Costa Rica is touted as a tropical paradise that any traveler would fall in love with. Its scenic beaches, diverse marine and wildlife, and breathtaking natural resources offer not only excitement but also respite from the hustle and bustle of city life.<\/p>\n
In recent years, Costa Rica has added one more reason to its long list of why you should visit the country. If you\u2019re looking for quality medical attention and support, you might want to consider Costa Rica as this is now one of the world’s favorite medical tourism destinations.<\/p>\n
Medical tourism in Costa Rica<\/strong><\/p>\n The overseas medical tourism industry is booming and there are no signs of letting up. In 2009 alone, more than two million Americans flew overseas to seek medical care and experts believe the number will go up three times by 2014.<\/p>\n Here are just some of the services that medical tourism companies provide:<\/p>\n Why Costa Rica?<\/strong><\/p>\n Costa Rica has become a favorite destination for medical care because of its topnotch medical personnel, state-of-the art equipment and, of course, more affordable medical costs.<\/p>\n Three hospitals located in San Jose, Costa Rica have been accredited by the Joint Commission International. JCI is a US-based not-for-profit organization that evaluates and accredits healthcare organizations, ensuring that these organizations are providing safe and effective care.<\/p>\n The cost of medical support in Costa Rica is much lower than in the United States. Sociologist and author Dr. Michael G. Zey said that a heart bypass surgery would cost US$144,000 in the US. In Costa Rica, the same procedure would only cost US$25,000. A hip replacement surgery would cost about US$43,000 in the US while Costa Rica\u2019s rate would be 60 to 70 percent lower. \u00a0 \u00a0In general, one can assume the cost of surgery in Costa Rica is around 1\/3 of that in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n