Bumrungrad Health Network partners with Be Well Medical Center, Hua Hin

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The COVID-19 crisis has forced businesses, including private hospitals, to adopt new strategies for corporate sustainability.

 

In regard to hospitals with international quality standards, normally, there is a large proportion of international patients who travel for medical treatments per year, however, the number of international patients visiting the hospitals has been affected by COVID-19 as well.

 

Mr. Somsak Vivattanasinchai, Chief Executive Officer of the Bumrungrad Health Network, reveals, “During the past 2 years, Bumrungrad has planned to leverage expertise and our international quality and safety standard health care at an appropriate price based on the cost of living of each part of Bangkok and major city across Thailand under the Bumrungrad Health Network business model. 

 

We are moving forward to develop and expand our networks to reach new potential customers in different markets. Bumrungrad is maximizing the strengths of our Centers of Excellence, which provide a continuum of integrated holistic medical care with experienced and competent multidisciplinary teams, and cutting-edge medical technology and innovation.

 

These factors offer us competitiveness and business opportunities to expand our medical services to new target groups. Moreover, we devise the strategy to expand the market of Thai citizens and approximately 2.45 million expatriates in Thailand (based on the statistics of the Ministry of Labor in 2020). We also collaborate with local partners who express readiness, share common objectives, and are located in strategic areas or potential locations.

 

In regard to collaborating with the Be Well Medical Center, Mr. Somsak Vivattanasinchai, states, “Be Well Medical Center is a family doctor which delivers primary care located at Banyan Resort Hua Hin in Amphoe Hua Hin, Prachuap Khiri Khan province. Be Well Medical Center is a family medical clinic which has a great location near residential areas, and medical services trusted by expatriates and Thai residents of Hua Hin.

 

Be Well’s mission statement is to treat patients like their family doctor and the mission statement has led to the founding of the Be Well Heart Clinic today. The Bumrungrad Health Network is leveraging knowledge and expertise of Bumrungrad Heart Center, one of Bumrungrad’s Centers of Excellence, which are Bumrungrad's strengths to support the Be Well Medical Center to provide primary to quaternary care, especially for difficult and complex cases such as heart diseases.

 

Cases of heart disease are often complex, especially in the elderly, and patients need continuum of quality care from the cardiologists equipped with latest medical technology under Bumrungrad’s international quality and safety standards. Dr. Wattanaphol Phipathananunth, Director of Bumrungrad Heart Valve Center and cardiologist of Bumrungrad International Hospital will support for initial consultations via Bumrungrad’s teleconsultation channel, which is our “next-normal” for medical services for patients and physicians who live in different areas or far away from each other.

 

Our teleconsultation channel connects our specialists with our patients, and provides medical advice for the quality and safety of our patients. If further diagnosis and advanced treatment are needed, Be Well will transfer their patients to Bumrungrad. When patient condition allows, they can be transferred back to their local Be Well.

 

Hua Hin is a strategic area because it is popular among Thai and international visitors. International citizens prefer to work there as well.  Expatriates who are permitted to work in Thailand and choose to live in Hua Hin are usually high-ranking managers or CEOs.

 

Therefore, this group yields a good-quality demand for Bumrungrad. In 2019, 10,000-15,000 expatriates lived in Hua Hin and the number has been growing every year. Most of the expatriates come from Europe and Scandinavia including expatriate retirees who think of Hua Hin as their second home. Hence, Hua Hin is a great location for vacationing, traveling, relaxing, and living.

 

Mr. Haiko Emanuel, The Founder of Be Well, has lived and worked in Thailand for more than 38 years and keeps up with healthcare trends, states, “Today, people in Hua Hin still have a high demand for their family’s health care, as can be illustrated by the target groups of Be Well Medical Center.

 

The customer mix of the Be Well Medical Center is more than 80% expatriate, who are accustomed to visiting their own family doctors from their home countries, such as the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, while Thai people are gradually realizing the benefit of primary care. At present, 20% of Be Well customers are Thai and the number is increasing. The main target of the Clinic is the 10,000-15,000 permanent resident retirees and long-term residents of Hua Hin.

