Interview: Luis Felipe Arango Pardo, Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Luis Felipe Arango Pardo spoke to Mandy Langfield about providing services to international patients at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, US
Cross-border medical care came to an abrupt halt with Covid, but are you seeing a recovery in the level of people travelling for medical care?
Yes, after an abrupt stop, we are experiencing a strong surge in patient volume. We are not at the levels of pre-pandemic months, but we will be there soon and probably reach new highs with Covid complications, which require special therapies such as ECMO.
The transition to value-based care is definitely something that international insurance companies are going to be behind, but how can hospitals deliver on this promise?
Actually, value-based care is now a must for all US hospitals, since the Affordable Care Act came into play. Many hospitals now have value improvement areas at their C-Suite level. I believe most top US hospitals are delivering value-based care, exceeding all expectations from international payers.
Transparent billing practices are key to good relationships between providers and payers of medical services; how does Cedars Sinai ensure it is offering fair prices to all payers?
We have a very good contracting department, which will be flexible to meet as many demands as possible. Payers’ requests are important to building our relationships.
value-based care is now a must for all US hospitals, since the Affordable Care Act has come into play
What research is Cedars Sinai undertaking at the moment that could change the way patients are cared for?
Cedars is the number-two hospital in California, and number-six nationwide in the US. Many areas of research are delivering promising results, and in particular, cancer treatments such as CarTCells might be available soon.
How does Cedars Sinai attract international patients through its doors?
We have a very strong international programme with business development, concierge health and case managers, all of whom will assist in attracting patients in the first place, and afterwards guiding them and helping them navigate the system.
How is the hospital making use of telemedicine solutions to ensure patients are given the best care before, during and after treatment?
Telemedicine is a key element of international health services specially after the pandemic. There is a huge demand for tele mental health services. Telemedicine is part of our international programme. We have different ways of offering these services, and we are very flexible with all partners demands.
What are your hopes for the future of healthcare delivery in the US?
It’s going to grow exponentially during the next 10 years. Research is supporting great discoveries and development for innovative treatments and procedures, which will only be available in the US for several years. Recently, a patient was cured of Type 1 diabetes in the US. Once this procedure/therapy is fully approved, thousands of patients from around the world will come to US hospitals that offers it. This is just one disease. There are dozens to come shortly.