Costa Rica Medical
ABOUT OUR MEDICAL SERVICES
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR HEALTH CARE NETWORK
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services spent 18 months developing a comprehensive health care network comprised of the best health care professionals and medical facilities in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services’ goal is to provide our patients with a level of care equal to the very best available in the United States at affordable prices. On average the cost of Costa Rica medical care at any of our Costa Rica medical or dental providers is 1/3 of what it would be in the United States.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR USA ACCREDITATION
All of Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services’ network hospitals and clinics have been inspected and accredited by prestigious independent accreditation agencies from the United States. These are the Joint Commission International (www.jci.org), the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (www.aaahc.org) and the American Association for the Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (www.aaaasf.org).
This means that each hospital or clinic in Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services network has passed the rigorous standards set by these agencies. These include inspection of physical facilities, inspection of equipment, inspection of surgical procedures, inspection of hygiene standards, revision of all doctor credentials and medical procedures and protocols.
All of Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services providers are fully accredited and this assures all our patients that the quality and safety of Costa Rica’s medical facilities and equipment along with the education and experience of their medical staff is on par with the very best in the United States.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR FULLY ACCREDITED NETWORK
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services provider network is comprised of three JCI hospitals, five AAAHC accredited dental clinics, two drug and alcohol rehab centers, two AAAASF ophthalmology clinics, 60 physicians, 20 nurses and 12 therapists. Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services also provides medical care with JCI accredited hospitals in India, Mexico, Panama, Chile and Brazil.
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services has written contracts with all its medical and dental providers. All of Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services physicians have at least ten years experience with foreign patients and are well known within the Costa Rica medical community for their expertise and excellence in patient care.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR FULLY BILINGUAL STAFF
All of Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services staff is bilingual – English and Spanish – and have extensive experience in working with the special needs of foreign patients. Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services is one of the few medical facilitators that has its own staff and offices on site in both the United States and in Costa Rica.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR HOSPITALS
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services has written contracts with three hospitals in Costa Rica that are all accredited by the Joint Commission International. Each of Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services hospitals has large private modern rooms that have a bed for a companion / spouse, with large windows and on suite bathrooms, modern facilities with state of the art equipment, surgery rooms and intensive care units fully equipped with the latest and most advanced medical technology.
All our patients are always surprised at the luxury and quality of the hospitals and their facilities and tell us that they are more like a luxury resort that a hospital. It is safe to say that they are better than 99% of all hospitals in the United States.
Furthermore, Costa Rica doctors, nurses and medical staff are well known for taking time with and genuinely caring for their patients. Patients are still treated as people and not just another number as is so often the case in the United States.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – ONLY 16 OUT OF 184 FACILITATORS
Out of 184 Medical Tourism facilitators that over the past three years have applied to become authorized facilitators of the CIMA hospital (part of IHC in Dallas) only 16 facilitators were granted approved. Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services is one of them.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – IDEAL CLIMATE
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services hospitals in Costa Rica are located in a perfect climate (60 to 80 degrees all year long) so they require no air conditioning or heating. This means fresh air and open windows. Anyone who has ever stayed in a hospital knows the value of fresh clean air. Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services hospitals are new and modern facilities. They spotlessly clean and do not have that typical stale hospital air and smell.
Furthermore, recovery from any surgery is far more comfortable in fresh air and 60 to 80 degree weather. Few places in the world offer this important and often overlooked benefit.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR PHYSICIANS NETWORK
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services has agreements with 60 physicians in 35 medical specialities. Most speak English and have studied abroad in the USA or Europe. All have extensive experience with foreign patients and many years experience in their fields.
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services’ extensive physicians network enables us to provide our patients with just about every kind of medical or dental procedure imaginable. Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services dose it all, from simple cosmetic surgeries to complex heart and spine surgeries and anything and everything in dentistry.
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services management has personally interviewed and screened every doctor, every dentist, every clinic and every hospital in their network in order to make sure we have the best of the best. Our management team personally knows and has a close working relationship with the directors of all three hospitals, the dentists at our five dental clinics and our doctor network.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – OUR NETWORK IN INDIA
For those who seek excellent care at the most affordable prices Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services has added India as the best option. India has outstanding medical facilities and is world renowned as a leader in cardiology and spine surgeries. A heart bypass surgery that costs $140,000 in the United States costs less than $10,000 in India.
CARE FOR THOSE WITH LIMITED FINANCIAL RESOURCES
When patient’s financial resources are very limited and they must seek the most economical solution possible the best choice is India. Costa Rica Medical Tourism Service has agreement with Fortis Hospitals and Narayana Hrudayalaya Medical City, two of the best medical facilities in India.
These prices and our 100% financing program make just about any surgery available for a monthly payment of $200 with no money down.
Please contact our office in Florida (telephone 941 388 7552) and ask for one of our patient application coordinators for full information on all services we provide in India. (Or Costa Rica)
COSTA RICA MEDICAL CARE – FOR HARDSHIP AND SPECIAL NEEDS CASES
Costa Rica Medical Tourism will assist hardship cases and those with special needs. In such cases we will work with our doctors and hospitals to provide medical care at significantly reduced costs and in some cases for free.
Please contact our office in Florida (Telephone 941 388 7552) and ask for one of our patient application coordinators for full information and how to qualify for this assistance.
