Exploring Medical Tourism in the USA with Dan Heffley | Salud Health USA CEO Interview

Join us for an insightful interview with Dan Heffley, CEO of Salud Health USA, as we delve into the world of medical tourism in the United States. Emily Bron, owner of International Lifestyle Consulting, sits down with Dan to discuss the intriguing contrasts between US healthcare and international healthcare. Discover Dan’s journey from the health insurance marketplace to the helm of a medical tourism company and gain valuable insights into the industry.

In this interview, we explore:

• Dan’s unique background and experience in healthcare and hospitality.
• The differences in healthcare styles and costs between the U.S. and international destinations.
• How to connect with Salud Health USA for medical tourism opportunities.
  
  

Don’t miss this engaging conversation that sheds light on the future of healthcare options. Visit saludhealthusa.com to learn more and get in touch with Dan and his team.

TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Introduction
2:15 What is Medical Tourism?
8:28 Why Does Medical Tourism Exist?
14:10 Benefits and Quality of Medical Tourism
35:43 Is Medical Tourism Safe in Other Countries?
48:48 Summary of Medical Tourism Services
52:09 How to Connect with Salud Health USA

Emily: Hello. Hello, everyone. Emily Bron here, owner of the International Lifestyle Consulting. And as promised, today I have my dear guest Dan Heffley CEO of Salud Health USA and many other things that I believe Dan will share with us soon. Hello, Dan. How are you?

Dan: Good morning, Emily. I’m well. How about yourself?

Emily: I am okay.

I am looking forward even with all my knowledge and practical experience about medical tourism to learn from you about your experience, like from the different angle and specifically being kind of on the helm of a medical tourism company in United States. So let’s start. So a little bit about you just before we jump to the matter.

Dan: Sure. As you had mentioned, I’m CEO of Salud health USA, a medical tourism facilitation company, but I always wasn’t I wasn’t always involved in medical tourism. I had 20 years in the health insurance marketplace and I also have a lot of experience internationally with hospitality companies, and that’s really where I noticed the stark contrasts and differences between US style healthcare and costs and international style healthcare and costs, and it intrigued me. So I investigated it further.

Emily: Interesting, interesting. I can tell that I came to medical tourism exploration myself when I started to travel.

First of all, when I lived in different countries with different medical system. And as immigrant, learn on my own skin, I would say as the differences. And bad and good. And always comparing, next country you comparing how it was here and there. And with my kind of analytical mind, I was always trying to find how it’s working as a system. And when I started to travel interest. So what is a medical tourism in term of Dan Heffley?

Dan: Okay. Well, medical tourism has actually been around for quite some time. It’s been around over 20 years, and it primarily focused on cosmetic procedures because cosmetic procedures are not covered by health insurance.

And most people here in the US have some sort of health insurance to help them pay the costs. But as health insurance started getting more and more expensive, people started looking for alternatives. And overseas, and by overseas, I mean the world, there’s various different procedures that are available that are much less cost.

They cost a lot less than what they are here in the US the US has some of the highest health care costs in the world.

Emily: Do you have explanation. Why? Why?

Dan: There’s there’s many explanations. I mean I could go on and I could write a book about it, but primarily it has to do with the cost of the technology.

The fact that America actually subsidizes. the world. People don’t know that. We actually subsidize the pharmaceutical industry because other countries have caps on how much drugs could cost and in the US that’s not the case. That’s not the case. So a lot of that falls upon the US I remember back in 2000.

I’ll share this with you back in 2000. The World Health Organization did a survey of the best health care systems. In the world and the US came in at number 37. Yes, number 37 in the world. Number 1 was France. Number 1 was France and I took issue with that. So I investigated it. And 1 of the things that I found.

Was that and doctors my, my wife’s a nurse practitioner. So, I’m, I’m behind doctors and medical personnel. 100%. They, they do earn the money that they make. But 1 of the things that the French doctors said was. We don’t need two vacation homes. We don’t need five cars. So the salaries and the costs for the medical care also there’s something called tort reform that has been looked at here in the US and it’s very difficult to enact tort reform.

What is tort reform? Tort reform is reducing the amounts. Of awards in medical malpractice cases, and that’s one of the things that France that the French did as well. They didn’t have the system that we have here where you can have millions and millions of dollars in, in injury claims. They actually have a governmental entity that decides if medical malpractice has occurred, and they also have a separate fund for that.

To pay out of so they decide if it is occurred and then they decide what the amount is now I mean you had asked, what are the drivers of costs here in the US And that’s just a few that that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Emily: Okay, but today we’ll go to the medical tourism Even it’s all interconnected like why it exists.

