Partnership Designed to Offer High Quality Surgery for Foreign and Domestic Patients

Wichita, KS-based Galichia Heart Hospital has reached an agreement with Mobile Surgery International for Galichia to host MSI-coordinated, urologic surgical teams at its facilities.

Mobile Surgery International coordinates the union of patients from all over the world with surgeons and facilities in an effort to provide the patients with high quality, affordable choices for their treatment, says CEO Arnon Krongrad, MD. The agreement expands Galichia's capabilities as a center of excellence for selected types of surgical care and expands MSI's ability to offer patients surgical choice in high-quality facilities in the U.S., say representatives from the two organizations.

"Through this partnership within the medical tourism concept, we are able to treat patients within the United States who might normally have otherwise chosen to seek treatment overseas," says Alisa Crawford, VP of business development at Galichia. "The partnership allows a blend of Galichia Heart Hospital's dedication to patient care and Dr. Krongrad's specialized expertise in minimally invasive prostate surgery."

Galichia already actively seeks potential medical tourists to its facilities by offering discounted fees in an effort to lure business. The partnership with MSI is an excellent compliment to Galichia's current service lines of cardiac, orthopedic and general surgery, Crawford says.

"Dr. Krongrad heard of Galichia Heart Hospital's medical tourism initiative and appreciated our forward thinking approach to providing services," Crawford says. "He will be using our facility for his patients who wish to stay within the United States."

MSI forms relationships that allow payers to fill gaps in coverage and offer choice, quality and cost containment to their patient base. Some of these relationships will specifically include referrals of patients to MSI for certain urological procedures at Galichia, Krongrad says.

Patients find MSI through medical tourism facilitators, as well as through agreements with employer representatives, third party administrators, and domestic and foreign insurance companies. The partnership with Galichia Heart Hospital allows MSI to more easily overcome barriers to choice and quality for many patients, Krongrad added.

"Because it is situated in the middle of the country, it helps Mobile Surgery International serve a very large number of Americans and Canadians who face barriers to choice and quality," Krongrad says. "It may be that others will also take interest: We recently got interest in our Galichia option from a Turk living in Norway."

Some patients also seek help from MSI on their own. Last week alone, MSI was directly contacted by patients in Wichita, Phoenix, Kansas City, Toronto, Calgary, and Kingston, Jamaica, Krongrad says.

"Each of these patients may ultimately choose to have surgery with us in Wichita," Krongrad says. "For many of them, Wichita offers geographic and/or cultural convenience. For others, including the man from Kingston, Wichita represents not geographical or cultural convenience but economic convenience."

Given the state of the Global economy, partnerships such as the one between MSI and Galichia are more important than ever, Krongrad says. For some non-emergency surgeries, the partnerships can better align demand and supply, and in turn reduce costs while preserving quality, he adds.

"The world is in a state of economic crisis," Krongrad says. "The pressures we face are causing an intense focus on cost containment everywhere, including in healthcare. Our subject expertise and service model can be used to overcome economic, geographic, and cultural barriers to choice and quality."