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Introduction

As a patient, I seek high-quality healthcare at an affordable price. When I’m on the job representing Patients Beyond Borders, I explore and assess world-class medical facilities that serve the global patient. I have visited Bumrungrad both as a patient and as a spokesperson. From both perspectives, I’ve come away convinced that Bumrungrad is a model for patient-centered care, competitively priced for the worldwide market.

My personal story began with a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder; I was in so much pain that buckling my seatbelt in the car was a challenge. Physicians at home suggested that I needed an MRI and “probably surgery.” One concern was that these surgeons might be somewhat too eager to operate. Did I really need surgery? I wasn’t sure. Second, my health insurance policy carried a US$2,000 deductible. I knew the MRI alone would cost more than that.

So, on my next business trip to Bangkok, I sought advice at Bumrungrad. In a matter of hours, I had an MRI of my shoulder and two consultations with one of Thailand’s best orthopedic specialists—for a total cost of US$467. My Bumrungrad specialist advised against surgery, and instead recommended a program of physical therapy back home. Today I’m pain-free and enjoying full range of motion in my shoulder. While I can’t guarantee that every patient will have a comparable outcome, I can predict with confidence that other patients will be treated at Bumrungrad as fairly, effectively, and inexpensively as I was.

Returning to my role as a Patients Beyond Borders emissary, I see four major areas in which Bumrungrad has set a high bar:

1. Healthcare. Bumrungrad has demonstrated some of the highest clinical success rates and lowest infection rates in the world.

2. Patient service. Bumrungrad has the fastest response time in the business. Patient inquiries are typically answered in 24 hours or less.

3. Facilities and technology. The hospital is ultra modern and beautiful and its technology is state of the art.

4. Multiculturalism. Bumrungrad is a truly global service facility, with an infrastructure to match, attracting and successfully serving patients from 190 countries.

Bumrungrad International is today, in my opinion, a candidate for the title of “Hospital to the World.” Its management team has worked nearly 15 years to attain a balance between quality, customer service, and price. As more international hospitals around the globe work to achieve this enviable position, we’ll begin to see a truly globalized provider community, one that patients can trust to offer top-quality medical services, cost and outcomes transparency, and excellent customer care. Speaking as a patient and a healthcare consumer advocate, that’s good news.

JOSEF WOODMAN, North Carolina, US, 2011