A new twist on medical tourism: American surgeons, patients meet in Mexico

Becker's Hospital Review ^ | August 13, 2019 | Ayla Ellison

[NativeSon]

Ha!

[mad_as_he$$]

You left out one big factor. The illegals that wind up in the ER with an infected cut, the flu or some other thing and can’t pay, the hospital passes that on to everyone that does pay.

[Brilliant]

It’s happened. As you might imagine, there have been a lot of lawsuits between Americans concerning things that have happened in foreign countries. The courts clearly have jurisdiction over the people since they a are both Americans. The only question is whether you apply US law or Mexican law. I think the argument could be made (and has been made successfully in the past) that the court should apply US law when the dispute is between two Americans. Usually the argument is that the foreign law is stupid or difficult to determine and it would benefit both parties to use American law that they are more familiar with. In this case that argument might not make sense because the doctor is likely to say that he did it in Mexico precisely because he wanted Mexico law to apply. That’s a pretty good argument but not necessarily a slam dunk.

[catnipman]

having an american surgeon perform the surgery does nothing to insure the quality of the operating room and the quality of the after-care in the mexican hospital ...

[catnipman]

“All true, but if the doctors are top rate Americans, they won’t put up with crappy conditions.”

A. How do you know that for a fact?

B. How does a foreign surgeon enforce non-crappy conditions throughout a mexican hospital?

[BobL]

“A. How do you know that for a fact?”

How does anyone, at any hospital, US or foreign.

Eventually we all have to trust people. But to each their own. For me, if it means waiting 2 or 3 years for a knee (like it is in the UK now, if not longer), or getting the same done in Mexico next week, with the same American doctor, I’ll take the risk.