ZAGREB, 6 Feb 2022 - Croatian providers of health tourism services have presented their services at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai and agreed cooperation with nearly 50 clients from the Middle East, Russia and India, the Croatian Tourism Board (HTZ) said earlier this week.

The HTZ, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and with the support of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, organised a presentation in the Croatian Pavilion as part of the business workshop "Full of Well-being", at this week's theme of the Expo "Health and Wellness".

"Health tourism is a product that has a strong resource basis and a rich tradition in Croatia. The specialised business workshop at the Expo was a unique opportunity to further boost demand for health tourism services," said HTZ director Kristjan Staničić.

A total of 192 countries are participating in this year's Expo, which makes it the biggest global non-commercial event of economic and cultural importance.

The exhibition presents a unique opportunity for Croatia and other countries to present their products and services to business people, investors, international institutions and foreign diplomats.

Since its opening in autumn 2021, the exhibition has been visited by more than 11 million people. It closes at the end of March.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

December 23, 2021 - 2022 will be a year of change for tourism in Croatia. An overview of 8 key areas TCN will be focusing its efforts on improving Croatian tourism in 2022.

2021 has been a great year at TCN, as we diversified from a news portal into some other projects. There is such potential in so many areas in this country that I am constantly surprised at how few people I see exploring the opportunities. I know a few people who laughed when a certain Dutch expat announced he was going to grow tomatoes in northern Croatia, but having seen the project develop at first hand, it is heartening to see that such ideal dreams of Jan de Jong, Jerko Trogrlic and the team at CROP Hrvatska will become a reality. 

(The Slavonian Wannabe Tomato Growers Convention with CROP Hrvatksa, Osijek, December 2021)

And once it starts, the floodgates could open. Contrary to the general media portrayal, I genuinely think that this is an incredibly exciting time to be alive in Croatia. And I leave 2021 and enter 2022 with perhaps more energy, optimism and determination than ever before since I moved here permanently back in 2003. 

Of course, Jan is a much more successful businessman than I could ever hope to be, and so my main focus in 2022 will be to develop the eco-system of sustainable tourism all over the country, 12 months a year, rather than watch the current lazy status quo which is slowly destroying Croatia's Adriatic jewels. 

It has been another completely random 12 months at TCN. Just as I never expected to be named International Medical Travel Journalist of the Year in Malaysia a year ago, so too I did not expect to be giving a keynote speech at Digital Nomad Week based out of Bali on VIP Day almost exactly a year later - you can see the first presentation of our new CROMADS platform during my online presentation above.

2021 was a year of awards and lawsuits for TCN. A total of 11 international awards for projects that we were partners in, and an impressive 3 lawsuits, the first in my life (I don't count the one publicly announced in 2018 by Mayor of Jelsa, Niksa Peronja, as it never arrived). Seven awards for the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community, delivered in partnership with Manjgura and Mediacor (including 3 at the Polaris Awards in London), 2 for Zagreb Digital Nomad Week with Saltwater Nomads and Zagreb Tourist Board, and 2 for Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program with Saltwater Nomads, City of Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Tourist Board. 

But as nice as it was to win the awards, it was actually the lawsuits which gave me the inspiration for a new direction for TCN. If our constructive criticism was not only read by the Kings of Accidental Tourism, but bothered them so much that they were prepared to sue me for 100,000 kuna, perhaps I had a voice that was being heard further than I had imagined.  

I am certainly very grateful to the Kings for the lawsuits. Apart from being described by one journalist as the biggest PR own goal in the history of the Croatian National Tourist Board, it was also the best free promotion TCN has ever had (thank you!), as a staggering 16,000 people took part in an online poll by Index.hr after the story hit all the major news networks. 

If the Kings were that sensitive to a few words, what might happen if we publicly started pushing a few initiatives via TCN to see what stuck, and what progress we could make? The lawsuits will be entering their third calendar year next month, and you can follow progress every step of the way in our Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit feature, which will probably go on for years until we win in the European courts in Strasbourg. TCN promo budget 2022 - 2026 - tick.  

But it seems more and more people are recognising TCN and the various initiatives we are pushing to celebrate the little guy and connect the eco-system outside the crumbling walls of the Mighty State of Uhljebistan. It was an honour earlier this week, for example, to receive an invitation from His Excellency Raj Srivastava, Indian Ambassador to Croatia to the launch of the India-Croatia Startup Bridge. Even more so when the Ambassador told me he was a TCN reader and that some of our articles celebrating Croatian startups influenced his thinking on this initiative. It is a great initiative, and I look forward to TCN reporting on various successes.

Rather than just reporting on the news and blogging about the latest lawsuit postponement by the Kings (Read more in Diary of a Croatian Lawsuit: 50 Lawyers, No Secretary, No Hearing), I started to think about ways that TCN could advocate for positive change in some targeted niches. Although I am not a tourism expert, I am getting to know Croatian tourism very well and travel extensively. Meeting so many people from all walks of life has helped me form a few conclusions on how we could improve a few things. 

As we take a break for Christmas (TCN will be offline from midnight tonight until December 28), here are 8 key areas we will be focusing on in 2022, in addition to delivering you your daily Croatian news in English. 

