Medical Tourism is a rapidly growing global market sector in which patients travel to neighboring and even distant countries to receive medical treatment. Cross-border healthcare refers to a similar phenomenon within the European healthcare market. Quality and price are the main driving forces in this new line of business. The medical tourism market has evolved from its initial days as a grassroots movement to the global phenomenon it is today, with ever increasing patient streams worldwide.
This demands also more expertise and knowledge production in which academic institutions could play a supporting role in view of the patient and providers.
This increasing number of patients who travel for health reasons has led to the foundation of the Medical Tourism Association and the European Medical Tourism Alliance, two organizations that were founded in order to explore and resolve all relevant issues concerning the new global health market.
As of now, there is not an adequate postgraduate qualification program available for those professionals working within this industrial sector, nor is there an academic community supporting this field with applied knowledge and tools.
Creating and providing a postgraduate qualification program is the aim of a new initiative developed by several leading European universities and cooperating companies, and will be supported by the two above mentioned organizations. The MBA presupposes the relation with governmental bodies, and as such has also attention for public health debates, in which the patient also takes a central place.
Joint European Educational Program
MBA for Health & Medical Tourism / Cross-border Healthcare Management is designed as a joint European educational program aimed at guaranteeing the highest level of quality in the emerging business of medical tourism and cross-border healthcare. It places special emphasis on the entrepreneurial and innovation challenges faced by managers in all lines of business associated with this industry.
The program will be co-hosted by several leading universities in Europe and the US and will be offered on a block course basis for postgraduate professionals. A global approach is needed because of the complexity of the provision of international health services. Health clusters suppose an integrated management expertise which is embedded in various cooperating sector partners.
Target Groups ~ Management Professionals
This program of study is targeted at executives with at least two years of vocational experience and is designed for postgraduate professional development in the following lines of business:
- Hospitals and Clinic Chains
- Specialist Clinics
- Physicians
- Alternative Medicine
- Spa and Wellness
- E-Health Industry
- Travel Organizations and Companies
- Healthcare and Medical Tourism Associations
- Medical Tourism Facilitators
- Insurances
- Consulting Services
Benefits of the MBA Program
Through project and learning modules, the student will benefit directly in two ways from the post-graduate executive program: First, it is our goal to ensure that the participants are well-prepared for the future challenges they will face as an executive and business leader in their current or future company; second, the participating institutions will provide the student with an environment in which they can turn opportunities into a business, pursue organizational excellence and transfer cutting edge knowledge to their respective companies.
Framework of the MBA Program
The MBA will require a minimum of 600 hours of classroom study or structured contact. In total, the program will require a minimum of 1800 hours of personal work. The MBA program will be intellectually demanding and require substantial personal investment in terms of commitment and effort.
The program will be designed as a 60 ECTS study course organized in three semesters and held mostly in one week block courses. The third semester will include an extensive exchange program which must be completed abroad, as well as an internship which can be completed in the student’s home region or abroad.
Academic Degree
After successfully completing the three semester program and passing the final exam on the topic of their master thesis, the student will be awarded the internationally accredited degree of MBA in Healthcare Management.
Academic Partners
Deggendorf & Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences (Bavaria/Germany)
- General Management (MBA General Management)
- Healthcare Management (MBA Healthcare Management)
- Tourism Management (BA)
- International Management (BA)
Breda University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands)
- International Tourism Management (BA/MA)
- International Tourism Destination Management (MA)
- Cross-cultural Management (Center of Cross-cultural Understanding)
Management Center Innsbruck (Austria)
- General Management (Executive MBA)
- Tourism Management
- International Healthcare Management
- International Healthcare Law
- Communications in Healthcare
Clinical Partners & Medical Tourism Clusters
International Office of University Clinic UKE Hamburg-Eppendorf (Germany)
- Marketing
- Case Management
- Operations Management
- Cross-cultural Management
Barcelona Medical Center (Spain, Catalunya)
- Marketing
- Case Management
- Operations Management
- Cross-cultural Management
BAVARIA – a Better State of Health (Bavaria, Germany)
- Marketing & Branding
- Cluster Management
- Operations Management
- Cross-cultural Management
Major Fields of Study
General Management
Healthcare Management
Tourism Management
International Management
Intercultural Management
The Curriculum will be highly interdisciplinary and integrative and will include courses in business policy and strategy. Beyond the mere acquisition of knowledge and technical skills, the curriculum will put theory into practice by focusing on the personal development of participants through competency in decision-making, team work, leadership skills, entrepreneurial potential, negotiation skills, communication and presentation skills. The latter part of the program will allow for electives and will include the possibility for participants to choose a major area of study.