It’s because of high cost in the United States. Like I live in Canada. We have different medical system which kind free, but we are paying another price for this health system. in the form of long waiting times. I attention medical attention. Kind of the but, and lately we started to supplement less and less by the way services covered by OHIP.

OHIP, for example, it’s my government, in Ontario, like every province has its own and more and more we subsidize. Anyway like I, I will not about alternative medicine, but like acupuncture, which is alternative, but recognized or homeopathic or some other types of treatments, which by the way normal, like homeopathic in Europe, in Germany.

Where actually it was born like as a in a big sense it’s completely system And it’s all kind of recognized and subsidized Don’t go to the details in canada and united states. What is united us in this respect? It’s dental costs look many people and including me started to look south or would say abroad when we have a certain dental problem because the costs are just raising and quality.

It’s not always satisfying. I would say I personally found a very good care. I was amazed by technology in Costa Rica and Costa Rica. It’s known kind of provider for medical tourism services. in regards to dental, in regards to cosmetic and others.

But what you would say additional factors and I you launched your Salud USA what was the main trigger?

Dan: You, I mean, you mentioned it in addition to high costs here in the US, there is a, And I mean, I experienced it myself. I, I, I needed a procedure and I was talked with you And as soon as they could get me in. Was 3 months in 3 months from from, the time that I had called and with medical tourism, it’s we can get procedures scheduled in as little as 2 weeks.

We can get it scheduled as little as 2 weeks and the last thing that Is I mean, oftentimes there are procedures that may not be available here in the US and every country has their regular, their regulatory procedures and the FDA which oversees the US markets. They take a very long time.

I mean, speaking of just a pharmaceuticals, the average time is seven to to provide for a drug to provide a drug can be approved that a drug can be approved here in the US a new drug takes between seven and 10 years to be approved here in the US and it’s not just, it’s just not just pharmaceuticals. It’s also I know relationship with a company that has an innovative gastric balloon. And they’ve been using it worldwide for many, many, many years successfully. And what it is, they, person swallows pill that is in actuality an actual balloon. It’s connected to a mini catheter, inflated once it is in the stomach, and it’s, it self dissolves.

So it’s a non surgical bariatric balloon. And it’s currently going through FDA approval as we speak, but it’s been available. Globally, I mean for many many years.

Emily: I think my sister in Israel did it like a couple of years ago This procedure.

Dan: Yes They they are in israel. They are in israel

Emily: So tell me please speaking now about benefits about medical tool so I understand that actually the I would say size and maybe Heaviness of FDA medical establishment in the United States.

It’s one of the reason why it all takes time. How other countries, how Costa Rica, how Mexico Israel, dealing because they have regulation as well. And with all these kind of their prices depending. Yeah.

Dan: It has to do with what I mentioned before about tort reform and, but also labor arbitrage.

Okay. And that is how much, doctors get paid. It’s, no secret that, if you go to Mexico, for example, and, you want to buy it tends to cost a lot less in Mexico than for a comparable product here in the US. And the reason for that, has to do with the cost there, the labor arbitrage, which is what people get paid to do the jobs as well as exchange rates. As well as exchange rates you involved. So there, there’s many factors that to a lot of the hospitals that we work with. We of our network was actually personally vetted. And what we found is the nurse to patient ratio was much better, was much better.

There’s a hospital in Tijuana. We went to my wife accompanied me because she’s a nurse practitioner in a hospital system and she was amazed. She was amazed at at the level of care, number one, the cleanliness, number two, and then, of course, the ratio of nurses to patients during the height of the pandemic.

And again, this is an an isolated case. like this all the time, but at during the height of the pandemic, the, the patients to nurse ratio in the to 1, 7 patients to 1 nurse in the United States. And I mean. It’s, it’s, it’s no, that we have a nursing shortage.

We have a shortage of nurses here in the U S and it is reflected. It’s reflected in, in the load that’s placed on the nurses and the number of patients that each nurse gets. So, ICU, that’s supposed to be one to one. The optimal ratio is one nurse to one patient because they’re in, they’re in a ICU.

So, but overseas, it was, it was pretty much two patients to one nurse in the general population, not in ICU. So the nurse to patient ratio is much better.

Emily: Okay, I think, with this kind of sliding actually to benefit and quality of the services, medical procedure, because people, Americans, Canadians, they, with all knowledge about, how it works and maybe some deficiencies in our country, but when I, for example, started in Mexico and Costa Rica people were concerned because they all I cannot trust here is a system how I can trust in Mexico.