Split Winter Tourism Roundtable

After posting a few TCN articles on the potential of Split winter tourism and questions why we no longer have much, some of the private Split tourism operators came up with a suggestion that TCN host a winter tourism roundtable, inviting all key stakeholders (including the Mayor of Split, Split Dalmatia County, regional and city tourist board director, Split Airport, State Secretary of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, GMs of Split's 5-star hotels, representatives from the restaurant, hotel, hostel and MICE sectors, and tourism consultants) to have an open exchange of ideas in search of a way forward. 

Not only did everyone invited come, but they all engaged and left an excellent lunch at CHOPS Grill with the desire to try. We meet again in January. Special thanks to Jasmina Kruscic, Jelena Tabak, Mare Mustapic, Daniela Rogulj, Mario Seric and MIchael Freer for pushing this initiative. Let's see 2022 deliver the first results.  You can read more in Reflections on the First TCN Split Winter Tourism Roundtable. 

Vukovar Card and Vukovar 365, Full of Life

How many of you have been to Vukovar on any other date than November 18?

Having been to Vukovar Remembrance Day in 2019 and 2021, as well as several other visits, I came up with a suggestion called the Vukovar Card, a chance for people who change their Facebook status every November 18 for a day to do something more concrete (Vukovar Card: Support Local Economy Rather than Temporary Facebook Status). I was very grateful for the positive reaction and support of regional tourist board directors Ivana Juric and Rujana Busic Srpak, who devised a Vukovar Card 7-day itinerary through the magic of Vukovar Srijem and Osijek Baranja Counties. I sent this to Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac and State Secretary Tonci Glavina with a request for a meeting to develop the concept. 

That meeting will take place on January 10 at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and I was encouraged by Tonci's positive initial feedback at the Split winter tourism roundtable.  

If you are interested to know more about the new Vukovar and the people and businesses framing a brighter future, follow the TCN series, Vukovar 365, Full of Life, with new TCN writer Katarina Andjelkovic from Vukovar.

Digital Nomads

The growth of the Croatian digital nomad story has been one of the highlights of my year. So much positive energy, innovative ideas, fabulous people and unforgettable experiences - it has been a privilege to be part of the journey. Working with Jan de Jong, Saltwater Nomads, the Digital Nomad Association, the Digital Nomads Croatia Facebook group,  Swanky Travel, Zagreb Tourist Board, the City of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Doma Zagreb Aparthotel, and others has been one of the undoubted highlights of 2021. Zagreb Digital Nomad Week & Ambassador Program and Dubrovnik Digital Nomads-in-Residence program complemented Jan's visa initiative and has helped put Croatia well and truly on the digital nomad map.

2022 will be more of the same... and more. Exciting initiatives in both Zagreb and Dubrovnik will be announced in early 2022, and if we can dot the Is and cross the Ts on a couple of other projects, things could get very interesting. It seems that next year will have me travelling internationally to promote the Croatian digital nomad story, with Digital Nomad Festival in Turkey in May, and Digital Nomad Summit in Bali in September already in the diary.  

Medical tourism and digital nomads

2022 will see the 10th anniversary of my favourite conference in Croatia, the annual Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference in Crikvenica. CIHT has been good to me over the years, giving me my first exposure to the global medical tourism community (and leading to those awards in Malaysia). The pioneering work of Ognjen Bagatin and the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster have placed Croatia firmly on the medical tourism map, and after the major blip that is the pandemic, it is time to renew efforts. You can read a report on CIHT 2021 in Kvarner Full of Health Tourism Opportunity, as CIHT 2021 Shines.

A major new medical tourism opportunity has presented itself since 2019, one which I will be pushing hard - digital nomads. Rather than having to work hard to attract foreign patients to come to Croatia for treatment, why not instead spend less energy informing all the nomads who are already here how Croatian medical tourism can fix their medical issues at a fraction of the price back home. No need to travel, for they are already here. 

The potential of the Kvarner region for health tourism is huge, and there is a much underutilised airport on Krk, Rijeka Airport. An issue I will also discuss with Minister Brnjac on January 10, as she is a transport expert.  

Spreading the Truth about Slavonia, Full of Life

The biggest surprise of 2021 for me was not only how full of life Slavonia is, but how ignorant the rest of Croatia is about what is really out east in their own country. I was shocked at how few of my Zagreb friends who are among the 200,000 Croats who go skiing abroad each year had ever been to Slavonia and the East. With such little local knowledge, how can we expect tourists to know?

Lots of activity coming next year on this, including a fun survey on the streets of Zagreb to highlight the gap in knowledge. Here are two questions from the survey to get you in the mood. How many of you can answer both:

1. What is the main town in Baranja?

2. Can you name three famous buildings in eastern Croatia, not including the Vukovar Water Tower? 

Want a taster of what you are missing? Read more in Time to Tell the Truth about Slavonia Full of Life. 

Danube Drone Days

What happens when you meet an English businessman over breakfast at your hotel in Osijek in November?

Sometimes it leads to a night of sushi and gin in the company of the CEO or Orqa, three drone geeks, and a plan to promote Slavonia and the Danube with some of the best drone pilots in the world. 

 I love the concept of Danube Drone Days, and I am looking forward to working with these two geeks above to make it a reality.  

