Inbound medical tourism: how many patients and how much revenue?

Following up on our blog posting of Oct. 12 titled Medical tourism: fly-by-night trend or here to stay?, which focused on outbound patients, the question has been posed:

“How many patients and how much revenue is generated by international patients coming to U.S. hospitals for services?”

The most direct answer comes from a 2008 report by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. In that report, they estimate that more than 400,000 non-U.S. residents will seek care in U.S. hospitals and spend almost $5 billion for health services.

Additional data on international patients is available in the following sources:

• Inbound Medical Tourism: Survey of U.S. International Patient Departments. Boston: Stackpole Associates, 2010. International patient revenue as a proportion of hospital budgets.
• Hohmann, S., and others. Medical Tourism: Characteristics of International Patients and the Care They Receive at Academic Medical Centers. [PowerPoint presentation]. June 9, 2008. Data analysis of international patients discharged from U.S. academic medical centers over a three year period (2005 and 2007). Includes estimated charges for elective international discharges by service line.
• Keckley, P. H., and Underwood, H. R. Medical Tourism: Update and Implications.  Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 2009. Projection of volume of inbound medical tourism to 2017.