MBA Modules
General Management
- Strategic Management
- Strategic Marketing
- Accounting
- Strategic Information Management
- Business Law
- Economics
- Controlling
- Taxes
- Project Management
- Financing and Investment
- Leadership Management
- Organizational Development
- Change Management
- Business Ethics
Healthcare Management
- National and International Healthcare Systems
- Global Health
- Law and Policies in Cross-border Healthcare
- Basic Concepts of Medicine and Nursing
- Business Models in Healthcare
Tourism Management
- Tourism Industry
- Travel Management
- Patient Services
- Travel Law
- Health Tourism and Medical Wellness
- Tourism Destination Management
- International Tourism Issues
International Management
- International Law
- International Project Management
- International Marketing
- International Entrepreneurship
Cross-cultural Management
- Cross-cultural Value Assessment
- Cross-cultural Communication
- Cross-cultural Concepts of Health and Disease
- Cross-cultural Perspectives and Self-Reflexitivity
MBA Faculty & Experts
The faculty of the MBA program will consist of professors in the major fields of study at cooperating educational institutions. Moreover, there will be an impressive group of distinguished and internationally renowned lecturers and experts from all the relevant lines of business, who will contribute to the rigorous nature of this postgraduate training program.
Advisory Board
The members of the International Scientific and Business Advisory Board will aid in continuously updating the program to incorporate the latest medical and health developments and will serve as a liaison with leading research and professional teams worldwide.
Location and Venue
Lectures and group work will take place on a rotational basis on the premises of participating European universities or in selected institutions within the related branches of business.
Alumni Program
An Alumni Association will be created in order to encourage a lifelong relationship among all participants of the MBA program with the founding universities, their students and fellow alumni. This will be accomplished through the efforts of volunteer alumni leaders, regional programs, activities and exclusive benefits and services.
MBA Web-Portal
The MBA Portal will be the official website of the cooperative MBA program and will serve as an external and internal marketing and information management tool for potential and current MBA students.
Open MBA Platform
Open MBA is a real world information platform for participants and the general public. A diverse series of lectures, ranging from current scientific and business issues relating to medical tourism to cross-border healthcare and related fields will be presented.
Professional Associations
Both the Medical Tourism Association Inc. and the European Medical Tourism Alliance (E.E.I.G.) have expressed their willingness to support the initial implementation, management and continuous development of the MBA program for Medical Tourism & Cross-border Healthcare Management.
Moreover, all related and relevant pre-existing professional associations (healthcare, tourism, business, etc.) on the regional, national and international levels will be introduced to the initiative and invited to participate in the development of the program.
Political Support
In order to strategically position the MBA program on respective national levels, contacts will be established or further extended with regulatory bodies and related ministries (Health, Tourism, Economy, etc.)
Timetable
Several workshop formats have already been offered on various aspects of health and medical tourism so far to promote the program. The MBA Program is going to be gradually set up in 2009/2010 by educational initiatives.
These block courses will be held at Deggendorf University (Five Day Excecutive Module, December 2009) and at Breda University (Four-day Cross-Disciplinary Masterclass International Health Services, January 2010), both with a unique and different approach.
These events will soon be followed by the first clinical blocks (UKE Hamburg, Barcelona) and certificate courses on health policy and legal issues (Bavarian Health Ministry, MCI Innsbruck, Bavarian Representation in Brussels)