CROMADS

Our new baby. What more can I say, but watch the official promo vid above, and check out www.cromads.com after Christmas for more. This is going to be fun.  

Total Croatia Travel Portal

2021 also saw TCN launch its sister site, Total Croatia, a multi-lingual tourism information platform answering the questions people are asking. Launching in May, I was perhaps a little ambitious wanting to be the leading portal by the summer, but we are working hard behind the scenes to make sure Total Croatia's first full year in 2022 will be a big one. You can check it out here. 

And that - more or less - is that. If you are interested in getting involved to build the eco-system outside the crumbling walls of the Mighty State of Uhljebistan, drop me a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Subject TCN 2022, explaining how you can help and what you can offer. 

Enough from my side, except to thank you all for your company, interest and support in 2021. We have a great readership, and I even enjoy the contributions of the trolls these days. 

Things are starting to move slowly but surely. The default negative mindset is being challenged by new ideas and shoots of positivity. Croatia is a great country with a really bright future once we overhaul the current system. 

And you will be able to read all about it on TCN in 2022. 

Cheers!

TCN will be offline from midnight tonight until December 28. Merry Christmas to All. 

November 8, 2021 - Arguably the leading health tourism conference in the region exceeds expectations once again, and the opportunities are numerous for Kvarner Full of Health at CIHT 2021.

Full disclosure - I love everything about the Crikvenica International Health Tourism (CIHT) conference, and I rate it as the very best of all the (many) conferences I have attended in Croatia over the years.

Medical tourism is not a niche I would normally associate myself with. In fact, until the dynamo that is Ognjen Bagatin of the award-winning Bagatin Clinic introduced me to the sector a few years ago, I didn't even realise that Croatia had a quality medical tourism sector. 

And then I went to CIHT 2018, met this lady, and life was never the same again. 

There were tears of admiration and of envy from the largely Croatian health tourism sector audience as Sherene Azli, the charismatic CEO of the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, explained in detail how Malaysia had taken its medical tourism industry from nothing to about $2 billion dollars through a hugely successful public/private partnership and a hashtag that would never catch on in Croatia sadly - #TogetherWeWin. You can read Lessons from Malaysia in Croatia: MHTC CEO Sherene Azli on Health Tourism.

Nine months later, sporting a Varteks suit, I found myself in the rather surreal position of accepting an award in Kuala Lumpur at the inaugural Medical Travel Media Awards in August 2019. 

The thing was, however, that Sherene was far from being the only world-class speaker on the stage in Crikvenica. At CIHT 2018, I also interviewed Keith Pollard, Editor of International Medical Travel Journal, as well as branding experr, Ilan Geva from the USA - Croatian Medical Tourism: Great Potential, Collaborate or Die Says Ilan Geva.

I had no idea that the topic of medical tourism could be so interesting, or full of so much (yes, the P word again in Croatian tourism) potential. I was hooked. 

Over the years, CIHT has consistently thought out of the box, bringing different viewpoints, not all of which are focused 100% on health tourism. Global tourism expert Doug Lansky was the star of the show two years ago with Lessons for Croatia: Successful Tourism by Doug Lansky at CIHT 2019.

Added to the fact that CIHT is superbly run and has a great social aspect to it, and little wonder that it is the first conference I look out for. October 6-7, 2022 are already in my diary for CIHT 2022. 

And this year's event brought so much brain food, and the timing of so of its presentations was timely indeed. I could go on for hours but here are some key points which tie in to developing Croatia's untapped opportunities. 

One of the great initiatives in the medical tourism sector has been the Medical Tourism Task Force, as part of the American Croatian Professionals Association (ACAP). Cleveland has a very strong Croatian connection with medical tourism, most notably in the form of the CEO of Cleveland Clinic, Tomislav Mihaljevic. Ognjen Bagatin has done a phenomenal job over the years strengthening that relationship, and ACAP's Jeana Havidich flew in to address the conference to update the conference on progress being made to attract the target audience od 1.2 million Croatian diaspora.

Jeana was followed by our favourite Dutch wannabe tomato-grower, Jan de Jong. Best-known for his successful push to bring a digital nomad visa to Croatia, Jan gave a  great presentation on Croatia, the Land of Opportunity and his version of Living the Croatian Dream. Jan has really developed as a public speaker since I first heard him at Business Cafe International in Zagreb a couple of years ago. And his positivity is infectious, and it is slowly dripfeeding into the Croatian mindset of many local people. 

And then I made my first big connection of the day - a wonderful opportunity.  

Until now, the focus has been on trying to attract foreign patients to come to  Croatia for treatment. But now there is another opportunity, far bigger than the 1.2 million diaspora in the USA - the remote worker. 

Due to the efforts of Jan and many others, Croatia is starting to attract a significant number of digital nomads and remote workers. We are at the tip of the iceberg and the beginning of a journey, and this - at least in my opinion - is the biggest opportunity Croatia has to develop its tourism sustainably. 

The big difference between the diaspora and remote worker in terms of targeting is that the remote worker is already coming here for an extended period. They are choosing Croatia for the lifestyle, excellent WiFi, safety, nature, authentic experiences, food and drink, accessibility and affordability. The majority do not even know that Croatia has a world-class medical tourism industry. Imagine if they were educated on the potential (an overview here) - one more great reason to choose Croatia for the next office. 

