Min-Sheng’s IHC attends international forum on Medical Tourism.

Members of the International Healthcare Department at Min-Sheng General Hospital attended the 2010 International Medical Forum held in Taipei November 22. The event was organized by TAITRA and the Taiwan Bureau of Foreign Trade, and attracted a diverse crowd of individuals and organizations interested in the implementation of medical tourism in Taiwan.

Speakers included Mr. Jonathan Edelheit, CEO of the Medical Tourism Association, an international nonprofit organization committed to promoting health care across borders, Mr. Dan Snyder President and CEO of Asia Pacific Health Partners and former CEO of Parkway Holdings in Singapore, Asia’s largest private integrated healthcare company, and Dr. Junaidi Ismail, Director Business Development & Corporate Affairs at Prince Court Medical Center in Malaysia.

Min-Sheng Hospital has been actively involved in medical tourism for several years, and is widely perceived as a leader in this field in Taiwan. Mr. William Hoyois of Min-Sheng’s international healthcare department engaged in extended private conversations with the international speakers, exchanging information and strengthening old relationships.

Leading International Architecture and Urban design Firm visits Min-Sheng Hospital

A group of executives from RTKL and Associates, a leading architecture, engineering and urban design firm headquartered in Baltimore, USA, visited Min-Sheng General Hospital this week. The group was lead by Mr. Greg Yager, Senior Vice President and Director of Urban Design who also heads the firm’s office in Shanghai.

RTKL has been present for more than twenty years in China where it has designed and planned many high profile development projects, including Shanghai’s China Science and Technology Museum, Guangzhou’s Railway Station, and the City Crossing Complex in Shenzhen, among others. RTKL is a full-service design firm and its area of expertise also includes health care facilities; RTKL is the principal designer of the Changzheng New Pudong Hospital in Shanghai which at 2200 beds will be the largest new facility built in a single phase in China.

The visitors were received by a management team from MissionCare, the parent company of Min-Sheng Hospital, and given an extensive tour of the hospital’s facilities. Mr. Yager said he was impressed by Min-Sheng’s level of commitment to service quality and to improving the processes for dealing with patients’ care. The decision by the government to go ahead with its project to develop a Medical Tourism Zone near the international transport hub of Taoyuan is generating the interest of a lot of domestic and international companies eager to combine expertise for the mixed-use project.

Aetna International members now enjoy cashless outpatient treatment at Min-Sheng General Hospital.

Beginning November 1, 2010, patients participating in Aetna International and GoodHealth/China Life’s health plans will enjoy cashless handling of their outpatient treatment at Min-Sheng General Hospital. Aetna members who present a valid membership card and identification will now have their healthcare costs billed directly to Aetna for treatment of less than US $500. Patients will still be responsible for the co-payment as stipulated in their policy, and certain items are not-covered by this agreement.

Until now only hospitalization and charges of more than US$500 were covered by a billing agreement (after pre-authorization); for general outpatient treatment Aetna members had to settle the bill first and claim reimbursement from the insurer. Because of Min-Sheng General Hospital’s proximity to The Taoyuan International Airport, this service convenience is of particular interest to those among the increasing number of Mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan who are Aetna members through China Life.