How to Choose a Medical Tourism Facilitator: 8 Compared (2026)

For plastic surgeons and practice administrators. Updated October 2, 2026 · Prepared by Prospyr. Prospyr makes practice software, not medical travel services, and none of the companies below is a Prospyr product. Each summary reflects what the company publishes on its own website, checked October 2026. Fees, provider terms and networks change, so confirm everything in writing before you sign a referral agreement.

This is a buyer's guide, not a ranked list. When we checked the category, we found very few facilitators whose main business is sending patients to US plastic surgeons. Most of the large platforms move patients the other way, from the US to clinics in Mexico, Colombia, Turkey and Thailand. We name the ones we could verify, explain which direction each one works in, and give you the questions that separate a careful facilitator from a lead broker.

What does a medical tourism facilitator do?

A medical tourism facilitator is a company that matches a patient who is willing to travel with a surgeon or hospital, then coordinates the trip around the procedure. Typical work includes collecting medical records and photos, arranging a remote consultation, sending the patient a quote, booking flights, lodging and ground transport, and checking in during recovery. Most are paid by the provider through a commission or referral fee, not by the patient. For a plastic surgery practice, the questions that matter are which direction a facilitator sends patients, who screens them, and who owns follow-up care after the patient flies home.

The 8 medical tourism companies at a glance

How we chose this list

We looked for companies that a US plastic surgery practice could realistically contact about traveling patients, then checked four things on each website:

1. Direction. Does the company send patients to US providers, or mainly from the US to clinics abroad? We say which for every entry.
2. Plastic surgery. Does it name cosmetic or plastic surgery as a service, not just bariatric, dental or fertility care?
3. Published terms. Does it explain who pays it and how, even in one sentence?
4. Accountability. Does it name an address, a team, a certification or a vetting process?

The order is our editorial view, not a measure of results. Inbound referral sources come first, then the bodies that set standards, then the large marketplaces you should understand even if you never sign with one.

1. American Medical Care

American Medical Care is a medical tourism facilitator based in Washington, DC. It describes itself as "a network of U.S. surgeons and medical facilities providing affordable pricing on cosmetic, elective, and non-elective procedures," and it serves patients traveling to the US from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Middle East and South America, as well as domestic patients.

What stands out:

• Inbound focus. It is one of the few facilitators we found whose main business is bringing patients to US providers.
• Plastic surgery is listed. Cosmetic and plastic surgery appears alongside bariatric, cardiac, orthopedic, spine and fertility care.
• US footprint. It lists partner facilities and systems in about 20 states plus Washington, DC, and reports 16 provider partners.
• Small team. The site reports founding in 2014, a team of seven, and 1,274 patients served.
• Coordination. A medical travel specialist gathers the patient's needs, then the company handles surgeon matching, price negotiation, scheduling, travel and lodging.

Right for: an established practice, ideally with an accredited surgical facility, that wants a small number of screened international patients and can absorb the extra coordination. Ask: what fee or discount it expects from your practice, how it screens patients medically before they book flights, and who pays for a revision or complication visit after the patient leaves the country.

2. Medical Tourism Association

The Medical Tourism Association (MTA) describes itself as a "global non-profit association for the medical tourism and international patient industry." It runs a Global Provider Network, publishes Medical Tourism Magazine, holds industry summits and congresses, and operates the MedicalTourism.com patient portal. It reports reach to more than 1.2 million healthcare seekers and over 500,000 business and government professionals.

Right for: a practice that wants to meet facilitators, insurers and employers in person before choosing one, or to be found by patients researching travel. Ask: what membership costs, what a Global Provider Network listing includes, and whether any inquiries come from patients who want aesthetic surgery in the US specifically. The MTA's patient portal listed only one facilitator, American Medical Care, on its facilitator page when we checked.

3. Global Healthcare Accreditation

Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA) is the Medical Tourism Association's stated strategic partner for training, accreditation and certification. It accredits hospitals and clinics for medical travel, certifies facilitators, and trains individual medical travel professionals.

What stands out:

• A checklist you can borrow. Its facilitator certification covers 15 elements, including oversight of outside contracts, risk management, financial transparency, marketing transparency, and safeguarding patients' personal information.
• Published fees. Facilitator certification costs $3,500, plus a $500 renewal fee on the first anniversary, for a two-year certification, as of October 2026.

Right for: any practice evaluating a facilitator. Even if you never seek accreditation yourself, ask each facilitator whether it holds GHA certification, and if not, how it handles the same 15 areas. Ask: whether GHA keeps a public list of certified facilitators; the certification page did not show one.

4. Universal Medical Travel

Universal Medical Travel is a facilitator based in Greenville, South Carolina. Most of its work sends patients from the US to accredited clinics abroad, including Colombia, Turkey and Mexico for plastic surgery, but it states that it also coordinates domestic US procedures. It handles provider matching, record transfer, flights, lodging, and pre- and post-treatment follow-up, and states that its services are free to patients.

