Healthcare tourism: Accelerating diffusion through a more effective use of communication channels

In the backdrop of the healthcare crisis in the USA, many uninsured and underinsured Americans have decided to travel abroad to purchase medical care at a fraction of the cost. This phenomenon is often referred to as 'medical tourism' when it involves healthcare and a vacation, or more simply as 'medical travel.' Although impressive, the growth of this service innovation appears to be hampered by insufficient communication in terms of costs and quality as well as an over-reliance on mass media. Mass media may be good vehicles to disseminate information, but they lack the persuasive power necessary to convince the average person to seek medical care abroad. This paper highlights these communication shortcomings and offers suggestions of how to reach a larger number of individuals who could benefit from medical travel.