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In the first course of its kind, 250 staff members of the Ramada Plaza Herradura in San Jose, Costa Rica, completed a two day training programme, “Caring for the Medical Tourist”, created and delivered in Spanish by Medical Tourism Training. The hotel staff enjoyed the mix of information, demonstrations, discussions, and questions and answers, all aimed at helping them deliver better customer service to the hotel’s medical tourism guests.
Hotels and resorts are catering to medical tourists as a way to diversify and expand their client base while increasing revenues by offering services to guests before and after they receive medical treatment. The required changes to customer care vary depending on the type of medical care guests receive. The challenges and opportunities offered by serving medical tourists require careful planning and thorough preparation. Preparing staff members is a key factor to successfully serve the needs of medical tourists.
The two-session, interactive introductory programme is based on real-world scenarios. Each session is two to two and one-half hours long and covers topics including:
• Introduction to medical tourism and medical tourists;
• Cultural awareness and cultural norms;
• Providing customer care pre-op and post-op;
• Impact of staff behavior - body language, eye contact;
• VIP customer care service for medical tourists;
• Caring for accompanying guests;
• Identifying and handling biohazardous waste;
• Wheelchair assistance;
• Recognizing serious emergencies;
• ABCs of first aid;
• What to do in an emergency;
• What to do after an emergency.
Designed to ensure measurable results, the knowledge check component to the training sessions confirms that the participants are able to identify and recall the key points. A post-training evaluation ensures that the program is meeting the needs of the organization. Following the training the trainers prepare a report containing the results of the programme evaluations as well as actionable steps for senior management to improve their medical tourism services.
The training focused on the unique demands of international health travellers and is the first completed by new company Medical Tourism Training. Medical Tourism Training’s affiliated company, healthcare consultancy firm Stackpole Associates, compiles quarterly surveys of the hotel’s current and past guests, of all kinds, to evaluate their awareness of medical tourism and to plan for improved hotel services for medical tourists. The company is developing other training programmes designed to have a broader appeal to healthcare providers, agencies and others in the medical tourism field.
Medical Tourism Training’s Elizabeth Ziemba says that healthcare providers lose customers because they are not meeting the service expectations of international health travelers, “Prompt and polite communications are essential to success in this sector that is relationship driven. Every phone call or e-mail that goes unanswered or employees that react poorly to foreign customers lose business. Our programmes train staff, instilling effective, proven skills that can transform relationships with medical tourists.”
The company is also offering "Medical Tourism Guests: The Right Choice for your Hotel or Resort?” This 90-120 minute presentation is designed for senior management teams that are expanding services for medical tourists and their accompanying guests. It addresses the planning and management issues vital to creating and tailoring services for the medical tourism market:
• Background information about medical tourism opportunities.
• Issues and challenges associated with serving medical tourists and their accompanying guests.
• Management and planning tactics including:
o Changes/additions to physical environment;
o Designing and delivering VIP customer care;
o Staff training and preparedness;
o Developing relationships with key ancillary services.
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