Entrepreneur delves into medical tourism

If Warren Kaminsky plans your vacation to Costa Rica, expect "colonoscopy" to appear on your itinerary - right above deep-sea fishing and zip-lining through the jungle.

That's not a typo, either. It's the growing trend of medical tourism, in which people travel to exotic locations to receive medical and dental procedures at a fraction of the stateside cost - and then relaxing on the beach.

Kaminsky, a Brookfield resident and self-described hypochondriac, jumped on the bandwagon when he needed to have two colonoscopy procedures in a two-year span.

"I couldn't afford (the second procedure), which would have been $3,000 to $5,000," he said.

Self-employed and facing high deductibles, Kaminsky traveled to Costa Rica to receive the procedure for about $325 (the going rate has since increased to about $425, he said). Then, he spent a few days touring volcanoes and mountaintop cloud gardens.

Seizing an opportunity

Kaminsky has since returned numerous times for dental work and medical procedures. Now, he's trying to grow the concept of medical tourism into a business called Health Travel Tours.

He will schedule an appointment for a client's dental or medical procedure, and then plan a vacation based on that client's interests - unless he or she wants to return immediately.

"I will help plan the trip from the time you get off the plane until the time you get back on the plane. That includes the hospital visits, liaisons, transfers, hotels and whatever else you want to do," he said. "Everybody wants to take a vacation. Why not let your vacation pay for itself?"

Kaminsky said he has connections with doctors and hospitals that are accredited by the Joint Commission International.

"If a hospital is JCI accredited, it has to be at the same level of care as a hospital is (in the United States). That gives people a level of comfort," he said.

Already has buy-in

Self-insured and faced with high deductibles, John and Jane Foerster traveled to Costa Rica for a routine medical procedure and then spent the rest of a 10-day trip vacationing.

"I don't know that I'm ready to have open heart surgery down there, but for general things, I have no qualms. They have state-of-the-art equipment and medical doctors, many of whom have studied in the United States," Jane said. "It's definitely high-quality medical care."

The procedures there are cheaper for a variety of reasons, Kaminsky said, explaining that there are fewer malpractice lawsuits, the currency exchange rate helps, and pharmaceutical and insurance companies aren't as powerful.

Over the last five years, Kaminsky has arranged health-travel accommodations for about 20 people with no advertising or promotional efforts.

Now, he plans to use a new procedure practiced in Costa Rica that could reverse type-two diabetes to push his business into the limelight.

"I'm now at a point where I have people who are interested and want to help finance it," Kaminsky said.

On the web

Visit healthtraveltours.com to learn more about Warren Kaminsky's business.