As to trusting the quality of care at hospitals outside the U.S., our patients at WorldMed Assist, a
Medical Tourism company find that the pre-op tests are WAY more extensive than they'd find in the U.S.; they stay in the hospital until recovery is absolutely ensured; and the medical team gives them far more attention than they'd get at home. Reputable medical travel facilitators partner only with top rated hospitals, usually with JCI accreditation and a roster of world renowned physicians.
The
Medical Tourism trend is growing for many more reasons that cost savings. Avoiding life-threatening waiting lists is another reason. Take the case of Kevin Stewart. He had a live
Liver Transplant in India in August 2007. He not only would have had to pay $350,000 in the U.S. but worse, he was in a waiting line for a liver from a deceased person that was longer than his life expectancy without a transplant. His sister donated a lobe of her liver to save Kevin Stewart's life. Listen to his story:
http://www.worldmedassist.com/liver-transplant-India-video.htm.
Another motivator for medical travel is to have procedures done that either aren't approved in the U.S. (like
two-level cervical disk replacement, whereas only single-level is approved here) or procedures that were just recently approved (like
HipResurfacing approved in the US only in 2006) where US surgeons don't have anywhere near the experience of their counterparts in certain countries.