한국의료관광 활성화 방안에 대한 탐색적 연구

An exploratory study on ways to revitalize Korean medical tourism: Americans who consume Korean medical tourism

In Korea s medical tourism industry, the United States is the second largest country following China. In the case of American patients, the proportion of patients receiving severe treatment is higher than that of foreign patients of other nationalities. Many patients visit Korea to receive rehabilitation treatment in medical services such as cancer surgery, treatment, and transplant surgery, and relatively simple surgeries such as LASIK and rhinitis surgery are also found. Recently, the number of U.S. patients visiting Korea in connection with private insurance companies in the U.S. is increasing, and it seems that they are visiting Korea due to high medical expenses in the country. However, neighboring countries such as Canada, the UK, Costa Rica, as well as emerging medical tourism powers such as the UK, Spain, Israel, and Abu Dhabi are not yet prioritizing Korea as a medical tourist destination. When deciding a medical tourist destination, decisions are made based on medical expenses, language, distance, and price compared to domestic medical technology. In this regard, Previously, it was said that Korea provides efficient medical services at lower medical costs than high-tech, but recently, Korean medical services have been following U.S. medical services, requiring other strategies for U.S. patients to choose Korea. Accordingly, the aim is to come up with more effective solutions so that U.S. patients can visit Korea as travel destinations to revitalize medical tourism, additional services, and necessary tourism services