Planet Hospital put her in touch with an Indian surgeon who had performed hundreds of hip resurfacings. Ryerson flew to Chennai, India, and had the procedure done at Apollo Hospital, a facility accredited by the Joint Commission International. She spent 11 days in the hospital in a suite with a 24-hour private nurse. She then moved to a five-star resort.
Cost of treatment: $7,000. That compares with $50,000 to $60,000 in the United States.
Ryerson's insurer paid 80%. Her portion, including airfare and hotel, came to $5,000. That's about half of what she would have paid for the deductible alone in the United States.
Ryerson said her hip was now shipshape. She has returned to snow skiing and playing tennis. A day trader accustomed to volatility, she said her experience convinced her that big changes were in store for the U.S. healthcare system.
"They are going to lose a lot of patients to these overseas facilities," Ryerson said. "It's called the free market."
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marla.dickerson@latimes.com
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BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX
Resources for medical travelers
MEDICAL TRAVEL PLANNERS
* BridgeHealth International, www.bridgehealthinternational.com
* Global MD, www.yourglobalmd.com
* Global Med Network, www.globalmednetwork.com
* Healthbase, www.healthbase.com
* IMS Global, www.medicaltourismforyou.com
* India America Global Solutions, www.iagsolutions.com
* IndUShealth, www.indushealth.com
* Med Journeys, www.medjourneys.com
* Medical Tourism Corp., www.medicaltourismco.com
* Medical Tourism of Costa Rica, www.medicaltourismofcostarica.com
* MedRetreat, www.medretreat.com
* MedToGo, www.medtogo.com
* Medtral New Zealand, www.medtral.com
* PlanetHospital, www.planethospital.com
* Recover Discover Healthcare, www.recoverdiscover.com
* Taj Medical Group, www.tajmedical.com
* WorldMed Assist, www.worldmedassist.com
ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMISSIONS
* American Medical Assn., www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/31/medicaltourism.pdf
* International Medical Travel Assn., www.intlmta.org
* Joint Commission International, www.jointcommissioninternational.org
* Medical Tourism Assn., www.medicaltravelauthority.com
DIRECTORIES, PORTALS AND PUBLICATIONS
* HealthCare Tourism International, www.healthcaretrip.org
* International Medical Travel Journal, www.imtjonline.com
* Medical Nomad, www.medicalnomad.com
* Medical Tourism Insight, www.medicaltourisminsight.com
* MedTripInfo, www.medtripinfo.com
* "Mexico Health and Safety Travel Guide" by Robert H. Page and Curtis P. Page
* "Patients Beyond Borders" by Josef Woodman
* "State of the Heart" by Maggi Ann Grace
* World Medical Resources, www.worldmedicalresources.com
Source: Times research
