NeilGoBlue

You bring up an excellent point. I will have the destination host brief me on what he reccomends in case of an emergency and will have that info at our finger tips.

BTW, if you travel a lot check out pinnacle care at PinnacleCare navigates the healthcare system for you to give you access to the best health care.
I've done a little research and will probably join next year..

retroryan

Anyone used Pinnacle Care? This sounds like an amazing service, if it works as advertised How expensive is this kind of service?

NeilGoBlue

If your family is 'well' its about 8K a year... if you have some 'issues' like diabetes or maybe something chronic...it goes up dramatically. If you have some kind of terminal/serious disease.. it can be about 40K a year..

I have a hard time spending 100K+ on a DC plus 12K a year, and not spend the 8k a year to have access to the best health care.

Kagehitokiri

neil, what have you seen in terms of local specialists with medical concierges?

the local ones seem to be very vague on their specialist referrals, and emphasize access to a PCP.

pinnaclecare, which seems great (although clearly depends on what level you join) seems to market preferential treatment at their major medical center partners.

NeilGoBlue

I'm not a member. I did spend about an hour talking to them. They seem to really tailor their services around your wants and needs. Some of their clients have hundreds of millions and some of their clients are working families whose kids have an ailment that no doctor could figure out. In that scenario, they worked in the families insurance plan. (the family couldn't afford anything else)

In other situations you might say 'i want the best primary doctor in maryland that doesn't take insurance'. (the idea being that you pay by the hour and they'll spend all the time you want) They will find you that doctor or give you a list with the pros and cons of each one. So, I figured I'd join next year and see how it works for a year. The centalize all your records and can send them 24/7 electronically to any hospital in the world.

You let them know where you are going on a trip... like Cabo for example and they do the research and before you leave they will give you a list of doctors and hospitals that they reccomend in case of emergency. They provide 24/7 translating services, etc.

I was impressed with the sales pitch.. but I haven't done my 2nd round of rigorous due diligence.

Kagehitokiri

right, i was just wondering if you had explored other medical concierge offerings. i have looked for ones that emphasize access to local specialists and have not seen any, which i find interesting.

in terms of emergency care abroad, there is also medical evacuation insurance.

NeilGoBlue

No I haven't, but I will before I commit anywhere.. I'll update you then..

vineyarder

Since we travel 14 - 16 weeks a year, we just buy an annual policy from Medjet Assist MedjetAssist: Medical Evacuation from Anywhere in the World to your Hospital of Choice that covers evacuation back to any hospital of your choice if you are hospitalized > 150 miles from home... I think I paid $800 for a 3 year policy covering 2 adults and 2 children...

pwrshift

LTTravel

Being a physician, my opinion is that this is mostly marketing ****. I think you are better off with a medical evacuation service such as Medjet Assist or the American Express medical travel insurance with evacuation. If you get sick in Mexico, or many other foreign countries, you would be better off being evacuated to your home rather than stay where you are. A colleague got into a motor vehicle accident in Cancun. One son died and the other sustained a open tib-fib fracture. He wanted to evacuate to the states. The hospital would not let him take his son out of the hospital till he paid the $60,000 medical bills for the two boys. His American Express plan paid for the whole thing in addition to the $25,000 it cost to fly him to Miami.

Steamboat Bill

Based upon my conversations with online members and their professional backgrounds, I would consider the opinions of vineyarder and LTTravel as experts in determining the BEST options for medical treatments while on vacation or out of the country.

retroryan

LTTravel, not being a physician, I respect your opinion. Are you refering to plans like PinnacleCare? We have a son with some challenges and we have not been able to find good medical help.

For comparison, it seems if doctors are equal to standard travel, than PinnacleCare is like a DC I am just curious if they deliver as well as DC's have? They provide personalized guided care, find the best doctors in the country, and in-depth research into your health problems. It does cost quite a bit, so I am very sceptical.

Thank you for your professional insight!

LTTravel

I think that when you are traveling, you are better off getting back home ASAP and having your own physicians take care of you. It is much better being taken care of near home, where you can follow up with physicians that you know. Being a reconstructive surgeon, I would rather do my own reconstructions than redo or do the post operative care of someone else's work. I have had many patient's transferred to me after being taken care of in another country and have not been happy with what I have seen. There are certainly fine doctors everywhere, but you can't start looking for one in a foreign country. If you are traveling to the Dominican Republic or Jamaica, or Columbia or wherever, I don't think that you are going to look for a specialist in any field while you travel. You will need good emergency care and try to get back to home ASAP. Medjet Assist will fly you back home if you need hospital care at your request. American Express will fly you back in most circumstances but not all, but also provides payment for health care received more than 150 miles from home that is not covered by your medical insurance. So my recommendation when traveling abroad and you have a medical problem: take care of the emergency, stabilize, and get back home right away.

NeilGoBlue

Aweseome advice.. thanks!

pwrshift

Is it true that MedJet Assist will only fly you home if you are first admitted to the hospital where you make the claim and are going to your home hospital where you will be admitted? Is this a potential loophole?

I like the MedJet website and asked my HR execs to look into their offerings as they sell 'group' programs in Canada that might be useful for my salespeople who travel quite extensively. However, the hospital to hospital requirement might be a potential problem.

Kagehitokiri

thanks for the info LTTravel.

evacuation insurance seems like its never a bad idea, considering the low cost, at least with medjet and as amex benefit, while something more general like pinnaclecare would require more of a cost/benefit analysis.

IIRC with amex, they have to be the initial point of contact, and will not cover expenses youve already incurred.

in amex forum at flyertalk >
Emergency Rescue Insurance - FlyerTalk Forums
medical evacuation benefit with Platinum ? - FlyerTalk Forums
Travel Health Benefits with Platinum? - FlyerTalk Forums

MedjetAssist Evacuation from Anywhere in the World to your Hospital of Choice

base membership $225
plus membership $344