I was beginning to think that CIHT organisers Alfred and Vladimir were organising presentations just for me. One of the initiatives I am involved with is to restart winter tourism on the Croatian coast. Did you know, for example, about the following number of international routes connected with winter flights: Dubrovnik (2), Split (6 - 2 different countries), Banja Luka (14 - 8 countries), Nis, Serbia (12 - 7 countries), Thessaloniki (80 - 23 countries), Bari (76 - 18 countries), Alicante (167 - 24 countries), Venice (75 - 26 countries). Read more in Wow! Comparing Split, Dubrovnik Winter Flights to ExYu, Mediterranean Competition.

Velimir Sonje, CEO of Croatian startup ETF Airways (which flies all over Europe but not in Croatia) gave a great presentation on Croatian Tourism and Airlines: a Missed Opportunity. Lots of thought-provoking stuff that I will be exploring in greater detail with Velimir over a beer in Zagreb soon.  

Next up was another hero of mine, achieving incredible things and promoting both Croatia and its healthy lifestyle internationally. Vladomir Miholjevic has done so much to put Croatia on the global cycling map, from bringing his Bahrain Merida (as it was then) to Hvar for winter training for several years, to organising the fabulous CRO Race, an event that was beamed all over the globe. 

And then I realised what it is that I love about CIHT - it is a place where Croatian world-class excellence is celebrated by real people who are doing not talking. 

And connecting, to make a better eco-system for all. 

And then came the presentation that blew my mind, as Maria Antonietta Princivalle from BookingsMed gave a fascinating overview of the outbound Italian medical tourism market. According to Maria, Croatia has an excellent medical tourism reputation in Italy, both in terms of price and quality. And the Italian market brings significant revenue to the clinics of Istria and Kvarner. 

But how much of an opportunity is Croatia missing out on with this captive market - great reputation, proximity, no language barrier?

Some 550,000 Italian patients go abroad each year for thermal cures, some driving as far as Prague.

Some 350,000 cross the border each year for aesthetic treatment, as far away as Thailand and Brazil.  

Back to Croatian excellence. Next up, Branimir Blajic, who gave a fascinating presentation of the case study of Sveti Martin in promoting local producers and their local products.

This is SUCH an obvious one for Croatia to develop, with its rich network of small producers of high-quality produce. Blajic showed how it could be done, and TCN will soon be reporting from Medjimurje on this excellent initiative, as well as exploring how we can expand its scope. 

And no CIHT conference would be complete without the visionary legendica, Vlasta Brozicevic of Teme Selce, who gave an inspiring presentation entitled Game Changer in Health and Wellbeing Holistic Solutions. 

It is a sign of the growing relevance and excellence of CIHT that medical tourism professionals of the quality of Mario Skugor, of Cleveland Clinic, flew in for the conference. It was great to see full two-day attendance from the Zagreb Tourist Board and the medical tourism department of the Ministry of Tourism, as well as the Ministry of Health. It was, however, a little disappointing (although not surprising) that the Kingdom of Accidental Tourism, aka the Croatian National Tourist Board, could not make the 2-hour journey from Zagreb when others had made such an effort, only joining remotely. 

An outstanding two days, with great networking and new opportunities. There seems to be a renewed momentum within the Croatian medical tourism industry. And as one can see from the above, the opportunities are plentiful. 

CIHT 2022 will take place on October 6-7, 2022 - it promises to be quite a 10-year party. 

To learn more about the Kvarner Health Tourism Cluster and its excellent work, visit the official website. 

Read more - 'The Healing Garden of Europe': Kvarner Health Cluster's Vladimir Mozetic Interview.

December 3, 2020 - The EPIC Webinars continue, with Claudia Mika of TEMOS and Daniel Coulton-Shaw of GCR discussing Innovations & Standards: Conflict or Convergence?

It has been 8 months since the postponement of the European Patient experience & Innovations Congress, and since then EPIC activities have been transferred to the online world in the form of monthly webinars. Among EPIC partners, we have added Cisco Webex, an American company that develops and sells web conferencing and video conferencing programs. It was founded as WebEx in 1995 and was taken over by Cisco Systems in 2007. Their platform allowed to hold one-hour EPIC Webinars once a month on current topics complementary to the conceptual themes of the congress. Our webinar speakers are mostly lecturers already planned and presented for the original congress. So far, 6 webinars with 10 speakers have been held, and online participants from 35 countries around the world participated and listened to EPIC webinars, asking questions and actively discussed the topics.

EPIC is a stage and platform for bringing together experts in health and innovation that has a wide range of activities, but also potential outcomes for all gathered.

The next webinar, and thus the last in 2020, will be held on December 17th 2020 at 6.00 pm CET on the topic Innovations & Standards: Conflict or Convergence? December speakers are Dr. Claudia Mika - Founder and CEO of Temos International Healthcare Accreditation and Daniel C. Shaw - Ambassador for the Global Clinic Rating.

