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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.