MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Yan Alicia Hong, Ph.D. Associate Professor Dept of Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences School of Public Health Texas A&M Health Science Center College Station, TX, 77843 MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study and discussion? What are the main findings? Dr. Hong: Medical tourism has grown rapidly in the past decade, as Internet has greatly facilitated information sharing. A 2013 online survey from US reported that 27% of patients had engaged in some form of medical tourism. The global market of medical tourism is estimated at $439 billion. Traditionally, medical tourists travel from high-income countries to middle- and low-income countries to seek comparable or identical care at a lower price. But in recent years, more and more patients from middle- and low-income countries travel to the high-income countries for better diagnostic capabilities, state-of-the-art medical technologies, and advanced treatment options that may not be available in their home countries. I wrote up this article in response to the opening of a Chinese-American Physicians E-Hospital, a new online service to facilitate Chinese patients seeking medical care in U.S.. (more…)