I don’t trust them and I am proving again. It’s my personal experience. I had some concerns. Yes, it’s the beginning, but I get over this fear. I would say. And I learned a lot. I know a lot of doctors and I visited hospitals, maybe not like you. But quality, high quality benefits, but what is what you would say in this regard?

Dan: Well, I mean, anytime you travel. There is you to go wrong. Okay. Your missing. You the language. So you might get long hauled in a taxi from the airport and Americans are much more in our experience are much more Of those things happening now, extend that to your health care. Imagine you’re going for a surgery where you’re vulnerable, you’re in pain. So, those sorts of things and on the 1 hand, it’s valid. But on the other hand, is, there are ways to make sure that your experience is a good experience and many people take it upon themselves.

To do medical tourism on their own. They look solely at the price. They look solely at the price. And the key is to get involved, with an agency. There are some, there is something called medical tourism facilitators. Yeah. Okay. Obviously we’d love to have them. You use Salud health USA, but there’s, there’s other medical tourism facilitators that have made it their job to vet these providers, to vet the transportation, to vet the hotels.

And some of them, Salud Health USA certainly does this we provide concierge service. So somebody that’s actually stuck to you, that’s bilingual, and that, that basically your hand. They hold your hand through the entire process. One of the we have that most of the others don’t, Is that we don’t rely upon just internet searches.

As I mentioned previously, we’ve walked the halls. We talk with the, with the providers and that’s important. If you’re going to do it yourself, try to talk to the provider. Talk to the provider amenable to do that, be it and, because most people can’t afford to, have the, the procedure and go down previously just to, look at the facilities.

Okay, we’ve done that. We’ve done that. We’ve met the physicians. We’ve met the billing department. We’ve met Some of the providers have a service that will shuttle you from the hotel to the clinic and back. We actually have drivers. We actually have drivers that actually will take you not just to your appointments, but where you want to go, where you want to go, because if it’s something that’s not fully incapacitating, you’re not going to want to sit in your hotel room while you recover.

Okay, see the city, take a look around. For those that do it themselves There is an organization that assesses quality, it’s called the Joint Commission and there is an American version called JCAHO And then there’s an international version called JCI. And it’s the International Commission Joint International And what they do is they go into the hospitals. And they take a look at infection rates. They take a look at nurse to patient ratios. They take a look at a hospital acquired infections, those sorts of things. And they give a stamp of approval if the hospital actually passes those. And it’s, it’s not something easy that they can get, that they just pay a fee and they get.

It’s I worked with a, hospital in Columbia. that was a new hospital and they wanted to get JCAHO accreditation and they asked my help to get that. And it was a laborious process. It’s not something that they just pay a fee and, it’s rubber stamped. So, if you’re going to do it yourself, make sure it’s at least a JCAHO accredited.

Facility and then also try to talk to the physician. And again, most of the surgeons are bilingual. The issue is the support staff is not the support staff, the front desk patient coordinator. Now, many. of the hospitals also have an international department. So if you’re doing it yourself, you want to focus on, that should be the first question out of your mouth is, do you have an international department that shows that they’re dedicated to international patients?

And the international departments Will be bilingual, but understand though, even, even in that scenario, that person, and usually I’ve seen, the international departments that I’ve seen only have one person. That person is not going to be with you 24 hours a day. So you will be talking with nurses.

You will be talking with other support personnel that may not speak. Your native language. Important to try to find a an agency, preferably one that actually provides either translators. Or best case, a concierge.

Emily: My personal experience, just listening to all these good really advices.

So when, when it was, I think seven years ago when a dentist failed me in Toronto area, I’ve had like long, like all life procedure and periodontic wanted to take me. Even like no warranty, nothing and falling down and I was, oh my God, like what are they going to do?

And I started to look around. I was in Hungary, by the way, was very impressed by Hungarian dental system was in different topic, very strong, like in Europe, you need to go to Hungary, even there is a good, because they have German methods and local prices, at least how it was seven years ago, but I realized that, like for dental, I need to go at least three, four times, and I was before then in Costa Rica, and I like Costa Rica, and I thought, okay, why not to combine it with vacation, and I’m kind of like to travel like it’s more and better for North Americans.

Actually I’ve had not many issues in Hungary with English. Everyone was speaking English in this clinics, like everyone is prophy, English or Russian. Like I didn’t have problem.

