ORLANDO, Fla. — People from around the world are coming to Florida for more than vacations.
What You Need To Know
Hundreds of thousands travel to Florida each year for medical procedures
Florida Chamber estimates medical tourism generates $6 billion in spending
Patients say they’re combining top medical care with recovery in a vacation setting
Doctors warn travelers to be cautious when seeking surgery overseas
They’re traveling to the Sunshine State for medical procedures, combining healthcare with recovery in a world-class tourism destination — a growing trend known as medical tourism.
Doctors say hundreds of thousands of patients each year are drawn to Florida for specialized care, competitive pricing, and the chance to heal in a place built for comfort and entertainment.
According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the industry is generating billions of dollars in economic impact across the state.
“And as you can see, this part of the leg we frequently operate on,” said Dr. Kenneth Lee, chief of Plastic Surgery at Orlando Health Cancer Institute.
Lee says he frequently sees patients traveling to Florida for top medical care.
“Obvious place for destination medical tourism. For destination surgery,” Lee said.
An estimated 300,000 to 400,000 medical tourists visit Florida each year, many coming from out of state for specialized procedures.
Years ago, Amy Caterina traveled from California to Orlando for a life-saving surgery.
“It’s really not a lot of doctors are not taught a lot about lymphedema. And so, it’s always very hard to find treatment,” Caterina said.
She and her family also experienced the benefits of recovering in a vacation destination.
“We took advantage of the fact that we were in Florida. We went to Disney World, saw a rocket launch, went to Universal Studios,” she said.
Lee says that combination is part of the appeal.
“So, what we’re seeing also is people that are in outlying areas saying, hey, I’m going to come into Orlando, Florida, get great care, but yet also allow my family to come here to help me recover,” Lee said.
Michele Hassing left the cold in Philadelphia for Central Florida for a total knee replacement.
“And I was in Orlando, so I got to recover in much nicer weather than I would have been in where I came from in Pennsylvania. And I got to go to Universal Studios,” Hassing said.
The Florida Chamber of Commerce estimates medical tourism generates $6 billion in medical services spending.
“Would certainly consider this a sub-industry of Florida’s tourism industry,” said Dr. Keith Richard, vice president of Research for the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
Some of Florida’s medical tourists are international patients.
Hospitals in South Florida and the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville see thousands each year from around the world.
“By 2030, we’re going to have 40 million more annual visitors than we do currently. And so folks are coming to Florida for a whole bunch of different reasons. And medical tourism is one of those as well,” Richard said.
Medical tourism is popular beyond Florida.
Thailand alone attracted more than 580,000 patients specifically for procedures.
But Lee urges caution when traveling overseas for surgery.
“And we see two to four patients a week that have had surgery, cosmetic surgery in different places, and the other places can’t even take care of them because they’re not real plastic surgeons, so they can’t even admit you to a hospital near where they are because they don’t have the privileges,” Lee said.
As healthcare costs rise, medical tourism — both within the U.S. and internationally — is likely to continue growing.