This has been an industry which has achieved recognition over the last few decades. Various countries have excelled for certain medical specialties and/or lower cost: Hungary is a current destination for Europeans seeking low cost dental care, as is Mexico in the Western Hemisphere. Venezuela had achieved high status for plastic surgery. The total value of this industry is now $100 billion/year.

Overseas doctors are generally well trained, but have had to bear older facilities and inadequate staffing. However, new facilities are built to near-US standards, and are comparable to most US facilities. Sometimes the technology may even run ahead of the US, if experimental treatments are allowed. Many procedures can be done for one third or one fourth of US costs, although if a procedure is phenomenally cheap caution would be advised. For scheduled treatment this is very feasible, if not for emergencies.

http://www.medicaltourismassociation.../patients.html

On MedicalTourism.com a prospective patient can even request a quote for a given treatment.http://www.medicaltourism.com

The Medical Tourism Index provides a score for the overall quality in each country.http://www.medicaltourismindex.com/o...rofile/page/2/