Speaking about Costa Rica, how I did my research. I started in, about the topic, I’ve had a list of ten clinics that I was researching one by one doctor’s procedure, what tools they’re using not yet Zoom time was communicating. I learned about all latest procedure and… Toronto University Medical School, all latest this particular topic and all this. So when I arrived, and doctor who I at the to go with, he was not, he was one of the I would say expensive, like professor of the local university We are friends till now and practicing with very big practice over the years. He told, look, and he has facilitator. And translator, he told, more than my facilitator, because I was asking him questions. I don’t remember now about this procedure, how we can do move this implant in this area.

Look, you, you, you’re ready to be my assistant. But I understand. Not everyone can, spend so much time and attention to the topic. And I spent really the way, after then people told me, so much about this one. Why you will not start doing it? Advising somebody else to do it’s how I started kind of to work after this And I was traveling and at the same time Okay, my doctor my Costa Rica professor told that I am the exam example of the patient who the best patient he had who did all what is needed and and traveled and didn’t complain and Spanish.

It’s a point. I any issue to communicate with the nurses. And it was one, like, it’s kind of clear, okay, stay here, do this, like, I learn, and they like me. Like, I spent a lot of time, I mean, coming after them second time to this cleaning, other cleaning. He, he, even I’ve had some complication. He…

He take me, like, on a weekend. The relationship and attention. And I remember another doctor, like orthodontist, he was working me late night hours, like, him and his daughter, I mean. All All team of like, I didn’t get such attention in Canada, at least, like, and it, it And all nurses, they knew me, hola hola, Emily, como estas, like, on this level, and I have full confidence, because I’ve seen how they working, how they get they get paid, it was more than, it was personal attention.

Dan: Yes. And that’s key. And it’s a shame here in the US because she’s been in healthcare her entire life.

Her entire life. And she was born, she knew that she wanted to be a nurse. And she’ll probably kick me for sharing this publicly. But she lived on a farm, and at three years old, she would wander out in the field. With a Kleenex to wipe the cow’s nose because she thought it was sick. So she, she knew she wanted to be a nurse from a very early age.

And because of the pressures in the American system now, she said nursing is not the same as it was when I was younger. So there is, there’s a lot of pressure the medical staff. I mean, my in law a physician and they just

parade patients in front of him all day long, all day long. He works 12, 14 hours a day. My wife works 15 hours on her shift. So it’s not a matter of not wanting to give the attention. It’s just that they’re spread too thin. They’re spread too thin here in the US and that, that’s a good point also because overseas The countries that we do business in, they have separate wings, they have separate wings for international patients. So, you have the general population that gets treated, say, in building A, and then you have the international population that gets treated in building B. And they understand that americans pay more money. And again, you’re not going to get the same price. That a local will get. They understand that you’re an American and it’s going to be higher than what the locals pay there, but it’s still, much, much less than what you’ll pay here in the US but the service, the ability to give the attention to the patients. In Thailand, they treat the patients like kings and queens, like kings, literally kings and queens Now, again have, hospitals. the CEO of one of the hospitals is a friend of mine. So we have hospitals in Thailand, but we, we look more towards Latin America simply because the cultures are more similar to the majority of Americans and the time travel.

I can tell you from experience that 17 hours, going over to Thailand, that’s not fun.

Emily: That’s why I decided not to go to Hungary. And because I that it will be not very convenient. Even I like Budapest and all this, and it’s what I proposed at least in my capacity North Americans. I see, there is Costa Rica, Mexico. They’re on high level professionally. Obviously, you can find some issues, but back home What is interesting my, American dentist, like actually it, it was surgery.

It was a surgery he provided me life warranty and when I was telling a back home in Toronto, I have a local dentist like how it can be warranty. It cannot be warranty on medicine like on his work on dental. I have German implants in some materials that I was selecting. He was explaining me.

Because I asking what this material, how this done, what’s the advantages between different German and Switzerland brand. They have variety, whatever we didn’t have in Canada and United States. technology, actually on a budget. Based on condition how it should be As a doctor he provided me warranty and I was laughing I say life warranty.

It’s kind of my life your life What do you mean? Warranty on my work free Which I’m very impressed because I always heard in Back in canada like in medicine. We are not kind of nature of the work We are not giving warranty, but I told person is like he it’s warranty of his professional conduct and work.

I mean that I can come to him For free not on all it was kind of written What is like material not but for work? He will kind of redo it And I was impressed.

Dan: And again, I mean, the level and that’s where, knowing who you’re working with. And, I always go back to the, for people that want to do it themselves is you don’t know what you don’t know.

You don’t know the right questions to ask. You don’t know, the various permutations of what could happen. And I want to go back to what you said about has to do with the but it also has to do with what you said earlier about physicians, or in your case, a dentist didn’t want to touch what you were doing.