Dr. Mika has been advising different associations and governmental institutions regarding quality related topics, patient experience and international patient management. She was awarded the Dr. Sanjiv Malik Lifetime Award for her significant contribution to the development of the medical travel sector. In 2020, Dr. Mika developed together with her expert team a set of standards to help healthcare organizations worldwide to minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission in healthcare settings.

Anyone who knows Daniel Coulton Shaw will tell you that he is an enthusiastic storyteller full of practical ideas that will set your head spinning. His entertaining presentations are largely inspired by the successes and failures from 152 forward-thinking international private medical organizations, health clusters, hospitals, clinics and practices across 26 countries worldwide of multiple specialties. Daniel loves to put theory into practice in the day-to-day running of a successful international dental clinic for English-speaking patients in central Europe that he co-founded back in 2007.

Google is betting that the future of healthcare is going to be structured data and AI. Along with Apple, Amazon and their Asian equivalents, these companies are applying AI to disease detection, new data infrastructure, and potentially insurance. In this months EPIC webinar, Daniel Coulton Shaw explores how the standards of healthcare provided and the choices of the patient are exponentially expanding.

“If AI can shape healthcare and patient choice, it has to work through the regulations of healthcare … In fact, I see that as one of the biggest areas where the focus of Google will play out for the next 10 – 20 years.” — Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google

Accreditation in healthcare, which should include regular onsite inspections plays a crucial role in maintaining quality, patient safety and experience, outcomes, and much more.

When the pandemic reached us earlier this year, it forced Temos to overcome the first shock, face the challenge, and react. The standard procedures that had worked for more than ten years had to be revisited. In this case,” innovation” was needed where “standardization” is a keyword.

After consulting key stakeholders, it was decided to postpone all scheduled in-person onsite assessments to prevent risks for the assessors and the healthcare providers. At the same time, it was clear that this must not have any negative consequences for the organizations’ accreditation cycle. Flexible planning for accreditation programs became the new “standard” to develop COVID-19 safe hospital and clinic environments.

Join this great webinar on December 17^th at 6:00 CET at the following link.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN link. 

October 20, 2020 - One of Croatia's most important medical tourism conferences, CIHT 2020, will go ahead next month, albeit in a very different format.  

The Crikvenica International Health Tourism Conference will be held for the eighth time in a row, on the 12^th and 13^th of November 2020, in a virtual form. Due to the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic, this conference, which was traditionally organized on the Crikvenica Riviera, will change its concept and move to a completely online environment, it will be completely free of charge and the participants will be able to attend via new CIHT mobile app.

In order to present world trends and European experiences in health tourism, its marketing opportunities, as well as to present the achievements of Croatia and the best examples from practice, this two-day conference will host national and foreign experts in health, tourism, and marketing. The speakers who confirmed their participation are Keith Pollard, Csilla Mezösi, Irving Stackpole, Laszlo Puczko, Elizabeth Ziemba, Jeana Havidich, Michaela Kehrer, Ilan Geva, as well as Velimir Srića and Miroslav Varga. On this prestigious list of speakers is also Ph.D. Ivan Đikić, MD, who, from the position of his profession and his own experience, will cover the complex topic of the impact of the virus on health tourism. These experts are of great importance, not only for the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County but also for the entire Republic of Croatia. Moreover, these are experts who participate as speakers in numerous eminent world health and tourism conferences and cooperate with the largest companies in this field.

In addition to the presentations by top experts, the CIHT Conference offers the opportunity to create business contacts and partnerships, exchange experiences, and arrange concrete collaborations. The priority in the organization of the CIHT conference is, first of all, the quality of the content through which the participants can gain new knowledge that they will later apply in their daily work. This year's CIHT conference continues to contribute to the application of current theoretical knowledge and trends in practice, emphasizing the strategic importance of the development of health tourism. Given that we are in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 8^th CIHT Conference is especially needed.

You can follow everything about the 8th CIHT Conference on its official website ciht.com.hr, as well as on the Facebook profile CIHT Conference Crikvenica Croatia. Highlights of last year's event are in the video below.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

October 9, 2020 - The EPIC Webinars continue, with Cleveland Clinic's Judith Welsh and Mayo Clinic's Rahul Kashyap next up, talking about the Patient Experience before and after COVID-19. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world and still does. Changes are happening in all fields. Situations change from moment to moment whether we are talking about health and patient care or something completely different. Uncertainty has become our reality and the pool in which we bathe every day. The inhabitants of the entire planet are adapting to the new living conditions that are being brought by epidemiologists’ day by day. Regardless of the current situation, a pandemic will change a patient’s experience in the years to come. In a time of reduced or, for some institutions even, banned personal visits, social distancing measures, wearing protective masks and without the current COVID-19 vaccine, doctors are using new digital tools to survive. The technology has enabled healthcare providers to continue connecting with patients through virtual advice. Patients have embraced the experience of virtual care, and global surveys now predict that virtual care interactions will exceed one billion in 2020. Digital patient engagement tools facilitate the growth of virtual medical examinations for non-coronavirus-related issues.

The Bagatin clinic, together with the international collaborating presenter Cleveland Clinic, will present this burning topic through the EPIC platform next week. On October 15^th at 6pm CET you will have the opportunity to meet two fantastic speakers from two amazing world-famous clinics in USA. These are Judith Toski Welsh, MD, FACEP from the Cleveland Clinic and a doctor Rahul Kashyap, MBBS, MBA from Mayo Clinic.

