Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad

2016 media information

What is the Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad?

An independent guide published by Intuition Communication for patients who may be unaware of the options for going abroad for surgery and treatment either funded by the NHS or on a self-pay basis. The Guide is distributed in print form via 6,000 GP practices, covering 38 million of the population, by email and via the web. It is a magazine-style guide, which stands out in GP waiting areas.

Rationale The UK is one of the most attractive outbound medical tourism markets. According to the International Passenger Survey, around 68,000 UK citizens travelled abroad for treatment in 2013.

But many healthcare destinations and providers overseas are failing to get their message across to UK patients.

And many UK patients are unaware of the options available for surgery and treatment in other countries.

The Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad provides a solution to this problem.

The opportunities for profiling a healthcare destination or healthcare provider are offered on a “first come, first served” basis. If you want to secure your presence in this unique publication, you need to ACT NOW.

Who is the audience for the Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad?

Target audience

Patients waiting for NHS surgery who are unaware of their rights to seek NHS funded treatment within Europe under the EU Directive on Cross Border Healthcare.

Patients who need treatments such as dental implants and cosmetic dentistry which is not funded by the NHS, and who are unable to afford the cost of private dental treatment in the UK.

Patients seeking infertility treatment who are not eligible for NHS funded IVF treatment or who fall outside the criteria for NHS funding and who are unable to afford the cost of private infertility treatment in the UK.

Patients seeking cosmetic surgery who are unable to afford the cost of private cosmetic surgery in the UK.

30,000 copies of this publication are distributed to the 6,000 largest primary care practices, which care for the needs of 38 million UK patients. In a three month period, 47 million patient visits are made to these 6,000 practices. 25 million patient visits are made by people over the age of 45. 24,000 healthcare professionals work within these 6,000 practices.

Getting your message across to UK patients .... the right place at the right time

The guide gets the message across to patients at exactly the right time… when they are in a GP waiting area, thinking about their healthcare needs.

They have plenty of time to take in your message. The average wait to see a GP is around 20 minutes.

People are open to medical information in the environment of a GP waiting area.

They may have an immediate healthcare need and may have not considered the overseas treatment option. The guide:

Increases the awareness of the options for medical tourism.

Promotes the benefits of medical tourism.

This unique print and online publication is aimed directly at people who are seeking the answer to their healthcare problem… patients who are visiting their General Practitioner (Primary Healthcare Practitioner) for advice and treatment. This is your opportunity to get your message across to those patients in the Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad.

How does it appeal to patients? Patients are able respond to advertisements, company profiles and editorial in this unique guide on how you can access treatment abroad. The guide answers all the important questions patients have about the process of going to another country for treatment and provides valuable information to patients on the leading destinations and providers of services to medical tourists.

Placed in 6,000 GP surgeries nationwide

The Guide is distributed to 6,000 GP practice waiting areas, serving a patient population of 38 million. 47 million patient visits are made to these practices every quarter. There is also a Digital Edition of the Guide which is easily accessible using mobile devices and tablets, and online through the UK’s leading medical tourism website, “Treatment Abroad”.

Added ROI from digital edition

Advertisements featured in the Digital Edition have the added benefit of live email and web addresses allowing easy access by a mobile device or tablet through Treatment Abroad, for a period of 12 months.

How does the Guide help patients?

The rights of UK patients to travel abroad for treatment under the EU Directive on Cross Border Healthcare

As a UK citizen and therefore a citizen of a European Union state, British patients have a right to seek treatment in other European states and for the cost of this treatment to be reimbursed by the NHS. The European Directive on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare has been adopted by the European Parliament. This Directive clarifies the rights of EU citizens to seek treatment in other EU member states.

However…. there are very few UK citizens who understand what their rights are to treatment elsewhere within the EU and few know how to exercise those rights. In truth, most people are still not aware that they may choose treatment in another EU state.

Our editorial helps to plug the information gap for UK patients, and to help UK patients understand what their rights are under the new Directive and how to go about exercising those rights.

The Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad focuses on two areas of opportunity:

How does the Guide help patients?

Patients who cannot afford the costs of private treatment in the UK

There are many reasons why British patients choose private medical treatment, from avoiding lengthy NHS waiting lists, to not being satisfied with treatment on the NHS or wanting a second opinion. The resources of the NHS continue to be stretched despite significant government investment, and there can be delays before NHS treatment is available. In areas such as dentistry, the services available under the NHS are limited. Patients seeking dental implants or cosmetic dentistry must pay privately.

