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Americans
Travel To Tijuana For Health Care
Source:
News 8 KFMB STATIONS
http://www.cbs8.com
Original article can't be found on News 8 webpage.
Last
Updated:
11-29-05 at 10:51AM
Americans
spend more than $1.5 trillion on health care each
year. While insurance helps, many procedures still
require significant out-of-pocket contributions.
That’s why some San Diegans are taking a
short drive south in search of discounted medical
care.
Using
a digital x-ray machine, a dentist quickly diagnoses
the patient’s problem. A plastic surgeon
shows a woman how cosmetic surgery can change
her appearance. A cardiac surgeon studies the
three-dimensional images of her young patient’s
heart.
It’s
high-tech healthcare, using state-of-the-art equipment.
But this isn’t San Diego – it’s
not even the United States. These are Tijuana
doctors treating American patients.
“They
come over here because they’re going to receive
more personal care,” Luis Garcia of Good
Health magazine said. “The quality is the
same, and it’s going to be less expensive
for them.”
This
is another side of Tijuana… one most tourists
never see. Licensed doctors are offering American
patients health care at one-half to one-third
of the price.
“The
cost savings is a very important issue here,”
dentist Dr. Jose Luis Martinez said. “Compared
to the United States, with us you’d definitely
have a 60 percent savings.”
Martinez
is a Mexican dentist, but most of his patients
are Americans. They come for discounted cosmetic
procedures ranging from teeth whitening to implants
and veneers.
“When
they come to Pacific Dental, they would have to
think they are in a dental office in the United
States because they have received the same care,
the same treatment,” Martinez said.
Martinez
says dental and medical training in Mexico is
very similar to the United States – four
years of dental or med school followed by an internship
and the passing of a professional exam. His office
uses the same sterilization equipment as dentists
in the U.S., and even the water is sanitized.
“We
have a separate container which we use bottled
water and that way we don’t have that risk,”
Martinez said.
Down
the street is the Codet Eye Institute. Run by
Dr. Arturo Chayet, the center provides a range
of vision services, including Lasik and cataract
surgery plus many procedures not currently available
in the U.S.
“We
have state-of-the-art equipment,” Chayet
said. “We usually are 3 years ahead of the
United States in terms of technology.”
That’s
because Mexican doctors use European-approved
products and procedures, as well as those cleared
by the Food and Drug Administration.
“We
are constantly training American surgeons in the
newer techniques,” Chayet explained.
Nearby,
at the CosMed Cosmetic Surgery Center, the waiting
room is full of American patients looking for
the fountain of youth at a discount. They say
they’ve found high-quality care, in addition
to the lower cost.
“I’d
say come here in a second,” one patient said.
“I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
But
not everyone thinks crossing the border is such
a good idea. Dr. Joseph Sherger is a family physician
and editor of San Diego Physician magazine.
“I
think they're taking a great risk,” he said.
“I mean Mexico is a foreign country and we
have no idea about the medical education, the
education after residency, the licensing that
is down there.”
And
while Americans can sue Mexican doctors for malpractice,
filing a lawsuit in another country can be challenging
and time-consuming.
Dr.
Alejandro Quiroz, medical director of CosMed,
has been practicing medicine in Tijuana for 18
years, and is licensed in both Mexico and the
United States. He has some advice for San Diegans
considering going south for surgery.
“Just
as in the United States, it's important for consumers
to know how select physicians,” he said.
“It's important also for them to know that
we have a very similar way to train physicians.”
But
you need to do your research, visit the facilities,
use the internet and check the doctor’s credentials.
And once you see them in action, these Mexican
doctors are confident you’ll cross the border
the next time you need health care.
If
you’re considering going south for care,
it’s important to research the doctor’s
credentials before receiving care.
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