Medical Tourism Blog

Today we bring you the next in our series of interviews with leading personalities. Jeffrey S. Schult, author of the book on medical tourism, Beauty from Afar. Jeff Schult is a Connecticut resident, and he's a journalist and writer by profession. He writes articles, in-depth features and is an editor, news writer and photographer for newspapers and magazines.

Gifted with the pen, his writing has a natural flow to it, peppered with a liberal dose of humor. He's also very well versed with computers and all things internet, having worked as a project manager and technical director for internet companies. He's frequently called upon to appear on television and in talk shows. He's also VP, Creative Services for CPR Communications.

And in between juggling all these, he took the time to converse with me, regarding himself and his thoughts on medical tourism. Without further ado, here's the Jeff Schult interview, as is and unedited.

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Question : You mention on your website that you had extensive dental work done in Costa Rica , and that's what got you interested in medical tourism. How are the crowns doing now? Need any follow up?

Schult : My teeth are doing just fine, thanks, and I expect they’ll continue to do so. As you might expect, I get a lot of email about medical tourism in general and about my dental work in particular. I hope to be back in Costa Rica for a checkup later this year. I’ve made a lot of friends there and love the country.

Question : You also mention that it was the article in the Sunday Edition of the Hartford Courant which led to the book deal. How exactly did that happen? I mean, did you get the idea of writing a book on medical tourism, or did someone else suggest it, after reading your article?

Schult : I had arranged to do the cover story for the Courant magazine before I went to Costa Rica in the spring of 2004. It turned into one of the longest stories they ever published – we still joke about it. Ten thousand words about a trip to the dentist! But I got more reader feedback and response on that article (www.tftb.com/beautyfromafar) than anything I had done in 20 years of journalism.

I was thinking, even when I was in Costa Rica , that there was a need for a book about medical tourism. I I met so many people who were there for not just dentistry but plastic surgery and also more serious medical care, and I knew that this was going on in other parts of the world as well. I mentioned the idea to a friend of mine back in the U.S. and she put me in touch with a literary agent in New York who signed me based on the magazine article. She was able to sell Beauty from Afar to Stewart, Tabori & Chang in New York and it was published last year.

Question : What kind of research did you do for the book, and how long did it take you to write it? What other countries and hospitals did you visit personally? Anything special you remember about any particular location?

Schult : I didn’t get to do as much travel as I would have liked in the course of research, so I made up with it with email and a lot of phone calls. Thank goodness for cheap international rates and VOIP! I also did a tremendous amount of reading online – not just web sites, but patient forums and mailing lists. I was determined to make Beauty from Afar a book that was NOT just a compendium of what could be found online, though. I wanted it to tell the story of medical tourism, as well as make it accessible to the average American who might need or want quality dentistry, plastic surgery or medical care and couldn’t afford it.

Question : You say you're surprised by the amazing response to your book. Why is that? You're a pretty good writer.

Schult : Thanks for the kind words. But publishing is a tough business and there are a lot of good writers out there. I guess I didn’t really know what to expect. The response has certainly been wonderful. It makes my day to get an e-mail from someone who read the book, went overseas for care and just wanted to thank me.

Question : What do you think is the future of medical tourism? Is it going to last, or is it just a flash in the pan?

Schult : I think medical tourism will continue to grow steadily and will be integrated into the health care systems of quite a number of countries over time. At this point, despite what you read in the news, medical tourism is still mostly elective procedures, dentistry, cosmetic surgery – fee-for-services care. I’ve described that in Beauty from Afar as “the tip of the iceberg” for the rest of medical tourism, and I think events are bearing that out. Insurers and HMOs in the U.S. are getting involved in medical tourism and I think it will be an option in many health plans in coming years.

That said, however – realistically, medical tourism will never be a huge part of any country’s medical system. There isn’t a substitute for local care for most things. It’s inconvenient for most people to leave the country for medical care. It’s a big deal to do it, and people only do it as a last, best affordable option.

Question : Connecticut has been ahead of the rest of the nation on things like telecommuting. Do you think any state or federal intervention is required to regulate medical tourism?

Schult : Iwasn’t exactly aware that Connecticut has been ahead of the curve in telecommuting … though I guess I can see why when I’m sitting in rush hour traffic some days on my way to work in New Jersey !

I think it’s too soon to say what regulations may be necessary for medical tourism. It is currently a consumer-driven phenomenon and has little or nothing to do with anything that happens in the medical tourist’s home country. The federal government is certainly keeping an eye on the phenomenon; the Senate held hearings last year. But I don’t think they’ll be looking to regulate it until they have something to regulate – meaning perhaps, that medical tourism will come under renewed scrutiny as it becomes a medical option offered by U.S. entities. Certainly there are already medical tourism companies, but they are mostly engaged in hooking up health care consumers with appropriate overseas care. I doubt there will be much more than talk of regulation until medical travel is more mainstream.

Question : You must be getting a lot of mail about the book. I see on your site that you're kind of fed up with businesses asking for links. But there must be patients in whose lives you, your book, made a real difference, and they're mailing you to thank you. That happen a lot? Has it ever happened?

Schult : As I said above – it happens all the time.

There’s a lot of gratitude in medical tourism, and I’ve heard doctors and surgeions and dentists overseas mention that first when I ask them why they do what they do. People who can’t afford health care in the U.S. , and then find they can get what they want or need elsewhere at a price they can afford, are mostly profoundly grateful that the option exists. I was reminded of that when watching Michael Moore’s “Sicko” the other day, the part where he brought the sick 9-11 rescue workers to Cuba for health care. Sure, it was a stunt. But it was medical tourism, and I was moved by how thankful those people were.

Question : You mention, in your resume, that you're working on humor columns, essays, features and 'book projects'. What would be the subject of this book project and when's the next book due to hit the stands?

Schult : I hope to be able to do a second edition of Beauty from Afar at some point; there is lot I would like to add, though I think I wrote the book so that it will hold up over time. I have a couple of other books I expect to do, but nothing with a signed contract as yet. It’s my goal to be able to “just write books” but, financially, I have a way to go before I’ll be able to say that.

In the meantime, I’m working with CPR Communications (http://www.cpronline.com/) to launch a medical tourism industry newsletter called Medical Travel Today. The first issue should be out by the end of the month.

Question : Anything more you want to add?

Schult : I think that’s plenty, don’t you? ;-)

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Can't say it's plenty, but it'll have to do for now. As you can see, Jeff Schult is not only a good writer, he's also very pragmatic and reality based. Personally speaking, it was a pleasure. On behalf of New Medical Horizons Inc. and all our readers, I wish Mr. Schult all the best in his various endeavours, and hope to enjoy the second edition of Beauty from Afar soon. And next up is the interview with Dr. Milica Bookman, Professor of Economics at St. Joseph's University and author of the book Medical Tourism in Developing Countries. Stay tuned.