Richard N. Velotta
Related content
From the moment delegates stepped into Caesars Palace’s conference center for the sixth annual World Medical Tourism and Global Healthcare Congress, it was clear that Las Vegas was out of its league as a medical tourism destination.
Don’t get me wrong — it was fantastic that the world’s most important medical tourism conference landed here. Two thousand people and 200 exhibitors from around the world attended, many from destinations most people have never heard of.
There was a large contingent from the Caribbean representing medical facilities nestled in tropical environments ideal for treatment and recovery. There also was a group from Los Algodones, just south of the Mexican border at Mexicali, that is home to more dentists per square mile than any place in the world. Who knew?
What does Las Vegas have to offer?
A handful of medical specialists, including fertility and gastric bypass doctors, offer rates that can’t be beaten in remote parts of the world. The city leads in meetings and conventions facilities where doctors can learn new surgical techniques. And Las Vegas has great air service to scores of destinations.
Local officials also tout the valley’s spas and wellness centers as medical tourism destinations. But do those really count?
Organizations like the Resort Medical Alliance of Las Vegas hope to put the valley on the medical map. But the reality is that in the medical tourism world, we’re behind.
And to make true progress, Las Vegas must acknowledge that it trails the field.
Also interesting at the Medical Tourism Association was the speaker list. Jon Wolske, a “culture evangelist” for Zappos Insights, a division of Zappos.com, spent a half hour explaining his company’s culture of providing service beyond customer expectations.
The Medical Tourism Association likely had dozens of options of speakers to deliver such a message, but the selection of Wolske was a great choice. He was engaging and represented Las Vegas well.
Wolske’s takeaway: If your company delivers excellent service to customers, you’ll have those customers for life, so it’s important to treat customers right.
It was a refreshing departure from all the talk about whether the Affordable Health Care Act will chase Americans to foreign countries for medical treatment.