner
Guillermo Gonzalez-Prieto - Strategic Development Executive - Argentina

Guillermo Gonzalez-Prieto is a Strategic Development Executive for the MTA promoting the Medical Tourism Association ™ in Argentina.

Guillermo Gonzalez-Prieto
Kyungwon Jang, Ph.D. as the general director of MTA Asia
Kyungwon Jang
James Bae, MHA as the Strategic Development Officer of MTA Asia
James Bae
Emin Cakmak, Chief Executive Officer of MTA Turkey
Emin Cakmak

CORPORATE STAFF

Cayla Lambier
Medical Tourism Magazine
Journalist
Cayla Lambier
Headquarters:

Medical Tourism Association ™
10130 Northlake Blvd.
Suites 214-315
West Palm Beach, Florida, USA 33412

Other Locations :

MTA Asia - Seoul, Korea
MTA Latin America - Costa Rica Office - San Jose, Costa Rica
MTA Germany - Berlin, Germany
MTA Mexico - Monterrey, Mexico
MTA Middle East - Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Within Dubai Healthcare City)

Issue 16

Issue 16

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