Journal of Healthcare Management - May/June 2014 - (Page 219)

e M ployer -b ased c overage CONCLUSION As many as 16.8% of our respondents reported offering their employees the option to go abroad for the specific purpose of receiving healthcare. Even though a minority of employees at these organizations selected the MT option, the numbers suggest that MT is nevertheless in the early adoption stage in EBC. Many adopters bypassed their insurance provider to underwrite the MT option, presumably to offer their employees treatments that may not fall under the umbrella of traditional EBC. This trend closely parallels that of the consumer market, which first sought MT and M edIcal t ravel o ptI ons for care in niche areas and later for mainstream elective procedures. The first medical travelers of an organization are likely to emerge as powerful opinion leaders. If their experience is negative, MT will rapidly become a defunct option. If it is positive, their testimonies may promote its rapid diffusion within the organization. In this respect, it is interesting to mention that no more than three adopters in the sample gave low ratings on any of the quality items, suggesting that the great majority was at least unaware of "bad" experiences. As for diffusion across organizations, it will probably be influenced by a TA B L E 3 Comparisons of MT Adopters' and Nonadopters' Perceived Obstacles to Implementation Adopters (n = 102) Nonadopters (n = 506) Factor Mean SD Mean SD Trouble getting attention from top management 3.56 1.90 3.85 2.03 Efforts required to make the change 3.99 1.72 4.83 1.58 23.28*** Need to address crises and more immediate issues 4.04 1.68 4.58 1.55 9.87** Organization's focus on shortterm goals 3.52 1.57 4.04 1.65 8.70** Organization culture does not emphasize employee benefits 3.14 1.54 3.26 1.78 0.40 MT is inconsistent with the organization's values 3.23 1.63 4.01 1.76 17.35*** Fear of extra liability 4.17 1.69 4.95 1.57 20.84*** Not offered by our insurance provider 3.45 1.83 4.88 1.79 53.70*** Note. Multivariate tests: Pillai's trace: 0.103***; Wilk's lambda: 0.897***. *p < .05. **p < .01. ***p < .001. 219 F-value 1.74

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of Healthcare Management - May/June 2014

Journal of Healthcare Management - May/June 2014
Contents
Interview With Christopher D. Van Gorder, FACHE, President and CEO of Scripps Health
Successful Strategic Planning for a Reformed Delivery System
You, Inc.
Assessing the Feasibility of a Virtual Tumor Board Program: A Case Study
Physician Clinical Alignment and Integration: A Community–Academic Hospital Approach
Employer-Based Coverage and Medical Travel Options: Lessons for Healthcare Managers
Composite Model for Profiling Physicians Across Domains of Care

Journal of Healthcare Management - May/June 2014