Many individuals considering health care abroad don’t know where to start looking for options. Medical tourism is growing as the need for quality and affordable medical care is prompting more people from around the world to look outside their own borders for orthopedic surgical care, obesity and weight loss procedures, and dental care abroad.

Medical travel offers the best in wellness tourism and surgery abroad combined with high-tech, qualified and experienced health care providers from Singapore to Argentina to South Africa to Croatia. Remember that cheap surgery doesn’t mean substandard surgery. Some of the finest and highly respected physicians, surgeons and medical facilities abroad meet or exceed health care standards and quality care standards of the U.S. and Great Britain.

Follow some tips on finding the best treatment abroad to meet your needs:

1. Research. Access websites such as PlacidWay.com for reliable and detailed information regarding your condition, potential treatments, certified health care providers and internationally accredited clinic or hospital facilities for your care.

2. Determine ahead of time your need for passport or visas. You can find information on your government’s official website, or embassies or consulates located in your home country. Ask about special visas or requirements for health tourism or surgery abroad.

3. Discuss travel arrangements and need for medical records required by your potential medical travel choice facilities by contacting them through points of contact provided by PlacidWay, or calling or emailing them directly.

4. Discuss follow-up care provided by the foreign medical facility, treatment protocols and access to your medical records following your procedure.

Medical tourism portals usually offer medical travel packages that streamline all these arrangements and take care of transportation for you. Traveling for medical care isn’t hard, and may save you thousands of dollars.