By Healthcare Facilities Today

American healthcare consumers are starting to opt for domestic medical tourism to expand their access to affordable healthcare, according to an article in Reuters. Out-of-pocket payers, and some with insurance, are shopping around medical facilities with ever increasing frequency to get the best deal for their procedures.  

The more common brand of this tourism is to exotic locations, such as India or Bangkok, where luxury hospital locations attract about 700,000 Americans abroad for medical treatment, says the article.  However, third-party firms in the U.S. can help individuals track down cheaper options in country, such as getting a hip replacement for $20,000 less if performed in Oklahoma instead of Minnesota. In some situations hospitals offer discounts for cash payments, says the article.

One challenge to those patients who would shop around is getting at hard numbers for comparisons. Most American facilities don't provide that information due to the variables affecting each individual procedure.

Nevertheless, it's expected the trend will continue as even large employers, like Lowes and PepsiCo Inc., broker deals directly with hospitals to contain costs for certain procedures, such as cardiac care.

The type of facilities targeted by this kind of medical comparison shopping is "fully accredited hospitals with an extensive, successful history in performing the procedure [patients] are seeking."  

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