Join this tour for a truly unique experience in Costa Rica! A beautiful combination of coffee plantations, waterfalls and nature in the middle of the tropical rainforest with your fellow industry peers. Visiting the largest coffee plantation in Costa Rica will allow you to learn everything about the human process related to cultivation, processing and good practices. We will also visit the incredible La Paz Waterfall Gardens where you will experience lush tropical rain forest, flowing white rivers, spectacular waterfalls, birds, butterflies, monkeys, hummingbirds, snakes, felines and frogs. The tour includes a buffet lunch at La Paz Waterfall Gardens and the opportunity to network ahead of the conference.

ITIC and Clinica Biblica Hospital are delighted to extend an invitation to all ITIC Costa Rica attendees to tour their facilities, and meet with the teams who provide medical care to international patients in the region. Transfers will depart from InterContinental Costa Rica at 09:40 and will return from the hospital at 11:40.

Grab your registration pack and take the opportunity to visit your ITIC Americas 2020 exhibitors.

Discover ‘pura vida’ as the sun sets at the ITIC Costa Rica welcome reception, hosted by Angel Medflight For registered attendees only. Please find your invitation inside your registration envelope

Start your conference day the right way with coffee and pastries, whilst networking with your industry peers.

The outbreak of 2019-nCoV has resulted in worldwide media attention, focused on controlling the spread of the Coronavirus, which started in Wuhan, China, in December last year. The ongoing situation is being monitored by the World Health Organization and other nationwide health authorities, with checks on travellers being implemented at airports around the world. Our speakers will discuss the spread of the disease, its risk to travellers and how the assistance and air ambulance industry has responded thus far.

Government spokesperson to offer insights into structure of system and common misconceptions. This should be aimed at international insurance providers with clients heading to the country who need medical care.

Dr. Lawrence Friedman will share a case with us which considers a diving accident in Ecuador and the various challenges the team faced when carrying out this rescue.

Americas Market Intelligence could share the findings of their report into the strong potential for growth, possible obstacles and long-term hazards facing LatAm healthcare systems.

When it comes to achieving reasonable costs in Central / South American destinations that are popular with tourists, many challenges lie ahead. Considering that the quality of healthcare on offer is variable, is it worth paying the sometimes very high prices charged by private providers? How do currency variations affect healthcare prices? What challenges do local healthcare providers face that are resulting in high charges for international insurers? And how do insurers manage such situations – in-house, or by outsourcing to local experts? The panel will explore these many facets of regional cost containment.

Start your conference day the right way with coffee and pastries, whilst networking with your industry peers.

While media reports can stimulate awareness of certain risks in popular tourist destinations, are these concerns founded in concrete facts? What are the real risks for tourists, expats and business travellers who find themselves in Central and South American destinations, and how can these risks be mitigated? Our expert speakers will discuss facts and figures behind assistance cases, and consider where the risks lie between reality and perception.

1: Data sharing in healthcare Inefficiencies in data sharing systems often increase costs for hospitals and insurers; what can be done to improve current protocols? 2: Keeping customers happy How technology and training can smooth a customer’s purchase and claim journey. 3:Telemedicine and AI in healthcare diagnosis and treatment International health insurer could report on usage statistics

Parveen Boertje-Marhe will highlight the challenges, successes and lessons learnt from a healthcare co-ordination case on the Caribbean island following the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma in 2017. As a result of the severe infrastructural damage, which led to limited access to clean water and electricity, the institution was compelled to co-ordinate with the local government and healthcare providers about how to best continue primary care on the island.

Ali Azeem will present the case of a 51-year-old who sustained a brain injury while travelling in Mexico in order to highlight issues surrounding alcohol abuse exclusions in travel insurance policies and how these can impact how treating facilities choose to handle certain cases. MSH will use this case to discuss whether medical facilities are proactive to the notion that injuries resulting from the use of intoxicants will likely be denied by insurers, how assistance companies can ensure toxicology reports are completed in vacation destination areas, and whether it will ever be appropriate for assistance teams to intervene and inquire as to why additional tests were not conducted.

Medical evacuations from locations in South America – challenges of carrying out medical rescues in the region and we will gather top tips from assistance companies, air ambulance teams and governing bodies.

ITIC and Hospital CIMA are delighted to extend an invitation to all ITIC Costa Rica attendees to tour their facilities, and meet with the teams who provide medical care to international patients in the region. Transfers will depart from the InterContinental Costa Rica at 15:00 and will return from the hospital at 17:00.

Hosted in the tropical gardens of the Real Intercontinental, network for the last time with your fellow ITIC Americas attendees whilst enjoying a delicious three-course meal, drinks and entertainment fit for the occasion!