Judith Toski Welsh is the Associate Chief Experience Officer at Cleveland Clinic. She focuses on improving clinician communication and strengthening teamwork among caregivers to improve patient experience, quality and safety. She is also a practicing emergency physician who has worked in community and academic departments.

Rahul Kashyap is a physician scientist in Critical Care Medicine, and holds academic rank of Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology at the Mayo Clinic. He has published over 230 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. He has also written a book titled ‘Mayo Clinic Critical Care Case Review’. Dr. Kashyap is an award-winning public speaker who has received awards for exemplary research, quality improvement and leadership.

Along with this fantastic duo the webinar host will be Daniel C. Shaw, an enthusiastic storyteller with lots of practical ideas. Ambassador for GCR - Global Clinic Rating, an award-winning initiative co-founded by a Google employee that allows patients and healthcare professionals to compare apparent quality in nearly half a million private clinics and hospitals worldwide.

The goals of the webinar are certainly to gain insight into the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the patient experience and to set a strategy for an improved patient experience in 2021 and beyond.

The Cleveland Clinic promises every patient that we will keep them safe, care for them as a person, partner with them, and make the care journey easier. These promises guide our process and policy and keep our patients at the center of everything that we do. The outbreak of COVID-19 forced many abrupt changes to the practice of medicine at Cleveland Clinic – from cessation of elective procedures, to changes in visitation, to development of surge capacity. The Office of Patient Experience supported the teams making these rapid changes by leveraging a combination of empathy, standardized communication, and technology to bridge the gaps made by COVID-19. In this presentation, I’ll discuss how we kept our promises and forged new paths to an even better experience.

Join this great webinar and sign up via the link.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN link. 

September 3, 2020 - The EPIC Webinars continue, with CISCO's Ivan Duggan next up, talking about innovations in the Patient Experience. 

Patient Experience is a term that has been running through the healthcare industry for some time. When you ask people what exactly this means, you will get all sorts of answers that will mostly move in the direction of helping and making it easier for the client/patient.

By its definition it means this - As an integral component of health care quality, patient experience includes several aspects of health care delivery that patients value highly when they seek and receive care, such as getting timely appointments, easy access to information, and good communication with health care providers.

When we add innovation to this term, we get one mixed ball of progress. In healthcare, it may be a novel idea, product, service or care pathway that has clear benefits when compared to what is currently done. Successful innovations often possess two key qualities: they are both usable and desirable.

Since we are in the 21^st century from which innovations are simply pouring out, the question arises as to what are these new innovations that we can design and implement. Bagatin Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are both facing forward and for that reason they are pushing EPIC in this direction of innovation.

When we say Innovations in the patient experience, what comes to your mind first?

EPIC invited Mr. Ivan Duggan from CISCO to tell us how did intelligent secure infrastructure inspired innovations in healthcare by reimagining healthcare delivery, expanding access to care, delivering data-driven care, ensuring security and compliance, transforming facilities, and supporting business resiliency.

Getting the best possible outcomes for patients efficiently, effectively, with care and safety is your number one priority. With the current pandemic situation achieving this while ensuring staff and patient safety is more critical than ever.

Cisco is at the beating heart of this transformation. In this session you will hear how Cisco solutions are delivering this today across telehealth, security & compliance, connected medical device, mobile experiences and the smart hospital.

Ivan Duggan has overall responsibility for ‘go to market’ of Cisco’s Software Defined routing, switching and wireless portfolio’s in EMEAR, a portfolio that represents around 50% of Cisco’s product revenues in the region. With a key focus on enhancing customer’s digitisation evolution, productivity, profitability and lower costs through better use of Intelligent & Intuitive Networks. With more than 30 years’ experience in the data communications industry, Ivan joined Cisco in 1999, has a diverse background of both domestic and international sales experience, holding various leadership positions in Cisco Ireland and EMEAR. In these roles Ivan was responsible for building strategic sales strategies and also served as a key spokesperson to influence the media and government on the importance of technology to drive innovation and economic growth. He also led the Architecture and Solutions team in EMEAR, where he was responsible for delivering Customer & Partner success through Architectural & solutions IT relevancy.

Join us on September 10th at 6.00 pm CEST & sign up via the link.

For more on the Croatian medical tourism industry, follow the dedicated TCN link. 

August 19, 2020 - The 3rd EPIC webinar of the European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress features acclaimed travel guru, Doug Lansky.   

The European Patient experience and Innovation Congress, in its adaptation around the world pandemic, is organizing the third EPIC Webinar, “The Patient Journey & Innovation”.

Thanks to the organizers, Bagatin Clinic with collaborative international presenter Cleveland Clinic, co-organizers Global Clinic Rating and Stackpole & Associates Inc., partner Elda Pharm, technological partner CISCO and accreditation partner Temos, we can enjoy quality webinars every month.

We often look to other industries for clues to improve our own practices.

This is why the EPIC committee invited tourism expert Doug Lansky to provide some insight into customer service and how it can positively affect the patient experience. There’s perhaps no better source than the world’s top hotels, restaurants and tours when it comes to highlighting great customer service.

