DENVER | With the introduction of BridgeHealth International’s new Web site () and its accompanying blog entitled The Bridge (), business leaders and consumers have access to objective, timely information on medical travel. Offering easy-to-find, relevant information on the numerous aspects of medical travel, visitors will learn some of the best ways to access high quality healthcare worldwide and maximize their medical travel experience.

“Today, medical travel is top-of-mind for some of the nation’s leading employers and health plans in response to consumer demand for lower cost, quality healthcare outside the United States,” says Victor Lazzaro, Jr., CEO of BridgeHealth. “As a result of this interest level, the Internet has been flooded with boundless amounts of information that may have created some market confusion. This proliferation of online material has actually made it more difficult to find specific, credible resources or to locate exactly what is needed. We have simplified this process and de-mystified the search.”

Lazzaro points out that in late 2005, a Google search for “medical tourism” returned 326,000 results, while the same search in 2008 produces more than 1.6 million links. Comparably, a search for the two terms “medical tourism” and "cosmetic surgery" in 2005 found 14,900 pages, while the identical search in 2008 returns 122,000 pages of results.

“In creating a new Web site for BridgeHealth, we recognized a back drop of cyber clutter in the area of medical travel information and an overwhelming abundance of medical tourism information,” notes Lazzaro. “This makes it difficult for the discerning visitors to locate accurate, trustworthy sources of information pertaining to their individual or corporate needs. BridgeHealthInternational.com provides rich, timely and relevant content in a way that is easy to navigate, pleasant to view, and worthy of a visitor’s trust.”

Complementing the Web site, BridgeHealth also launched The Bridge, a medical travel and tourism blog edited and moderated by medical tourism expert Jeff Schult, author of Beauty from Afar: A Medical Tourist's Guide to Affordable and Quality Cosmetic Care Outside the U.S. The Bridge will provide ”news you can use," with fresh insights, perspectives and advice from medical professionals and patients who have hands-on experience with medical travel worldwide.

Blog discussions will cover a wide range of topics, with sessions already underway focusing upon the impact of a weak U.S. dollar on medical travel; an interview with Stephanie Sulger, R.N., BridgeHealth's vice president, consumer division, identifying options for stem cell treatment abroad; the future of medical travel; top ten criteria for selecting a healthcare provider outside the United States; and ways in which employers can utilize medical travel to cut healthcare costs and have employees come out ahead.

“This rich forum for active discussion addresses the needs of prospective patients, businesses seeking to learn the value of introducing a medical travel benefit, as well as international medical providers searching for current information,” says Lazzaro.

About BridgeHealth International, Inc. | BridgeHealth International, Inc. (BridgeHealth) is the premier service provider in the burgeoning medical travel industry, founded in with a vision “to create a trusted bridge to the world of international healthcare.” BridgeHealth serves health plans, insurance carriers, employers, third party administrators, individuals accessing benefits via voluntary benefits plans, health and affinity card programs or Consumer Directed Health Care Plans (CDHP), and individual consumers seeking medical travel options. Visit .

Paul Fisher
CPR For BridgeHealth International
201-641-1911 x52
BridgeHealth International

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