Okay. And that is something to, to consider when you’re having something done, what happens if something does go wrong? Okay.

Before I actually started Salud health USA, my stepdaughter. Actually had a procedure that we had no, no input on. It was it was her and her husband. They did it without our knowledge.

And she had a procedure that became very complicated. And. The general consensus in the US is physicians don’t want to work with that. Physicians here in the US don’t want to fix somebody else’s problem because after the fact, because of it. Possible malpractice.

Emily: But they don’t want their own problem, not somebody’s else.

Dan: Exactly. Exactly. But that’s one thing that, that we took very, very seriously when I did start Salud health USA is I was adamant not only about vetting the providers to the umpteenth umpteenth degree, but also to have someone in the US a revisionist that would fix a problem if it occurred, and just for the record, it’s never occurred.

Another company that has been in business for 12 years and they’ve never had an issue. Okay. But we have revisionists. So, in the case of my stepdaughter, it was a bariatric surgeon. It was the bariatric surgeon that did take her on. And saved her life and fixed her and she’s 100 percent now and this is a good 10 years ago, but she’s, 100 percent healthy and he’s part of our network.

He’s part of our network and has agreed that, any, any bariatric problems. He will take care of. And again, we haven’t had anything. We also have orthopedics different types procedures, just in case, just in case, but, by and large, our experience has been know, Our patients have been happy. Recent patient just came from Mexico and she had the bariatric surgery and she is pleased and tickled pink. She actually has lost something like 60 pounds already. So she’s, extremely, extremely happy, but that’s something to consider as well though.

It’s, it’s, you don’t know what you don’t know. And. It may not be important in the beginning, but once luggage is lost or once you’re, lost on a street corner somewhere, that becomes the most important thing to you. So you want to have as much assurances and procedures in place.

To be able to handle those sorts of things. lost typically covered on travel policies. But if you don’t know which travel policy.

Emily: Yeah, no, I understand. Purchase, yeah. Concierge services is excellent. I mean, as, as idea, as implementation. And I was, by the way, waiting how this company was working in this regards as well.

Like, they’ve had their own place. I mean. Driver take you from airport like it’s all taken care of in good clinics in Mexico and and countries, but with these, people concerned about safety. Yes. Yes. Safety. And I know, first of all, people from different culture, I think, have different tolerance level, I say.

Americans very used to comfort. zone level is different, and expectation and requirements are high. Telling the truth, like, for me, even if like one office of my doctor in Costa Rica, like in the center of the city was not the medical building, but not the newest, I would say. I was comfortable with this and, and because the, care was excellent. I was okay, so it’s not so new. After then I was in his other clinic in Escazoo, like upscale, neighborhood, of on American level, but it was not know that other people would say, Oh, like what kind of office and what kind of but we are for, for our customers and we need to, to of anticipate level.

And specifically when people know, feel not all kind of is, is important and safety in United States. Like there is insurance. Kind of revisionist, as you say is a body to kind of look at you, even not happy go through all this process.

So what you would say you would answer for people who ask, like, what about safety in this procedure in other countries?

Dan: Okay. Say, as you mentioned, people have certain tolerances. And I was in Chile. And there was a lot of protests going on during the time that I was in Chile, but, we have local partners in all of our countries. We have local partners that know the neighborhoods they know routes. you don’t go down this street, you don’t take that route, et cetera, because in every city in the US, there’s good areas and there’s bad areas. And again, this, that, that’s something that’s really pretty difficult to research on your own. Okay. But have actually turned down a hospital. Their care was excellent.

Their care was absolutely excellent, but the location that they were in was a very, very rough part of the city. And, we knew that our clients. Would, would be uncomfortable traveling, to that, to that particular facility. So, we politely declines, their requests to join our network, but

As long as you are aware, and every country has its, its, its negatives an example, Columbia, okay, we do a lot of business with Columbia, and Columbia. Prior to 2016, there was a chance of, getting kidnapped. All right. But in 2016, the largest anti government, guerrilla signed a peace accord, turned in over 7, 000 weapons and became a political party.

Yeah. And matter of fact, one of the former leaders is actually the current president. Yes, Columbia. So the, the, I mean, it’s important to pay attention to geopolitical situations as well. Now, the biggest concern is, having your cell phone snatched. That’s the biggest concern. They don’t have the violent crime on the level that say the US does. I was actually in Medellin at 10 o’clock at night walking the streets in El Centro, which is downtown. And I felt much safer there than I did walking around New York City at night. So it’s information. Honestly, it’s just education.