We try to live by our motto of “no patient left behind” and do our utmost to help everyone obtain the care they need.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL TOURISM SERVICES – PROVIDER NETWORK LIST (text link)
Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services has written contracts with the following providers:
HOSPITALS
- Hospital Clinica Catolica, Costa Rica
- Hospital Clinica Biblica, Costa Rica
- Hospital Cima, Costa Rica
- Hospital Cima, Mexico
- Hospital Vita, Brazil
- Hospital Punta Pacifica, Panama
- Fortis Hospitals, India
- Narayana Hrudayalaya Medical City, India
DENTAL CLINICS
- Nova Dental
- Prisma Dental
- Dental Cosmetics
- Esteban O Campo Maxilofacial Surgery Clinic
- Clinica West Dr. Oscar Reitchle
- Dr. Francisco Peralta Maxofacial Clinic
- Clinica Gil
DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION REHABILITATION CENTERS
- New Hope Rehabilitation Center
- Tropical Oasis Addictions Rehabilitation Center
EYE CLINICS
- Clinica 20 /20 Ophthalmology Institute
POST SURGERY RECOVERY CENTERS
- Co Ri Med Recovery Center Wyndham Golf Resort
- Co Ri Med Recovery Center Best Western Irazu
- Villa Le Mas
- Che Tica Recovery Center
- Las Cumbers Recovery Center
- Tropical Oasis Addictions Recovery Center
- Nueva Vida Drug Recovery Center
DOCTORS
In Costa Rica we have agreements with 60 physicians in 35 different medical specialties that allow us to offer just about every imaginable type of medical care. Each doctor in our network has been carefully selected based upon his/her medical expertise and experience as well as his/her reputation in caring for patients.
TRANSPORTATION AND TOURISM SERVICES
- Gray Line Tours
- Grupo Marta Hotels
- Interbus
- Coach Transport Services
- Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services Private Transportation Services
- VIP Private Limousine Services
- Grayline Tours – over 40 Different tours covering every kind of tourist activity
- Costa Rica Medical Tourism Services custom designed VIP vacations
ABOUT MEDICAL MALPRACTICE IN COSTA RICA
MALPRACTICE INSURANCE IN COSTA RICA
All physicians, dentist, nurses and medical personnel are required to have some form of medical malpractice insurance. So are all the hospitals and clinics. This insurance is provided by the Instituto Nacional de Seguros (National Institute of Insurance).
MALPRACTICE LAWSUITS
Malpractice law suits are discouraged in Costa Rica and rarely occur. Instead every patient signs a voluntary agreement prior to surgery or a medical procedure whereby he agrees to enter into mediation and arbitration in the case of a medical malpractice.
If a patient feels he has been subjected to medical malpractice by doctor or medical facility the patient requests a mediation hearing via the Colegio de Medicos. In mediation a mediator will be appointed by the Colegio that will attempt to reconcile the parties.
If both parties to the malpractice case cannot reach a settlement via mediation the case goes to an arbitration board who rules on the case. This whole process mediation to arbitration is usually settled in less than 60 days at minimal cost to both parties. This is one of the reasons why medical costs are much lower in Costa Rica.
DOCTOR LICENSING AND PROFESSIONAL REGULATION IN COSTA RICA
THE COLEGIO DE MEDICOS (College of Physicians)
Oversight licensing and regulation of all physicians in Costa Rica is done by the “Colegio de Medicos”. The Colegio de Medicos in some aspects is similar to the AMA in the United States. Every physician in Costa Rica’s medical system must be a member of the Colegio and be licensed with the Colegio in order to practice medicine in Costa Rica.
In order to practice medicine in Costa Rica a physician must pass the rigorous exam (written and oral) set by the Colegio de Medicos. The Colegio also reviews all doctor credentials and grants every physician the license required to practice medicine in Costa Rica. It is against the law and a serious crime for any physician to practice medicine without proper licensing from the Colegio.
The Colegio de Medicos has 10,400 members (2010 census) and covers 124 medical specialties. The Colegio regulates both the public and private healthcare sectors.
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH – MINISTERIO DE SALUD PUBLICA
The second governing body for medical care in Costa Rica is the Ministerio de Salud Publica (Ministry of Public Health). The MSP has oversight and regulates medical equipment and prescription drugs. It also regulates medical protocol and approves medical procedures somewhat like the FDA in the United States.
COSTA RICA’S MEDICAL SYSTEM – PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CARE
COSTA RICA MEDICAL CARE – THE PUBLIC SYSTEM
Costa Rica has long been known for its excellent public medical system. In 1948 revolutionary president Jose Figueres did away with the military and opted to use all military funds to establish a public healthcare system that later became the “Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social” – in essence a public healthcare system. Ever since then Costa Rica has had no military and instead used the money to fund its excellent public healthcare system.
The public healthcare system is fund by payroll contributions. Employees must pay 9% of their wages into the system and employers must contribute an additional amount equal to 27% of wages.
Many of Costa Rica’s physicians work both in the public and private system.
COSTA RICA MEDICAL CARE – THE PRIVATE SYSTEM
Parallel to this public healthcare system is an even better private healthcare system. At the core of this system are three private hospitals: the Hospital Cima, the Hospital Clinica Biblica and the Hospital La Catolica. The last five years these three hospitals have seen a significant growth in foreigners coming to Costa Rica for its affordable and excellent medical care.
In response to this demand for medical care from foreigners Costa Rica has undertaken many initiatives and crated several programs to promote medical tourism. Via joint collaboration between several government sectors, the hospitals, Costa Rica’s medial community and Costa Rica’s well developed tourism industry significant efforts have been made to obtain international accreditation of Costa Rica’s medical services and infrastructure.
Primarily among these was obtaining the prestigious Joint Commission International accreditation for its three private hospitals. This prestigious JCI accreditation has officially put Costa Rica’s medical care on a level comparable to the best in the United States or Europe and placed Costa Rica among the top three medical tourism destinations in the world.
