Blog Filter

By Scott Kirsner  |  June 23, 2008

A roundup of postings from Boston's life sciences and technology blogs.

"Medical tourism" once meant people from other countries trekking to the United States to take advantage of high-quality healthcare, delivered without long delays. Charles D. Baker, chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Inc., talks about a major shift in medical tourism.

What a difference a decade makes. Today, more often than not, medical tourism refers to people leaving the United States to access care that's every bit as high quality as it is in the United States but much, much cheaper in foreign countries. According to a study by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the number of people leaving the US to access care in other countries is now growing at a faster rate than the number of people coming from other countries to the US to seek care. A lot faster.

How big a deal is this? According to the study, US healthcare providers will lose almost $16 billion in revenue in 2007 to outbound medical tourism. If Deloitte's trends are correct, the size of that loss will grow to almost $70 billion by 2010 - as much as 10 percent of total revenues by 2010.

What's driving this? Two things, mainly.

First, the cost of many medical procedures in other countries is dramatically lower than it is in the US. Modern Healthcare [magazine] references the Deloitte study on several procedures where the variation is gigantic. Hip replacements that run from $30,000 to $75,000 in the US are done in other countries for under $15,000. Heart bypass surgery that goes for $100,000 to $200,000 in the US can be done elsewhere for $10,000.

Second, the quality of care in other countries is catching up to the US.

If it's for real, this trend could turn several old trends upside down. For years, many US hospitals used high-priced fees paid by foreigners to offset operating deficits. That opportunity is unlikely to grow - and may shrink going forward - if US patients leave the US as often as foreigners arrive.

The US also benefited for years from an influx of foreign-born medical talent, who chose to practice in the US instead of in their home countries.

If more of these folks stay home, because the systems and facilities are as strong as anything they might find in the US, it will create staffing constraints for US providers.

Link: letstalkhealthcare.org

What are the keys to building up a solid professional brand, online and off? Chris Brogan, a social media expert who works for the Canton conference company CrossTech Media, served up 100 pieces of advice geared to individuals, not corporations. Among his "personal branding" tips for the online world:

Home base is your blog/website. Not everyone needs a blog. But most people who want to develop a personal brand do.

Buy an easy-to-remember, easy-to-spell, content-appropriate domain name if you can. Don't be TOO clever.

Make sure it's easy to comment on your site.

Make sure it's easy for people to subscribe to your site's content.

And regarding face-to-face interactions:

Have a very brief introduction/elevator pitch, and practice it often.

Ask questions of people you meet. Get to know them.

Doing homework ahead of time (finding people's most recent blog posts, Googling them, etc.) helps one feel "in the know."

Make eye contact. It's MUCH more powerful than you know.

Link: chrisbrogan.com

After reading a recent Newsweek article, entrepreneur Gregg Favalora wondered whether a campaign originating at Tufts University, featuring a slickly edited YouTube video, can encourage more women to get involved with science and engineering.

I am curious [about] what you female readers think of a new approach to sharing the excitement and "non-geekiness" of engineering by women. "The Nerd Girls" - a group of Tufts University engineering majors - has produced a video (and website, and Facebook/MySpace groups) to break the stereotypes.

Have they found a good formula? I don't have a position on this approach other than an open mind - I'm just curious if you think that high school girls will click with this message.

If so, great! If not, what's an alternative method?

The links: g-fav.blogspot.com; nerdgirls.com