It’s education and information that will help the person that’s considering, having a medical procedure done outside of the US or Canada to simply, work with somebody. That knows the project. And one of the things I will say is you want to ask these questions of any medical facilitator because not all medical facilitators are the same.

Many are simply travel agents that basically facilitate the flight, the hotel, and they’ll get a commission from the hospital. And that’s all that’s all they do. Because that’s, that that’s how they’re paid. So, when looking for a medical tourism facilitator, you want to find one that is completely dedicated.

to that and have the various controls and quality controls, that we talked about previously.

Emily: Okay. Now a little bit close to our borders. I mean about Mexico? You have a clinic in Mexico. Do you have any kind of expansion plans and what people can expect from Salud health in this regard?

Dan: Yeah. Okay. Well, yes, we do. We actually have a network of, I want, I think it’s 26 hospitals in Mexico and by far that’s, that’s our largest number of hospitals we have. We have about 50 within our network globally. Okay. But Mexico is by far the largest simply because of the proximity.

It’s so close. And obviously in Tijuana, in Tijuana that is a simple 20 minute drive from San Diego. So it’s a very, very close destination. Nevada, from Las Vegas, she flew. Over to San Diego and then our hotel, drove her across the border to the hospital Tijuana. She had the procedure done and she stayed there. I think it was a day and then she was taken back to the, to the US. So it’s, it’s extremely cost effective and convenient, but. There are certain procedures that are only done in certain hospitals. Okay. So, we have a hospital in Mexico City, which requires a flight down to Mexico City.

Yeah. And again, we have relationships. With the hotels.

Oh, I want to share this because I thought it was was interesting. It’s important to understand that as a customer, you will get quoted a certain price. You’ll get quoted a price. If you did it yourself, they’ll, okay, what’s your cost for this?

And they will tell you. And our, our customer that was in Mexico and Tijuana recently for the bariatric surgery, I told her what the price was. And she goes, well, they told me it was something like a higher. It was a, they, they told, I can’t remember the exact figures, but I think it was 6,000 and I told her our, price was 5, 400.

And she goes, well, it’s less.

Because of volume, because of relations that we have built over the years these hospitals. Not all of them, not all of them typically will give us a lower price than what it would cost somebody to go and, just just call around and do it themselves.

So she actually wound up saving money and had an excellent experience.

As far as expansion plans. Goodness, there’s a lot we’ve got a lot of part of my background has to do with international hospitality. And currently one of my my good friends is, putting together a, an eco wellness hotel in Columbia on the beach.

Okay. That is going to be all about, you mentioned it in the beginning of the interview medicine treatments yoga, acupuncture, mindfulness, meditation, all those sorts of things. And they’re putting together, they’re building an entire resort around this. So we’re looking at doing working with them and, and expanding into that.

We’re also looking at mental health. As well as substance abuse, one of the things that I’m sorry, you’re

Emily: speaking about hospital?

Dan: Clinics, clinics, because here, here, the US for substance abuse, that’s extremely expensive. Extremely expensive. There’s a facility in Arizona that has something.

It’s something like, I think it’s 10,000 a week. So it’s very, very expensive. And it’s like a 6 week program. So, the opportunity is there. To duplicate what they’re doing in Arizona, but at a drastically reduced price point and, people don’t need to know because there’s, there’s typically a stigma with that, going to a clinic, for substance abuse, but they just said, yeah, I went down Columbia for vacation for six weeks.

It was wonderful.

Emily: Yeah. In in Mexico. I even knew a couple of in Riviera Maya. I mean echo wellness centers and substance abuse and they use different method of treatment.

Dan: Absolutely. Yeah. Oh, I’m glad you mentioned that because I did want to mention this as well. One of the things that our corporate clientele has been interested in, and it’s very, it’s very low barrier for their employees because, they don’t want to say, we’re gonna, we’re gonna send you to another country for your health care. All right, the employees don’t look at that as a benefit all the time, although many of them do is executive physicals.

And executive physicals are top to bottom physicals that uncover potential problems before they become problems that are expensive or, or difficult to treat. Now those types of physicals, they are done here in the US the Mayo clinic does that. And their cost is anywhere between 10 and 12,000. In Columbia,

we can get the same. Actually, I can’t say same because some of the tests may be different and not exact match, but we can get that a similar executive physicals. For about $1,200. So it is much less expensive and I like to tell this story because it demonstrates this legislation.

So I was, I was back and forth to Washington, DC Quite a bit during that time during that period. And one of the congressman that I worked with was a freshman congressman. He just speaks been elected, 38 years old, young congressman, avid runner, avid runner. And because he a congressman, he was given an executive physical.