Surgery in a private hospital is not cheap. The average cost of a hip replacement in a private hospital is £10,300 (€12,500). The average cost of a cataract operation is £2,500 (€3,000)

A dental implant can cost £2,000 to £2,500 (€2,400 to €3,000)

The average cost of a breast augmentation operation is £4,500 (€5,465)

So, the option to travel abroad is an attractive one. But for many patients, the option does not cross their mind.

Our editorial explains how a patient can become a “medical tourist”, how to seek out the right destination, the right healthcare provider and the right surgeon or dentist.

The Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad focuses on two areas of opportunity:

Getting your message across

We restrict the Guide to covering no more than 8 healthcare destinations or major healthcare providers.

You will be investing in a double page spread or a single page that will profile and promote what you have to offer to the UK patient.

The content team at Intuition will write your editorial content.

Here is an example of how this can be approached. We have used Portugal as an example of a healthcare destination.

You may decide to:

Focus on one area of treatment

Profiling what you can offer to patients seeking eye surgery, or to patients seeking knee or hip replacement. We wish to provide our readers with as broad a range of services as possible.

Profile what you have to offer across a range of services

A destination or healthcare provider may wish to promote their expertise and suitability for British patients across a broad range of services.

We are seeking healthcare destinations and major healthcare providers who want to get their message across to the 38 million UK citizens who are looked after by the 6,000 largest primary care practices.

Getting your message across

Directory listings are grouped by area of treatment, for example cosmetic surgery, dental treatment, eye surgery, infertility treatment. Your listing will include your company/clinic name, contact details, logo and a 50 word description.

Half page advert

The Guide also offers half page, quarter page and directory listings for healthcare providers who have a smaller budget but still want to get their message across to the 38 million UK patients who are looked after by the 6,000 largest primary care practices.

Directory listings

What does it look like?

Sample content from the 2015 edition

Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad

You will benefit from the following:

Links to your website and email on your advert are live when transferred to the digital edition.

12 months’ presence on the Treatment Abroad website- 500,000 + visitors per annum.

QR code for patients to connect to your website via the guide.

Print distribution – 30,000 copies going into 6,000 GP waiting rooms.

Potential audience of 360,000 (minimum)

20 free print copies of guide.

PDF version can be used on your own website or promotional material.

What you get out of the Guide.... The printed publication benefits from a wide readership through GP waiting areas. But the content is also put to good use through an online publication.

2014 Guide - pickup report 30,000 copies of the Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad were inserted within

5,993 multi-GP surgeries using Waiting Room Information Services (WIS) for the Quarter 3 2014 period. 5 copies per surgery.

Merchandisers count up all campaign publication materials at the end of the 3 month cycle.

This report details the number of publications taken and benchmarks it with the average.

Out of 30,000 publications displayed over 3 months, 24,600 ‘Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad ’ publications were selected and taken away in this period.

The leaflet pick up rate percentage was 9% higher than the average pick up across other publication campaigns in the same cycle

2014 Guide - pickup report

Patient feedback

Very useful magazine as I’m thinking about getting a private health op. Will find out costs. Female patient ,64, London

I read the treatment in foreign countries magazine. Seems a good idea. Taking home to study it more. Female patient, 41, Newcastle

Reading the ‘Treatment abroad’ brochure was very interesting –will now take home and decide. Male patient, 42, Liverpool

Very useful guide –I want to find out more, especially the cost. That’s the key. Female patient, 44, London

Premium packages

DPS €8,425

(double page spread)

Full page, facing editorial €6,950

Standard packages

ROP – full page €4,950

ROP – half page €3,375

ROP – quarter page €2,295

Directory listing €375

Copy deadline 15th June 2016

Artwork services are available at an additional charge. To discuss your requirements please email sales@treatmentabroad.com

Rates & data The Patients’ Guide to Treatment Abroad is owned and run by Intuition Communication Limited. Intuition Communication is the leading online publisher of information about medical tourism and private healthcare in the UK.

Our website Treatment Abroad www.treatmentabroad.com has established a worldwide reputation as the first medical tourism portal for people seeking information on cosmetic surgery, dentistry, infertility treatment and hospital treatment abroad. It incorporates a “Guide to Medical Tourism”, price comparisons, patient stories, videos, and destination guides.

+44 (0)1442 817817 www.intuition-comms.co.uk team@intuition-comms.co.uk

Intuition Communication Ltd 3 Churchgates, Wilderness, Berkhamsted, HP4 2UB. UK.