Editor’s Note: In our last issue we featured Part One (HYPERLINK TO PART ONE IN ISSUE 17) of a conversation with Dr. Joseph Barcie who recently transitioned from being the president of Centralized Services at the International Healthcare Corporation (IHC) to that of assistant vice president of Baptist Health International. In that discussion Dr. Barcie shared what prompted the change and how he has begun to apply the lessons learned from the experience to building Baptist Health’s international program. The conversation continues below. A recent story from Miami Today on BaptistHealth’s program can be accessed here. Medical Travel Today (MTT): Are you also handling domestic patients traveling for care through that department?

Joseph Barcie (JB): No, not through this department. Domestic medical travel hasn’t been a big part of the business for us in the past, but it is expanding. Our approach, I believe, will be to focus on the four-hour flight radius from Miami and, in time, expand from there. But it’s not a big area of focus for the short term. MTT: Then allow me to ask, what is your big area of focus in the short term? JB: We’re putting a lot of energy to expanding our service excellence model to include a consulting role. Specifically, we are helping facilities in Latin America and the Caribbean improve and provide better healthcare for their communities. We share our intellectual resources and experience, quality and patient service training, ongoing medical and clinical education, facility improvement, and so on. Whatever’s needed to enable those facilities to provide better care in their community. MTT: But don’t you rely on patients coming from those communities to come to you for care? JB: Yes, to some extent. I guess you could argue that our own efforts could hurt our draw, but that’s a short-term view. The truth is that many facilities in Latin America and the Caribbean are making extraordinary efforts to improve their services and it’s been quite dramatic. By collaborating with them we can make these improvements together and build stronger relationships for the future with these institutions and for the international community. MTT: What other aspects of your experience at IHC are you drawing upon at Baptist? JB: Baptist Health International was looking to have someone help them with the marketing of services and international insurance business development. Those were just two of my areas of responsibilities at IHC and are a very good fit with both of those needs. Plus, my international experience in hospital administration and operations, the relationships I developed over the years at IHC with key insurance players, and my understanding of inbound and outbound patients is proving very helpful. I’d say in some capacity, I’m drawing on all of these things to help us work towards meeting Baptists Health International’s goals. And those goals have been set in direct response to the requests we received from our international community.  That’s why I mentioned that in addition to our traditional service excellence model, we are working with international community leaders and sharing our intellectual capital in areas of clinical best practices, international hospital accreditation readiness, facility improvement and clinical education. We believe this is part of being a good neighbor and responsible healthcare organization. About Joseph Barcie Joseph Barcie, M.D., is the assistant vice president of Baptist Health International at Baptist Health South Florida and is responsible for international insurance business development, marketing, public relations, advertising as well as developing marketing strategies for international patients, physicians, providers, and business alliances of Baptist Health International. Prior to joining Baptist Health International Dr. Barcie was the corporate president of Centralized Services at International Healthcare Corporation in Dallas, the largest US-based private hospital system in Latin America. Before joining IHC, he held a variety of senior-level US hospital administrative positions at HCA, Tenet, and Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach; was adjunct professor at Dartmouth School of Medicine; and began his career in healthcare as a medical researcher. After graduating from Florida Atlantic University, Dr. Barcie received his medical degree from UACJ School of Medicine in Mexico and continued his training in Internal Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He earned an MBA in healthcare Administration from the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, the Healthcare Information and Management System Society, the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, and the National Association for Healthcare Quality. He lives in Palmetto Bay with his wife Leslie and new son, Ethan.