Come for Broadway, Stay for Bypass: Who Is New York’s Medical Tourist?

Abstract

Medical Tourism, characterized by patients leaving their home community to seek health care services elsewhere, is on the rise globally. In New York state, 65,254 non-resident patients (2.86% of all patients seen by hospitals that year) sought inpatient treatment in a hospital in 2015. This was a 10.78% reduction in patients from outside the state seeking care compared with a decade earlier. As the competition grows for patients, understanding those more likely to travel for elective procedures may become an important marketing resource for health care providers. This study uses hospital discharge records to describe demographics, and clinical indicators, and patient travel patterns, and explores the associations with those obtaining elective (non-emergent) surgeries. We find that among non-residents in New York international travelers, older adults, women, and those with a lower severity of illness are positively associated with elective surgeries. Providers hoping to grow this patient population within their facilities are able to gain valuable insight into target markets and potential drivers of patient choice.