Right for: a practice that wants to see how a US-based coordinator presents surgery options to price-shopping patients, or to ask whether it has room for a domestic surgical partner. Ask: how many of its plastic surgery patients choose a US surgeon, and how it is paid when they do.

5. PlacidWay

PlacidWay is a medical tourism marketplace founded in 2007 and based in Englewood, Colorado. It reports 2,000+ clinics in 60+ countries, lets clinics list services and treatment packages, and sends patients free quote requests. Its headline destinations are Mexico, Colombia, Turkey, Thailand, South Korea, India, the Dominican Republic, Spain and Costa Rica.

Right for: understanding what your patients see when they compare your quote to one abroad. Ask: whether it accepts US plastic surgery practices as listed providers and what the listing costs; the site did not publish provider fees.

6. Bookimed

Bookimed is a medical tourism platform founded in 2014 in Kyiv, Ukraine, with offices in London, Istanbul and Hong Kong. It reports more than 1 million patient inquiries, 58 medical coordinators, and clinics in 32+ countries. It is clear about its model: "our work is financed by medical facilities," and patients pay the clinic's own price list.

Right for: practices that want a plain example of how commission-funded facilitation works before they sign anything similar. Ask: whether it works with any US clinics; the destinations shown when we checked were in Europe, Asia and Mexico.

7. Qunomedical

Qunomedical is a German medical travel platform that helps patients find vetted providers "at home or abroad." It lists plastic surgery among 11+ specialties, offers patients a free, non-binding assessment, and reports 6,500+ patients a month. It states that doctors are vetted by its medical board against strict quality criteria.

Right for: practices that want to compare how a platform describes its provider vetting. Ask: what its quality criteria are, whether US practices are eligible, and what the partner terms are; the site did not publish them.

8. MyMediTravel

MyMediTravel is a Singapore-based marketplace that lists 1,000+ hospitals and clinics, mainly in Thailand, Turkey, Mexico, the UAE, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Clinics register through an "Add Your Clinic" portal, and it states that providers pay no upfront fees. Popular procedures include rhinoplasty, liposuction and breast augmentation.

Right for: a reference point on listing terms. The US is not one of its listed destinations, so it is unlikely to send you patients. Ask: how it is paid if there is no upfront fee.

Questions to ask any medical tourism facilitator

1. Which direction do your patients travel? Ask what share of plastic surgery patients chose a US surgeon in the last 12 months.
2. How are you paid, and is it legal for us to pay it? Get the fee in writing and have your healthcare attorney review it. Per-patient referral fees can raise fee-splitting and state-law questions.
3. Who screens the patient? Ask what medical history, photos and lab work the facilitator collects before a patient books travel, and whether your team makes the final call on candidacy.
4. Who owns follow-up care? Agree in writing who sees the patient for a complication or revision after they fly home, and who pays for it.
5. Will you sign a BAA? A facilitator that collects records, photos and messages on your behalf is handling protected health information.
6. What recovery support do you arrange? Ask about lodging, a recovery home, and post-op transportation near your facility.
7. Are you certified? Ask about GHA facilitator certification or an equivalent, and for two practice references.

Where Prospyr fits

A facilitator brings a traveling patient to your door; your practice platform is where that patient's records, consults, deposits and follow-up live. If you take traveling patients, a patient portal for intake and photos and telehealth for pre-op and post-op check-ins keep that care in one record instead of a facilitator's inbox. To see how that works, book a practice demo.

Frequently asked questions

Do medical tourism facilitators send patients to US plastic surgeons?

Some do, but most large ones mainly send US patients abroad. American Medical Care is one of the few we found whose main business is bringing patients to US surgeons and facilities. Ask any facilitator what share of its plastic surgery patients chose a US practice last year.

How do medical tourism facilitators get paid?

Most are paid by the provider, not the patient. Bookimed, for example, states that its work is financed by medical facilities, and several others say their service is free to patients. Have your attorney review any per-patient fee before you agree to it.

Is there a certification for medical tourism facilitators?

Yes. Global Healthcare Accreditation offers a Medical Travel Facilitator Certification covering 15 areas, including risk management, financial transparency and protection of patient information. It costs $3,500 plus a $500 renewal fee, as of October 2026.

What should a practice put in writing with a facilitator?

Put the fee, the patient screening steps, the BAA, and who handles complications and revisions after the patient goes home in writing. Also agree on how records and photos reach your practice so nothing lives only in the facilitator's email. Our guide to informed consent in aesthetic surgery covers what traveling patients should sign before surgery.

Want your company considered?

We review this list quarterly. Companies that help patients travel to US plastic surgeons can send their website and what they offer practices to info@prospyrmed.com. Inclusion is editorial and not paid.

Editorial scope

This guide is based on each company's public website, checked October 2026 with AI-assisted research. Companies did not review this article before publication. It is not a guarantee of results, legal advice, or a substitute for checking references, certifications and your state's rules on referral fees. Read our methodology or report a correction.