About the Study

What's IMPACT™?
IMPACT™ — International Medical Practice Assessment of Care and Trust — is GHA's flagship research initiative. It examines satisfaction, safety, accreditation, digital readiness, and continuity of care across the full medical travel journey, from the first decision to seek care abroad through post-treatment recovery at home.

Unlike traditional patient satisfaction surveys, IMPACT™ integrates three stakeholder perspectives simultaneously — patients, providers, and purchasers — creating a uniquely complete picture of how trust is built, lost, and sustained in cross-border healthcare.
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Stakeholder groups surveyed: patients, healthcare leaders, and buyers

15k+

Patient database reach through the Medical Tourism Association

400k

Global healthcare professionals in outreach network

Key Findings.

What the research reveals?
Across every stakeholder group, one theme dominated: trust is no longer assumed — it must be built, verified, and sustained through deliberate systems.

Accreditation

Accreditation is the common language of trust
Patients, buyers, and providers all cited accreditation as a primary trust signal — reducing uncertainty and liability across borders.

Aftercare

Follow-up care is now a core differentiator
Continuity of care after treatment — not just clinical quality at point of service — emerged as a decisive factor for prospective patients and referrers alike.

Digital

Digital gaps undermine confidence
While telemedicine and portals were widely used, record-transfer failures and post-discharge access issues created friction that eroded trust even in clinically excellent facilities.

Finance

Pricing clarity drives referral confidence
Unexpected costs and opaque payment processes were among the most cited pain points by buyers — and the easiest trust-killers to avoid with the right systems.

Who This Is For.

Hospital leaders
Benchmark your international program against global standards and identify where accreditation drives measurable ROI.

Buyers and referrers
Understand the risk criteria that matter most to your clients and how to evaluate partners with confidence.

Policymakers
Access empirical data on system readiness, cross-border care governance, and the role of quality standards in patient safety.

Read the full IMPACT™ report

Get the complete findings, methodology, and strategic implications — including GHA's framework for the Global Patient Experience Index™.

What does trust really look like in global medical travel?

New research from Global Healthcare Accreditation — drawing on patients, providers, and buyers across borders.

Patient decision-making & trust signals

The real impact of accreditation

Aftercare as a competitive advantage

Digital gaps & what to do about them

What Patients, Providers, and Buyers Really Think About Global Medical Travel

Building Patient Trust Through Accreditation & Certification for Medical/Dental Travel Programs

About the Study

Key Findings.

Who This Is For.

Read the full IMPACT™ report

What does trust really look like in global medical travel?