He was in surgery the next week. He was in surgery the next week because he had an occlusion in his heart. That he could have dropped dead on the pavement running one of his marathons and, they wouldn’t have found out about it until until the autopsy. So, it can uncover.

Potential problems way before, there’s a catastrophic event.

other thing we’re looking into is, therapy. stem cells. We also have a behavioral, we have this now, a behavioral health model socio emotional learning tool. So it helps children that are having some difficulties with, adapting or, or working with their have day to day via virtual reality.

So we have a lot of, there’s a lot of things. There’s a lot of things that we’re, that we’re looking at doing. Telemedicine is Big right now. We have international telemedicine. So, if you’re having an issue. You get a cold, for example, let’s say you get a cold and you’re in another country, have something done, a procedure done.

All right, we’re able to actually have an international doctor with you about your cold and prescribe medications and work in conjunction with the treating surgeon in, in country that you’re in.

Emily: Great. So it’s all very interesting and there are so many questions and really kind of a situation and stories.

If you can just summarize what kind of treatment health, to Americans.

Dan: Well, obvious, obviously the executive physical anybody can do. Anybody can do the corporate marketplace has adopted them, but anybody can do the executive physicals. Obviously, we do a cosmetic, but what we really have a lot of interest in.

Is bariatrics, as I had mentioned, cancer is a big thing because that’s not so much cost as it is availability for treatment. Okay? There are innovative, effective treatments globally that may not be available in the US and then also orthopedics. I mean, orthopedics, a real quick example, a knee surgery, maybe $65,000 retail here in the US for a knee surgery. And my daughter just had this done. So, I know those figures are accurate. There’s a 9000 out of pocket for the patient nowadays. Okay. If you have insurance, $9,000 is you’re out of pocket, but the company winds up paying 23,000 of that, but the entire package, travel included for two people, because you’re going to want to have somebody go with you

Emily: Mexico, Columbia?

Dan: That’s in Columbia, that’s in Columbia in Mexico. It’s about 12,000 in Costa Rica. It’s about 15,000, which incidentally, the Medicare rate is 17,000. So, that’s what they’ll pay what Medicare will pay for a knee surgery. So, by utilizing medical tourism, effectively and intelligently.

Companies can wind up saving literally millions on their

employees.

Emily: And I remember heard witnessing dental clinics in Riviera Maya in for example, they’ve had agreement with Green shield, with some insurance companies up north about kind of taking the treatment because companies were happy.

To send actually employees for the treatment to

Riviera Maya because they were saving a lot of money. Even people were flying and taking hotels.

Dan: North Carolina that has been doing and they wind up saving And they’re a small company, 200 employees, and roughly 10 percent of their employee population, utilize. Medical tourism. Now they do it in Korea.

They actually do it in Korea. But the savings are definitely there. The quality is there. It’s a perception that perhaps the quality may not be as good as the US, but I’m here to tell you it is. It is, and it’s, there are organizations out there that can accredit, that and say this, this hospital does excellent work.

Emily: Excellent. Excellent. And the last question where people can find , how they connect, how better to connect with you or with the company will put later on, the information, but for people to listen and what, what you would say.

Dan: Absolutely. I mean, they can always go to saludhealthusa.com and they can email directly.

It’s danh@saludhealthusa.com Or info@saludhealthusa.com. All of those work. Our number is on the website as well. that’s, best way to reach out to us.

Emily: Thank you, Dan. And today we listened. We enjoyed, we learned from Dan Hefley, from Salud Health USA Thank you everyone.

Thank you, Dan.

Dan Heffley

CEO, Salud Health USA

In my role as CEO and cofounder of Salud Health USA, I am responsible for all high-level strategy and providing thought leadership in the world of global medicine while advancing Salud Health USA’s vision of completely transforming the U.S. healthcare market. Responsibilities include: Greenfielding new opportunities, identifying, vetting and negotiating various B2B and B2G strategic partnerships and alliances, managing and engaging with all stakeholders in the value chain. I oversee and provide guidance in all business segments: Marketing, Sales, Operations, Finance and Investor Relations.

Marketing: Oversee overall brand strategy, identify and open significant opportunities for various target markets, and leverage various media sources.

Sales: Actively identify and engage with potential distribution channels and verticals, aligning all internal and external stakeholders to drive business to company. Assist and oversee closing of large accounts for company. Coach and mentor sales distribution channels/staff to accomplish sales goals.

Operations: Created entire network of providers that encompass every touchpoint experienced by end-user; hospital and medical facilities, billing, pre-op, post-op, travel, ground transportation, hospitality partners. Created matrix, SOPs, Best Practices and vetting processes to continually expand network providers and to provide accountability.