Doug will not only explain how aspects of these services can be directly adopted by the healthcare industry but that it can actually be done on a minimal budget and positively impact patients’ health by reducing stress at key points along the patient journey.

Doug Lansky is a tourism development thought leader who advises destinations and tourism companies and hotel associations around the world – from Singapore to Aruba, Google Travel to Amadeus – on strategy, management, and visitor experience. He spotted a clear customer-service connection between tourism and healthcare and has found a way to transfer best-practice examples from hospitality to hospitals.

Doug has given acclaimed lectures at nearly 100 universities, spoken to a sold-out audience at National Geographic Headquarters, for the United Nations World’s Tourism Organization, as an after-dinner speaker at corporate events and at both public and industry travel/tourism conferences, at TEDx Stockholm and set the attendance record for keynote lectures at the 2012 and 2013 ITB Berlin conferences.

The webinar will be presented by one of the members of the EPIC committee, Irving Stackpole, the President of Stackpole & Associates, Inc., a marketing, research, training, and organizational development firm.

Founded in 1991, Stackpole & Associates applies scientific marketing principles to develop practical solutions to clients’ challenges. Using the most rigorous psychological and behavioral science research, Stackpole & Associates develops methods and designs that produce unimpeachable data yielding reliable, actionable recommendations.

Stackpole & Associates works collaboratively with clients to create innovative and practical solutions to the challenges facing organizations in rapidly changing markets, including health travel.

Join us on August 27th for this new EPIC webinar and learn about the Patient Journey and Innovation.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

May 12, 2020 - Medical tourism in the corona age. Bagatin Clinic's inspirational CEO Ognjen Bagatin on how his award-winning clinic is serving its clients safely in the new reality. 

It seems an age since I was in Berlin in early December watching Ognjen Bagatin and Andrea Stipanic of Bagatin Clinic take the stage at the International Medical Travel Journal awards for Best International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic 2019.

Although it was less than six months ago, such a lot has happened since then that it really does seem iike a different era. 

But some things never change, and that includes Ognjen Bagatin's positivity and determination to succeed and offer his customers the very best. 

Bagatin Clinic opened its doors on May 4 after the recent lockdown, and Ognjen found time to explain how procedures will work at Bagatin Clinic for the moment, as well as this excellent video explanation. 

The safety and health of our clients and patients and all of our medical and non-medical staff, has always been our primary concern.

In addition to this priority, since January, our specially constituted Expert Committee has been closely monitoring the situation with the cornoravirus (COVID-19), communicating daily with the competent authorities of the Republic of Croatia and thoroughly following the instructions of the World Health Organization.

Transparency of information within the Clinic, additional education and, above all, the personal responsibility of our employees, has resulted in our readiness for all the challenges that have come before us, but also for those who are yet to come.

For security reasons, and following the recommendation of the competent authorities, we closed Bagatin Clinic for one month. It was a very difficult decision, but I know it was primarily the right decision.

And now, with the security measures being mitigated and with a very optimistic health situation in our beautiful Croatia, with a big smile on my face, I can announce the reopening of the Clinic.

On May 4^th, our doors have reopened!

Of course, there is simply no room for relaxation in this fight against the invisible enemy. We still have to think first and foremost about your and our safety. Therefore, we have adopted new rules of business and laid down basic measures that we will follow in our daily work. And I invite all of you to be cooperative and responsible as well.

We continue to follow all the recommendations issued by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Medical Chamber, the Croatian Chamber of Dental Medicine and the Croatian Institute of Public Health.

Allow me to present to you all the additional safety measures and hygiene protocols in Bagatin Clinic which have been implemented for the purpose of protecting all of us form the disease caused by the COVID-19.

• While setting up and confirming appointments, our contact centre operators go through a set of questions with each client so that we can identify potential health and/or infection risks. These questions are related to trips to at-risk areas in the last 14 days, contacts with persons infected with COVID-19, whether they have been self-isolated or quarantined for the past 14 days, and whether they have had a fever or a respiratory problem in the last 14 days.
• Prior to arrival, we inform the patient, by phone, of the protocols required to arrive at the Bagatin Clinic locations, and instruct clients / patients to come unaccompanied and with their own face mask.
• At the entrance door of each of our locations, patients and clients are provided with information on preventative measures to protect against COVID-19.
• At the entrance to the premises of the Clinic, a bactericidal and viricidal barrier is provided for the patient's footwear (a fabric soaked with disinfectant that changes every 3 hours).
• Upon entrance, it is obligatory to disinfect hands with the provided disinfectant agents. The product is also available in all the toilets, encouraging patients and clients to disinfect their hands after each new contact with different surfaces.
• We regularly and continuously keep our premises clean and disinfected, and pay special attention to the surfaces with which employees and clients are most often in contact: door handles, worktops, POS appliances, customer toilet, faucets, handrails, waiting areas.
• In addition, sufficient time is provided between patient appointments to allow for additional disinfection and sterilization of the premises, and the movement of clients and healthcare staff across the Clinic's premises is minimized.
• The extended pause between appointments also ensures a reduced fluctuation of clients and patients in the waiting room and allows for the social distancing rules to be followed, that is, close contact is avoided and the distance of at least 2 meters is maintained.
• The reception area is separated by a Plexiglas barrier and the reception staff is additionally protected by disposable gloves and face masks.
• Our health care professionals use all necessary protective equipment in their work and have received additional training in the proper use of personal protective equipment: FFP3 / N95 masks, disposable sterile or non-sterile gloves (depending on the type of procedure), transparent safety glasses or visors for personnel wearing prescription glasses, surgical cap and disposable coat.
• After each client and patient, the utensils, appliances and instruments are thoroughly disinfected and sterilized or disposed of, and the rooms and offices are regularly ventilated.
• Operating rooms and dental surgeries are equipped with UV lamps with ozone of adequate strength according to the quadrature of the space, which ensure disinfection and sterilization of the entire surface.

