The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

21 · Friday, November 27, 2009 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com Cushy care available in U.S. Private dollars and competition for patients have prompted private U.S. medical centres such as Unasource to go the extra mile when it comes to atmosphere and extras. But even their sophisticated hallway chaises and in-room DVD players pale in comparison to the luxury offerings of some American hospitals. Starting from around $300 a day more than what American insurance companies will pay for a semi-private room, patients on the 12th floor at Houston's Methodist Hospital can be treated to room service, limo transfers, manicurists and high-threadcount sheets in private suites. "The whole philosophy behind it originally was security and privacy for VIPs," said Alice Baker, the floor's patient liaison. "But now, if you have that extra money -- you know the baby boomers out there that want the Mercedes instead of the Cadillac -- it's about providing a higher level of service and amenities." Forbes Magazine recognizes Methodist on its list of America's Ten Best Luxury Hospitals, which offer a select number of suites dedicated to above-average surroundings. While hospitals on the Forbes list deliver highly reputable general care, they also offer some patients the little perks that make a stay more Five-Star Resort than Anytown General. Others on the list include Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, which boasts tuxedoclad wait staff and oriental rugs, and The Phillips House at Massachusetts General, which offers panoramic views of the Cambridge skyline and flat-screen TVs. At Methodist, patients receive a top-ofthe-line amenity kit and luxury terry robes. They can order favourite foods from the floor's private gourmet kitchen, staffed by an executive chef. There is also a program set up so patients can visit with pets. While most of the Texas hospital's international patients hail from nearby Mexico and Guatemala, the floor has seen a few Canadians recovering in its high-threadcount sheets, Baker said. For many, the amenities and world-class medical care justify the cost. "Some people spend more money on hotels on vacation," she said. "We started putting it in those terms and we've been getting a lot more people who aren't billionaires or millionaires, but they're comfortable." METHODIST HOSPITAL SYSTEM HOSPITAL CHEFS: The 12th floor of Houston's Methodist Hospital boast a dedicated kitchen and executive chef that can whip up anything from steak to lobster to a custom omelet for patients. Health system struggling with supply and demand crisis Continued from page 20 because there are so many Americans who won't have the same access to health care as they do," she said. "Where it's unethical, what's sad about that is that people are forced into that position." Many Canadians who've travelled south said they were taken aback by the level of care they received in the U.S. Some describe doctors who took an hour to explain the diagnosis, or others they reached at home on Sunday morning to answer pressing questions. Others say they were stunned by spotless facilities or surprisingly attentive staff. Walker, the nurse researching the impact of wait times, said that while some patients struggled with initial discomfort over potentially being seen as a queue jumper, not one regretted the decision. "Every person, every person without exception, said `I was so glad I went. My treatment was fabulous. The care I got was planets away and better than Canadian care,'" she said. Brokers say the medical-travel industry is growing, though by exactly how much is difficult to tell. If the number of brokerages that started up and have grown into successful businesses in the last decade is any measure, the demand is there, and isn't diminishing. "When we started the business, it started in the Windsor-Essex county area," said Bevington, adding he's been advised not to disclose the number of clients he's assisted. "It's all over Canada now -- all of the provinces ... Let us just say this -- we used to (schedule) a few scans a week out of my home, and we now have "Every person, every person without exception, said, `I was so glad I went. My treatment was fabulous. The care I got was planets away and better than Canadian care." Janet Walker, B.C. nurse who did a research project on patients who left Canada to get U.S. care JOHN RENNISON / THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR HOW SUITE IT IS: Staff operate in one of the surgical suites at Unasource Surgical Centre in Troy, MI. The private day surgery centre is attracting Canadian clientele. a very large office with a very large staff. It's frequent." Since his company opened in 2003, Timely Medical Alternatives' Baker said he's helped nearly 2,000 clients. Some he sent to clinics and hospitals in the U.S., others were referred to private medical and diagnostic clinics in Canada. Meloche, of International Health Care Providers, said she sees about 300 clients a year, and the number is growing. "It's all going up," she said. "I'm now also getting referrals from physicians themselves. That's a trend really, when you have a Canadian physicians' office calling and saying, `We've heard about you. What can we know about you because we just need this done. We're not getting it done'." Meloche said physicians primarily find her through clients who return to their Ontario doctors after surgery. Most of the doctors are calling out of frustration, Meloche said -- they have a patient who needs care quicker than our system can offer. "Very few (people who go) blame their physician," she said. "They're just saying, `You know what? I'm just not getting in, and the doctor's now saying that they're doing all they can for me.'" Brokers say physicians are in a tough spot, but the situation for the average Canadian is only going to worsen, given that so many are without family doctors -- the first link in the chain to specialists and diagnostic referrals. Last year, the Ontario Medical Association estimated about 850,000 people were without a family doctor. Nationwide, Statistics Canada data from the same year estimated that 4.1 million Canadians were without a GP. Physician shortages are only half the problem, many experts say. The first of the baby boomers will hit 65 in 2011. In less than 50 years, a quarter of Canadians will be seniors, compared to 13 per cent now. Health services are about to become a top priority for a group who can afford to pay for their care and demand a better standard of living, brokers point out. It's a supply-and-demand crisis that can only amount to more people looking for solutions outside the system, Bevington said. "The need in the next five years for health care is going to dramatically increase on this already-stymied medical situation, and the ability to service it is going to get worse," he said. "We're heading for the most imperfect storm, and that's real."