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Dr. Arlen Meyers Talks on Medical Travel

Dr. Arlen Meyers Talks on Medical Travel May 26, 2015

Marketing, research and business development consultant in healthcare, human services and senior living.

Dr Arlen Meyers Talks Medical Travel MarketsDr. Arlen Meyers, a professor of otolaryngology at University of Colorado Medical School, the founder of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, and the founder of Medvoy, a healthcare referral portal, joins the Medical Travel Show to discuss the role of physicians and technology in international medical travel markets.

Dr. Meyers is a recognized leader in medical entrepreneurship and was an early innovator in international medical travel. Dr. Meyers created what may be the first physician led, international medical travel service organization: Medvoy. Medvoy is a simple, secure healthcare referral software that guides healthcare consumers through a multitude of healthcare services around the world.

Medvoy is a result of the simple, straightforward idea that doctors should be at the heart of patients’ experiences during international medical travel. In this interview, Dr. Meyers describes how the growth of non-physician directed medical information portals, such as Web M.D. and hundreds of medical tourism facilitator sites have increased consumer appetite for medical information.

Dr. Meyers’ idea that physicians should be involved in a patient’s medical decision refers mostly to the “what” of medical care, even if it is not the same doctor actually providing the medical service.

The term “Digical” has been coined by Dr. Meyers to describe the combination of physical and digital platforms. Using the analogy of Barnes & Noble, Dr. Meyers says, “Years ago if you wanted a book, you went to the store, bought the book and if you wanted to return it, you had to return to the store. And while online transactions receive lots of attention in the popular business press, in reality, only 6 – 10% retail sales are done on line.”

His message is that in healthcare there will be a “digical platform”. It’s an experiment and no one has pinpointed the model. Dr. Meyers believes that healthcare professionals are apprehensive to convert to digital communication with patients. Only 8 -12 % doctors communicate with patients via email, while 80 to 90% of patients would prefer this form of communication with doctors. This is clearly a disconnect which needs to be resolved.

During this interview Dr. Meyers also shares his thought-provoking ideas about the role of technology in the deployment of medical care and international health travel. He is an advocate for testing new medical technologies locally, then expanding nationally, and then internationally.

Listen to this episode with Dr. Meyers on The Medical Travel Show Homepage…

Marketing, research and business development consultant in healthcare, human services and senior living.

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