Finance: Set and manage revenue goals for company. Accountability for overall P&L/profitability.

Investor Relations: Manage relationships with Accredited Investors, Venture Capital and Institutional Investors (Investment Banks).

Why You Should Consider Getting Medical Care Overseas: A Guide by Dan Heffley

Have you ever thought about getting medical care in another country? You might be surprised to learn that many people do it, and for good reasons. It’s called medical tourism, and it’s a growing trend that can save you money, give you access to new treatments, and even make your trip more fun. In this article, Dan Heffley, a medical tourism expert, will tell you everything you need to know about this exciting option.

What is Medical Tourism and Why is it Popular?

Medical tourism is when you travel to another country to get medical care. It’s not a new idea; people have been doing it for over 20 years. At first, it was mostly for cosmetic procedures, like plastic surgery or dental work. That’s because these procedures are usually not covered by health insurance, and they can be very expensive in the U.S.

But as health insurance costs in the U.S. went up, more and more people started looking for alternatives. They found out that they could get the same or better quality of care in other countries, for much less money. And they also discovered that there are many other types of medical care available overseas, from routine check-ups to advanced treatments.

How Much Can You Save by Going Overseas?

The main reason why people choose medical tourism is to save money. Depending on the procedure and the country, you can save up to 90% of the cost of getting it done in the U.S. For example, an executive physical is a thorough health exam that can detect potential problems before they get worse. In the U.S., an executive physical at the Mayo Clinic can cost between $10,000 and $12,000. But in Mexico, you can get a similar exam for as low as $1,200. That’s a huge difference, and it can be very attractive to businesses and individuals who want to stay healthy and save money.

What Kind of Medical Care Can You Get Overseas?

Medical tourism is not just for cosmetic procedures. You can get almost any kind of medical care you need in another country. Dan Heffley will tell you about some of the most popular and innovative options, such as:

• Orthopedic procedures: If you need a hip replacement, a knee surgery, or a spinal fusion, you can get it done overseas for a fraction of the cost in the U.S. You can also benefit from the latest techniques and technologies, such as robotic surgery and stem cell therapy.
• Cancer treatments: If you have cancer, you might want to explore some of the alternative treatments that are available overseas. These include immunotherapy, gene therapy, and hyperthermia. These treatments are not widely available or approved in the U.S., but they have shown promising results in other countries.
• Behavioural health tools: If you struggle with mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, or addiction, you might want to try some of the behavioural health tools that are offered overseas. These include neurofeedback, biofeedback, and virtual reality therapy. These tools can help you train your brain to cope better with stress and negative emotions.

How to Stay Safe and Happy When You Go Overseas?

Of course, getting medical care in another country is not without risks. You need to do your homework and make sure you choose a reliable and reputable provider. Dan Heffley will give you some tips on how to do that, such as:

• Research the facility and the doctor: You want to make sure that the facility where you get your care is clean, safe, and accredited. You also want to check the credentials and experience of the doctor who will treat you. You can look for reviews, testimonials, and ratings from other patients who have been there.
• Work with a medical tourism facilitator: A medical tourism facilitator is a company or a person who can help you plan and arrange your medical trip. They can help you find the best facility and doctor for your needs, book your travel and accommodation, and provide you with support and guidance throughout your journey. Working with a facilitator can make your experience smoother and more secure.
• Enjoy your trip: One of the perks of medical tourism is that you can combine your medical care with a vacation. You can explore the culture, the cuisine, and the attractions of the country you visit. You can also relax and recover in a beautiful and comfortable setting. Medical tourism can be a great way to take care of your health and have some fun at the same time.

What’s Next for Medical Tourism?

Medical tourism is not a static industry. It’s constantly changing and improving, according to Dan Heffley. He predicts some of the future trends and opportunities that will make medical tourism even more appealing. These include expanding into wellness-focused destinations, addressing mental health and substance abuse through more cost-effective clinics, and accommodating the growing interest in executive physicals. The future of healthcare, it seems, holds exciting possibilities beyond borders.

Why You Should Try Medical Tourism

Medical tourism is not just a trend; it’s a revolution. It’s changing the way people think about and access healthcare. Dan Heffley has shown us how medical tourism can offer many benefits.

If you are interested in medical tourism, you should do your research and find a reliable and reputable provider. You should also work with a medical tourism facilitator who can help you plan and arrange your trip. And you should enjoy your experience and the results. Medical tourism is a great option for anyone who wants to get better healthcare, save money, and have a good time.