ABSTRACT
With healthcare costs sky rocketing and some medical specialties in short supply in some countries, patients are traveling abroad to seek the medical advice and treatments they need. This chapter looks at the availability, cost, and opportunities in the growing field of medical tourism. Medical tourism is evolving into "wellness tourism". In this variation, the core medical clinic is surrounded by ancillary services, such as psychological counseling, exercise facilities, and more. The idea is that health-minded patients can heal their lives and getting treatment for a specific malady. In the future, patients can both enjoy of hospitality form the hotel industry and use the technological advancements in their room while receiving medical service offered by expert staff from the hospitals. The most respected western hospitals and medical colleges have begun to tap the market for medical tourism. Hospitality bridging healthcare model consists of different ways of merging the operations of hospitals and hotels in order to provide superior service quality.
