Johns Hopkins Affiliate Attracts Medical Travelers to Istanbul

Anadolu Medical Center in Istanbul is part of the network of medical travel facilities offered by Companion Global Healthcare, which is a partner of Well-Being Travel, the U.S.-based travel company that is helping agents serve the $1.6-billion-and-growing global market for medical travel.

Dr. Hasan Kus, CEO of Anadolu Medical Center, says that Turkish medical facilities are promoting international medical tourism to take advantage of the country’s leadership in facilities accredited by JCI (Joint Commission International), along with Turkey’s outstanding attractions for foreign tourists.

He said that Turkey is home to the most hospitals – 35 – accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), which is the medical-equivalent of the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.

Anadolu, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is one of the JCI accredited facilities, and it offers an American-standard level of care that incorporates all the latest in medical technology, along with a special staff dedicated to service foreign patients, said Dr. Kus.

“Hospitals in Turkey are marketing to international patients because the government has changed its policy on access to private hospitals and pricing to be more restrictive,” said Dr. Kus.

“That is why we have decided to focus on private insurance companies and the growing market from international patients. It is also very prestigious for Anadolu to have so many international patients.”

Dr. Kus noted that Anadolu has a staff of 18 full-time healthcare professionals devoted to international patients.

These professionals make all necessary arrangements for international patients, who come to Anadolu to take advantage of its high quality of care, sophisticated technology, easy access to care and lower costs, relative to those in the home countries of some of the international patients, according to Dr. Kus.

The medical center accommodated 1,900 international patients in 2009 and expects to serve 2,800 in 2010, half of them for oncology, from 30 countries, lead by Romania, Dr. Kus said. Anadolu’s other top foreign markets include Bulgaria, Azerbajian, the United Kingdom, Russia, Georgia, the United States, Canada and Australia.

Anadolu Medical Center is part of one of the largest conglomerates in Turkey and situated in a health village that includes an acute care hospital with 209 beds and nine operating theaters, said Dr. Kus, noting that Anadolu is the first international affiliate of the renowned Johns Hopkins based in Baltimore.

Johns Hopkins, he said, visits Anadolu twice a year to audit the quality of care the medical center is providing to its patients. In fact, he added, Anadolu’s chief nursing officer is from Johns Hopkins. In all the medical center has 126 physicians and almost 1,000 staff in total.

He also noted that the medical center has a very low rate of infection, lower than most facilities in the U.S.

Anadolu also has the first CyberKnife robotic radiosurgery system for treatment of tumors and other medical conditions in Turkey and one of the few in Europe, said Dr. Kus, adding that Anadolu’s centers of excellence include those for oncology, women’s health, cosmetic surgery and dentistry.

Linear accelerators (IMRT) are also available for cancer treatment. PET-CT, Straton-CT, TIM-MR, PYXIS, PACS, telemedicine and electronic patient records are some of the other state-of-the-art technologies used for the well-being of patients.

Dr Kus said that the center is a unique health complex located away from the noise and the hassle of the city of Istanbul where patients can be treated in a relaxed setting.

“The patient rooms are homey, and comfortable with a beautiful sea view. Lighting, spaciousness, a manmade pond, natural plant life, abundance of trees are part of the well thought details for a positive effect on patient care and treatment duration.”

The on campus Anadolu Titanic Comfort Hotel has 41 rooms and 82 beds and averages 83% occupancy, said Dr. Kus. The hotel is operated by local hotel chain and the medical center probably will expand the hotel, he said.

For more information, visit www.anadolumedicalcenter.com.