The Philippines has always been an ideal place for a tropical holiday. With its tranquil beaches and magnificent islands, it entices people the world over.
Nowadays, no longer is it seen as just a vacation destination. The Philippines’ high standards of health care and medical services coupled with lower costs have resulted in a fast-growing medical tourism. Among “medical tourists” to the Philippines, Americans and Europeans lead the pack. They come here for major surgeries and other medical services too expensive to obtain in their own country. A variety of medical tour packages are also offered by Philippine hospitals. Much like those tour packages offered by travel agencies, a medical tour package makes it possible for a tourist to enjoy his stay in the country except that the main reason for the visit is to avail of a medical treatment. From airline tickets to accommodations, a medical package tour takes care of everything. When you think about it, it is people with ailments who probably need this kind spoiling even more so than the purely-for-pleasure vacationers.
Hospitals offering medical services in the Philippines charge reasonable rates without compromising the standard of the medical treatment. You would be surprised to know that the wide array of medical services available includes not only opthalmic treatment and plastic surgery but also organ transplants. A full set of dental implants can cost as little as $500 dollars in the Philippines, compared to about $3000 in the US. Hospitals here are well-equipped with the latest medical apparatus and appurtenances. Aside from the world class facilities, Filipino doctors and health workers are renowned for being warm, skilled and fluent in English– after all, to be able to communicate with one’s doctor is no small thing when it’s your liver you’re talking about.
Along with a thriving medical tourism, medical transcription is another KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) service that is in demand as well. Medical transcription is the process of converting voice-recorded reports as dictated by doctors and health care professionals into printed form. A medical transcriptionist is responsible for turning a patient’s medical record into its written form, making it convenient for doctors and patients to access it over the Internet. In the United States, the medical transcription industry is on the rise and estimated to be worth between US$10 billion to $25 billion annually, and growing by 15% each year. Medical transcription outsourcing came about due to the cost advantage, of course. The Philippines has been on the forefront of medical transcription for quite some time now. The Philippines has an abundant supply of medical practitioners who are fluent in written and spoken English. The majority of the medical transcription workforce are retired health professionals.
Open Access Marketing, a fast-emerging KPO and BPO (business process outsourcing) company, has tapped into the talents of Filipino health care professionals and enticed MT firms and hospitals in the United States to entrust medical transcription functions to Filipinos, the warm hand that cares for the world.