In the context of globalization in health care services, what main economic activities are discussed in Chapter 3?
(a) Telecommunication infrastructure enables physicians in the United States to transmit radiological images to countries such as Australia where they are interpreted and reported back the next day. Also, telemedicine consultations are available to other parts of the world.
(b) Consumers travel abroad to receive medical care in specialty hospitals that offer state-of-the-art technology to foreigners at a fraction of what it would cost to have the same procedures done in the United States or Europe. Physicians and hospitals outside the United States are gaining clear competitive advantages because of reasonable malpractice costs, minimum regulation, and lower costs of labor.
(c) Foreign direct investment in health services enterprises. For example, Chindex International, a US corporation, provides medical equipment, supplies, and clinical care in China.
(d) Health professionals move to other countries that present high demand for their services and better economic opportunities than their native countries. For example, nurses from other countries are moving to the United States to relieve the existing personnel shortage.
(e) Development of health plans for expatriates and the challenges health insurers face in procuring medical care amid rising health care costs worldwide.
(f) Overseas demand for medical care by US providers such as Johns Hopkins, Cleveland Clinic, etc.