 

 

Visitors and members of the Be Well Medical Center are in all ages but majority of daily patients ranges from 60 to 101 years old. This age group is a high-risk group likely to develop heart disease.

 

So, the Be Well Medical Center spotted significant need for heart disease related healthcare services and rehabilitation and for an organization to provide a continuum of holistic healthcare services. Treating heart disease is complex and requires knowledge, experience, expertise, and cutting-edge technology. Be Well is honored to have Bumrungrad’s support at the Be Well Heart Clinic.

 

This model is part of the Be Well Medical Center model, which plans to expand collaboration with partners to accommodate the growing number of Be Well members.  Be Well expects an accelerated growth once COVID travel restrictions are lifted, likely by the end of the year. 

 

However, the clinic expects a temporary outflow of expats in the third quarter of 2021 since many foreign residents will return to their home country which they have not been able to visit for a long period of time due to the COVID situation.  There are approximately 2,755 hotels in Hua Hin, and 60% of the rooms are occupied consistently. It would be a great opportunity for Be Well Medical Clinic to provide medical care to such large number of people.

 

 

Dr. Wattanaphol Phipathananunth, Director of the Bumrungrad Heart Valve Center and cardiologist at Bumrungrad International Hospital, states, “Heart disease is a silent threat which shows no symptoms or signs. So, patients may not prioritize heart health. If patients do not promptly seek treatment at the onset of heart disease, the underlying condition may worsen and heart failure can happen.

 

Hence, patients should have regular heart health check-ups for early detection. Common manifestations of heart disease in the elderly include coronary artery disease, aortic valve stenosis, atrial fibrillation, bradycardia, and heart failure. Now, there are many major heart disease centers at Bumrungrad including the Heart Center, the Arrhythmia Center, and the Heart Valve Center, to ensure patients receive accurate diagnosis and treatment from specialists and cardiologists who customize treatment for each patient’s symptoms appropriately.”

 

The Bumrungrad Heart Center has skilled healthcare professionals who provide holistic medical care ranging from prevention and early detection to diagnosis and treatment.

 

Examples of our services include heart surgery, and the treatment of cardiac issues, such as coronary thrombosis, heart failure, heart cancer, arrhythmia, and heart attack. We also provide heart rehabilitation care and treat complicated cases with cutting-edge technology, for example, minimally invasive ‘Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation’ (TAVI), resulting in less pain, improved recovery time, and lower risk of complications. TAVI takes about an hour and is safe for patients older than 80 years or who cannot safely undergo long surgeries, like those suffering from impaired lung function. An open chest surgery, in contrast, takes up to 4 hours. So, TAVI helps improve the quality of life of the elderly, who are the main target of the Be Well Medical Center.

 

Moreover, the cardiologists and specialists at Bumrungrad have experience using cutting-edge technology to treat heart conditions. For example, Bumrungrad has applied Electrophysiology Study (EP Study) led by Prof. Dr. Koonlawee Nademanee, cardiologist and electrophysiology expert at Bumrungrad, to treat cardiac arrhythmia – a set of conditions causing the heart to beat irregularly, too quickly, or slowly. 

 

Cardiac arrhythmia is sometimes benign, but some types of cardiac arrhythmia such as ventricular tachycardia or atrial fibrillation, which is most common, can be life-threatening if not treated immediately. Atrial fibrillation commonly occurs in the elderly, especially in patients older than 75, who have 13 times the risk compared to patients under 50. Atrial fibrillation needs to be treated effectively and immediately. At Bumrungrad, the Electrophysiology Lab is a hi-tech lab which uses cutting-edge technology to observe, diagnose, and treat electrophysiology patients.

 

Mr. Somsak Vivattanasinchai, concludes “I am confident that the current collaboration between Bumrungrad Health Network and Be Well Medical Center will achieve our common objective of delivering quality medical care to ensure the utmost patient safety. I am certain that this collaboration will be a good starting point in improving the quality of medical care standards, while maximizing our competitiveness and paving way to our business growth and sustainable success.