During the process, an artificial prosthesis can substitute for the damaged joint. A hip replacement is sought after by medical tourists who experience stiffness in their hips, thereby limiting leg movement, have problems with bending and are taking medications that lead to side effects or are not that effective. You can fall victim to unscrupulous bodies if you do not study your sources first. Here are some tips and tricks. The Ideal Medical Tourism Package A good medical tourism package will be well-documented, including all the details of your supposed trip or medical vacation. There should be quotations that specifically indicate why the total package will be priced as such. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have been very active in warning patients about the possible pitfalls of not researching your sources well. They encourage patients to only connect with JCI or Trent-approved institutions for optimal health and successful recovery. In Asia you get to pay anywhere between 25% and 75% less than what you expect in the United States or United Kingdom. Also study the different countries and try to go to places you've always dreamed of visiting like Thailand, China or the Philippines. Getting Screened You need to go through a full physical assessment and have diagnostic tests first before going abroad. Medical tourism is expected to grow ten times more from 2007 to 2017. In the United States alone, over 750,000 people traveled abroad to get treated in 2007. Experts calculated 1.5 million Americans traveling in 2008 to get treatment abroad. The United Kingdom currently advertises more about medical tourism compared to the United States. Top quality medical services are offered with a number of private hospitals earning JCI accreditation. Some of the most popular procedures done in the country include spinal fusions, orthopaedics, prostate surgery, coronary artery bypass grafts and gastric bypass. There are also medical institutions in Phuket, Thailand that specialize in cosmetic surgery, dental work and eye surgery.