Herradura First
Costa Rican
Hotel To
Complete Medical
Tourism Training
Course
In the first
course of its
kind, 250 staff
members of the
Ramada Plaza
Herradura in San
José, Costa
Rica, completed
a two day
training
program, “Caring
for the Medical
Tourist”,
created and
delivered in
Spanish by
Medical Tourism
Training.
The hotel staff
enjoyed the mix
of information,
demonstrations,
discussions, and
questions and
answers, all
aimed at helping
them deliver
better customer
service to the
hotel’s medical
tourism guests.
Hotels and
resorts in Costa
Rica are
catering to
medical tourists
as a way to
diversify and
expand their
client base
while increasing
revenues by
offering
services to
guests before
and after they
receive medical
treatment.
The required
changes to
customer care
vary depending
on the type of
medical care
guests receive.
The challenges
and
opportunities
offered by
serving medical
tourists require
careful planning
and thorough
preparation.
Preparing staff
members is a key
factor to
successfully
serve the needs
of medical
tourists.
The two-session,
interactive
introductory
program is based
on real-world
scenarios.
Each session is
two to two and
one-half hours
long and covers
topics
including:
• Introduction
to medical
tourism and
medical
tourists;
• Cultural
awareness and
cultural norms;
• Providing
customer care
pre-op and
post-op;
• Impact of
staff behavior -
body language,
eye contact;
• VIP customer
care service for
medical
tourists;
• Caring for
accompanying
guests;
• Identifying
and handling
biohazardous
waste;
• Wheelchair
assistance;
• Recognizing
serious
emergencies;
• ABCs of first
aid;
• What to do in
an emergency;
• What to do
after an
emergency.
Designed to
ensure
measurable
results, the
knowledge check
component to the
training
sessions
confirms that
the participants
are able to
identify and
recall the key
points. A
post-training
evaluation
ensures that the
program is
meeting the
needs of the
organization.
Following the
training the
trainers prepare
a report
containing the
results of the
program
evaluations as
well as
actionable steps
for senior
management to
improve their
medical tourism
services.
The training
focused on the
unique demands
of international
health
travellers and
is the first
completed by new
company Medical
Tourism
Training.
Medical Tourism
Training’s
affiliated
company,
healthcare
consultancy firm
Stackpole
Associates,
compiles
quarterly
surveys of the
hotel’s current
and past guests,
of all kinds, to
evaluate their
awareness of
medical tourism
and to plan for
improved hotel
services for
medical
tourists. The
company is
developing other
training
programs
designed to have
a broader appeal
to healthcare
providers,
agencies and
others in the
medical tourism
field.
Medical Tourism
Training’s
Elizabeth Ziemba
says that
healthcare
providers lose
customers
because they are
not meeting the
service
expectations of
international
health
travelers,
“Prompt and
polite
communications
are essential to
success in this
sector that is
relationship
driven. Every
phone call or
e-mail that goes
unanswered or
employees that
react poorly to
foreign
customers lose
business. Our
program train
staff,
instilling
effective,
proven skills
that can
transform
relationships
with medical
tourists.”
The company is
also offering
"Medical Tourism
Guests: The
Right Choice for
your Hotel or
Resort?”
This 90-120
minute
presentation is
designed for
senior
management teams
that are
expanding
services for
medical tourists
and their
accompanying
guests. It
addresses the
planning and
management
issues vital to
creating and
tailoring
services for the
medical tourism
market. |
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