Experts Weigh In On The Risks Of Medical Tourism For Aesthetic Procedures

08.05.2024 - 18:17 / forbes.com

Medical Tourism, whether it is traveling domestically or internationally, is on the rise. A year ago, several doctors who provided their opinions to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons for a roundtable on the subject pointed to cost as one of the main drivers for this upward trend. While price is certainly a factor, the reasons aren’t only cost-based. Medical Tourism Magazine, the digital publication for the global medical tourism community, points to privacy and anonymity in addition to access to advanced treatments not offered domestically as additional key drivers.

I live in Miami, which is considered as one of the “plastic surgery capitals of the world” due to its high number of plastic surgeons and practices here. So, I thought it would be fitting to tap into an attorney whose law firm specializes in healthcare law and several leading medical providers from the region to get their take on the risks associated with medical tourism, particularly when traveling abroad.

Amanda Howard, an attorney at Florida Healthcare Law Firm who specializes in representing healthcare providers and businesses tells me that she has seen an uptick in consults or cases related to negative outcomes for aesthetic procedures here or abroad. “I have represented clients who have been accused of performing procedures in the US that have resulted in severe adverse effects, attempted to import non-FDA approved drugs into the US to use on patients, or have sought guidance as to their scope of practice and disagreed with limitations,”

Howard continues, “From my perspective, I do think there appears to be some healthcare professionals and businesses lowering or comprising standards to be competitive in the market, particularly among healthcare providers who may not be financially affluent and lack legal expertise, catering to patients facing similar limitations.”

Dr. Paul Durand, MD, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon based out of Miami shares with me that a big part of his practice is revision surgery for surgeries performed elsewhere. “I see many patients who have gotten procedures performed abroad, particularly South America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Even though there are some great surgeons abroad, many of which I know personally, there are also many others that are not. The problem with getting plastic surgery abroad is that it is very hard for patients to discern who is a well-trained, safe surgeon from those who are not.”

Even if a patient finds the best surgeon abroad, Durand feels questions about the health standards of the facility, how tools are sterilized, who assists the surgeon, and post-operative care protocols may be questions that are hard to get answers to. “Complications happen to even