BALTIMORE, May 23, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fran Lessans, Founder and CEO of Passport Health, has been invited to speak at the MediTourExpo 2011 in Las Vegas, NV. The conference is taking place May 23rd and 24th and is expected to attract hundreds of medical tourism professionals and related industries, including international healthcare and travel. The annual conference is committed to providing assistance to the global healthcare and worldwide medical travel industry. The conference set its goals to provide a platform for leading experts and lecturers as well as to create networking opportunities for commercial and government investors. "I am honored to be part of this very important conference," commented Lessans. "All forecasts seem to indicate continued growth in this sector," she added.
Passport Health, the largest private provider of travel medical services and immunizations in the U.S., provides country specific counseling and immunizations for international travelers. According to Healthcare Finance News (June 2009), the medical tourism industry is projected to grow from $50 billion to $100 billion by 2012. State of the art hospitals throughout the world are offering alternatives to receiving medical procedures in the U.S. or other developed countries. Typically, these procedures, such as knee and hip replacements, heart valve replacements and face lifts, just to name a few, are performed by U.S. trained physicians who are equipped with the latest technology and techniques. Prices for these procedures are significantly lower in countries such as India where a medical tourist, for example, can expect to pay $9,000 for a heart valve replacement vs. $160,000 in the U.S. (American Medical Association, 2007).
"We recognize this trend and continue to stress the importance of being well-prepared, immunized and well-informed before traveling," noted Lessans. "Some countries, such as Thailand, Malaysia and India have very different infectious disease-related epidemiology than North America or Europe. Exposure to diseases can be a hazard for all individuals, specifically with respect to gastrointestinal diseases like Hepatitis A, amoebic dysentery or typhoid; mosquito-transmitted diseases like Yellow Fever; and air-borne-transmitted illnesses such as influenza (flu) and pneumonia. If you are ill, you can't go ahead with your surgery," she concluded.
Passport Health is dedicated to providing individualized preventive medical care for international travelers. Whether they are traveling for medical reasons, business, leisure, or going on a mission trip, travelers are counseled by Travel Medicine Specialists who:
- Assess the travelers' health history & individual needs based on their itinerary
- Provide information and counseling on health risks, required & recommended immunizations, safety precautions & security tips, as well as political and medical evacuation
- Discuss precautionary measures for dietary and recreational activities
- Administer and prescribe immunizations and medications
Travelers also have access to specialty travel products, like portable water purifiers and protection kits for malaria, diarrhea, and water purification as well as travel support products such as alert services and rental phones.
MediTourExpo will feature an array of speakers who are recognized experts in their fields. Among the speakers are: The Honorable Lorraine T. Hunt-Bono, who has been a Las Vegas and Nevada Hospitality Industry executive for 30 years, David Boucher, MPH, FACHE, who currently serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Companion Global Healthcare, Inc., and Dale C. Van Demark, a Member of Epstein, Becker Green's Health Care and Life Sciences and Business Law practices, in the firm's Washington, DC, office.
About Passport Health: Founded in 1994 Passport Health is a leading provider of travel health information and immunizations for international travelers, major corporations, universities and other international organizations. We prepare travelers for their trip with destination-specific travel information, immunizations, specialty travel products, and international travel health insurance. Our nationwide staff is comprised of professionals that include board-certified physicians and registered nurses who have completed rigorous training in the field of travel medicine and immunology.
The company has over 180 locations in 36 states throughout the U.S. Our on-site services for employers and schools include onsite clinics for Flu, Meningitis, and more. Passport Health has provided anthrax vaccinations and smallpox vaccination training and has worked with the US military, Post Office, and Federal employees and ran a 24/7 immunization call center for the Department of Defense.
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Contact:
Tammy Broghammer
tammy.broghammer@passporthealthusa.com
410.727.0556
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