Bringing Safe Medical Tourism to the Masses with Salesforce

The Problem

Developing a custom platform isn’t easy, and our client faced some tough challenges when thinking about how their medical tourism platform would work. Challenges came down to two key areas: the technical hurdles due to the complex use case, and the very real concerns of patients.

Technology Issues

Medical tourism is still a unique use case in the digital world. It involves a complicated process of patient intake, onboarding, pricing out care options, arranging travel, scheduling appointments, and post-operative care plans. If you can’t think of an out-of-the-box solution that solves it, you’re not alone…our client couldn’t find it either.

Our client soon realized that complicated problems call for custom solutions. They needed a customizable foundation for their plans and a partner to help them build it. Our client set out to define that the ideal platform would:

• Manage healthcare data in a HIPAA-compliant way
• Provide a front-end to help patients easily request procedures and securely share sensitive medical information
• Coordinate conflicting schedules between patients and international providers
• Handle signature signing for consent management and compliance

Patient Challenges

Arranging international care comes with its fair share of challenges, and safety is a big one. Standards abroad don’t always match what you’d expect in the U.S. Then there’s malpractice laws, which can make it harder to seek justice if something goes wrong. And let’s not forget follow-up care. Many procedures don’t end when you leave the clinic, and coordinating aftercare from across borders can be a real headache. These are serious hurdles, but being aware of them is the first step to making smarter, safer decisions.

Communication barriers, both technical and interpersonal, can also complicate coordination. On the interpersonal side, any miscommunications between languages can lead to grave medical errors. On the technical side, not all international hospitals can access medical records for health histories.

The Solution

With the help of the healthcare technology experts at Penrod, our client set out to build their platform.

First, they needed a HIPAA-compliant source of truth for all patient information. Penrod suggested that Salesforce Health Cloud could handle our client’s patient data. Health Cloud not only securely stores patient information, but it also has a flexible engagement engine to automate intake, matching, pricing, consent management, and scheduling.

Intake
We integrated Titan Forms into the platform to simplify patient onboarding, creating HIPAA-compliant, customizable forms for collecting medical history, care preferences, and personal details. The collected data feeds directly into Salesforce Health Cloud.

Matching
Penrod implemented a provider directory within Health Cloud, complete with accreditations and specialties. The directory allows our client to pair patients with providers based on their medical needs, preferences, location, and procedure type. Rule-based criteria further refine recommendations to ensure the right fit.

Quoting
We enabled our client to generate detailed quotes for medical procedures, travel, accommodation, and additional services. Salesforce’s multi-currency allows cross-border pricing, while automated approval workflows ensure fast and transparent pricing.

Consent Management
Integration with DocuSign automates patient consent. Signatures can be requested at specific points throughout the application process, ensuring that patients give consent at the right times for compliance.

Scheduling
We embedded Calendly within the platform to handle provider availability, making appointment scheduling faster and more transparent. Automated email and SMS reminders ensure patients and providers stay informed, while built-in time zone management simplifies coordination across different countries.

The Results

As healthcare costs rise, medical tourism will only continue to grow in popularity. Our client’s platform makes the process safe for those seeking affordable care overseas. By connecting patients with accredited providers worldwide, they’re delivering on their mission to lower the cost of care for all Americans through trusted, accessible medical tourism.