We will do everything in our power to ensure you a comfortable and safe stay at Bagatin Clinic with, of course, the first-rate service you are accustomed to. We are at your disposal for any questions, concerns, advice, even fears…

We invite you to be responsible toward yourself and others. Please be considerate of the new situation and respect the measures that are there to protect the health of all of us. We can only do this together!

The doors to your favourite beauty destinations in Zagreb and Split have been open since May 4th.

I look forward to seeing you!

Ognjen Bagatin

CEO of Bagatin Clinic

You can learn more about the services of Bagatin Clinic on the official website. 

For more on the Croatian medical tourism story, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

April 9, 2020 -  With business reeling from the corona effect, meet Bagatin Clinic Online, embracing the reality by bringing forward its digital future plans. 

Here is a question for you as you sit in self-isolation reflecting on past memories and dreaming of a better future in the post-corona era. 

Who was the last person you shook hands with, and when was it?

In my case, it was exactly a month to the day since I shook hands with Ognjen Bagatin, the charismatic and dynamic CEO of Bagatin Clinic, whose single-minded determination to develop Croatia's medical tourism industry, foster the entrepreneurial spirit in Croatian society, and strengthen ties between Croatian entrepreneurs and the business community in the diaspora have infected everyone he meets with the same enthusiasm. 

It was that determination which saw one of the top names in healthcare, Cleveland Clinic, agree to partner with Bagatin at the inaugural European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress (EPIC) in Dubrovnik. Some of the biggest names in global health were due to appear in Kings Landing from March 19-21. 

Here we are in Berlin just four months ago, with Alfred Frankovic from the Kvarner Health Cluster (right), Ognjen, kolegica and legendica Andrea Stipanic, with this TCN correspondent, who had agreed to wear Bagatin's famous red and white Croatian tie to support the tiny nation which dared to dream. 

And dream it did, dreams which were realised. It was an honour to be there in the front row, as Ognjen and Andrea stepped up to the podium at the International Medical Travel Journal awards on behalf of Bagatin Clinic, winners of Best International Cosmetic Surgery Clinic 2019.  

Life was going very well, and everything built on a VERY solid foundation.

And then... corona. 

It must have been heartbreaking after all the effort (and cost) put in for the EPIC conference in Dubrovnik, for it to be cancelled. But that was in a different era, when we still thought conferences were possibly going to happen. I noted with some irony on the day the event was supposed to open that Dubrovnik got its first case of corona.

And then, 3 days later, having had to close the clinics with the new restrictions, another disaster - the Zagreb earthquakes. 

Some damage to the clinic, but more significantly, sufficient damage to his home that it was not safe for him to stay there with his adorable two young sons and wife. 

At that point, most people would have given up, but while he may have been temporarily dazed by the hammer blows, he did not take the easy option and downsize his team, but rather got into crisis management mode and restructured. Part of that restructuring was bringing forward some of his plans for Bagatin Clinic Online, most notably online consultations and a new webshop - details of both you can find below in the official media material from the clinic. 

Croatia needs more entrepreneurial fighters like Ognjen Bagatin and his merry men, and I sincerely hope that the government gives the private sector the support it needs to get back on its feet and move this country forward. 

Ognjen, I salute you, Sir, and may yours be the first hand that I shake when all this is over.

And now, learn more about Bagatin Clinic Online Consultations and webshop. 

The safety, enjoyment and health of you - our clients, our patients and all of our doctors and non-medical professionals - has always been our first concern.

Following on this top priority, with the many measures we have taken within Bagatin Clinic itself, we have also decided to go one step further and enable you to have online consultations with our team of experts from the comfort and safety of your home.

Telemedicine has been in our plans for a long time, and now, with the desire to do and help as much as we can, we have decided to offer this service for free until these extraordinary circumstances that have struck us have passed. We are here for you!

Free online consultations are available for the following services:

- dental consultations based on an X-ray

- tattoo removal consultations

- FUE hair transplantation consultations

- medical cosmetology consultations for facial and body treatments and laser hair removal

Whether you have a problem with your facial and body skin, you have questions about a specific treatment or problem, how to perform a particular treatment and procedure, are interested in a recovery period, are unable to find information on the Internet, or need help selecting a product in our webshop, book your appointment with our doctors and medical cosmetologists and get all the answers.

We also offer consultations for dermatological issues with our dermatologists, with a 50% discount, at a price of 200 kuna.

Easy to use

The method is very simple! