Website: http://www.medicabroad.com/ Intro Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NM_9KNuBuw About Canip Erim Canip Erim is the Managing Partner and Co-Founder of MedicAbroad. Along with his partner and co-founder Mr. Vahap Subasi, he oversees the company’s operations and drives strategic vision for MedicAbroad. He exclusively focuses on MedicAbroad’s marketing strategy and building its brand, along with creating medical package products and developing the international sales agent network. Erim has more than 15 years of experience in the tourism industry and has been in charge of sales for an international cruise wholesaler both in Europe and the Middle East for eight years. He has an MBA Degree in General Management and International Marketing from New York Institute of Tech, and a BS Degree in Tourism Administration. About MedicAbroad MedicAbroad was founded in November 2015 with two acting partners and various investors. Our mission is to bring high-quality and reliable healthcare to those who are in need, with affordability and accessibility dive in mind. Through our New York main office we manage all of our U.S. and Canada marketing and sales with highly experienced international staff. Our second office in Istanbul manages hospital and physician research, selecting, and contracting processes. We have 14 employees including medical tourism specialists, consulting physicians, sales, accounting, and management. Medical Travel Today (MTT): Tell us about MedicAbroad. Canip Erim (CE): MedicAbroad is a U.S. based medical travel facilitator based in New York that focuses on helping patients from other parts of the globe receive medical treatment through an affordable healthcare facility with quality services. MedicAbroad was established in 2015 to fill a very important gap in the U.S. healthcare system, which was created by high cost increases, long waitlists for life threatening treatments, and undeniable quality increases in medical facilities around the world. Originally designed to create reliable access for cruise passengers while they sail in the European waters, MedicAbroad establishes a communication channel between cruise patients and medical facilities in the closest European ports. Additionally, MedicAbroad offers several medical travel packages which include flights, hotel accommodations and special services for those interested in cosmetic and IVF procedures. MTT: How do you qualify hospitals? CE: We are extremely selective and cautious when choosing healthcare providers for our customers in the U.S. and abroad. Internationally recognized and accredited medical facilities are the only treatment facilities we contract with. International and regional accreditations are essential for selecting an international healthcare provider. All of our selected hospitals are Joint Commission International (JCI) accredited. Doctors and specialists are recommended based on their accreditations, certifications and backgrounds. To date, MedicAbroad contracts with 55 hospitals and clinics in 13 different countries. MTT: Where are the facilities located? CE: MedicAbroad signed contracts with limited destinations that have high quality and internationally accredited hospitals and clinics. With the motto, ‘Medical travel is a healing journey,‘ we require a certain level of criteria from the facilities, including security, stability, accessibility, specialization in certain treatments and touristic attractiveness. To that note, we have contracts with hospitals in Costa Rica, Greece, Hungary, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Thailand, Turkey and UAE. MTT: Does MedicAbroad assist international patients find treatment in the U.S.? CE: MedicAbroad was established in the U.S. to help American patients find treatment abroad. However, we do receive certain cases from other parts of the world from time to time. For instance, our team just received an inquiry in April from a patient in Bangladesh, which we were able to forward to Malaysia as it was one of the best and closest destinations for desired treatment. Our experience in the medical travel industry, along with new technology, gives us the confidence to provide medical services to patients around the world. MTT: What are common procedures that patients are looking for? CE: Since the beginning of 2016, MedicAbroad has received more than 600 inquiries to be analyzed and submitted to our selected facilities abroad. The leading treatment request has been for cosmetic procedures, including hair transplants, facial cosmetology and tummy tucks. The second leading request has been for dental implants and related procedures. For these types of procedures, we tend to recommend Hungary for its well-known dentistry facilities. In 2015, MedicAbroad helped successfully facilitate services for a U.S. patient in need of a kidney transplant. The operation took place in a well-established hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey’s hospitals and physicians are highly equipped and accredited by international organizations with a comprehensive success rate of over 95 percent for organ transplants. According to recent research, the estimated cost of a kidney transplant in 2015 – including pre- and post- surgery – was $333,300 in the U,S, whereas the same procedure will cost a maximum of $35,000 in Turkey. MTT: Do the providers you work with offer bundled pricing? CE: Pricing offered by hospitals and clinics is often based on the type of treatment. For example, bundled package prices are generally offered by esthetic clinics. At MedicAbroad, we also offer programs of three, seven or ten day packages for dental implants in Budapest and hair restoration in Istanbul. We also have an IVF package both in Athens and Istanbul for a slightly longer period of time. MTT: How many patients have you helped to date? CE: As of Jun 30th, 2016, MedicAbroad has finalized 58 cases and has close to 100 cases that will be examined and finalized by the end of summer 2016. As the demand rate increases significantly each month, our target is to help a minimum of 800-1,000 patients by the end of 2017. MTT: What can our readers expect from MedicAbroad in the future? CE: MedicAbroad is a rapidly growing firm that has created a platform for its customers to have better healthcare by providing a direct communication channel to hospitals and physicians. As we continue to receive inquiries from uninsured patients, we plan to direct contact with firms to provide medical travel packages as an option for employees’ insurance policies. Right now, we have been in contact with insurance companies to provide our services as an alternative medical benefit for certain procedures overseas, such as organ transplants, orthopedic surgeries and cardiovascular procedures. MTT: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers? CE: Our main challenge here in the U.S. is that many individuals still don’t understand the concept of traveling abroad for medical purposes and don’t believe in the benefits of this travel experience. We use our all resources to inform and educate potential health seekers out there with help of channels like Medical Travel Today and others. Today, high-quality global healthcare is emerging rapidly and there shouldn’t be pushback to seek treatment in countries like Greece, Hungary, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and so on.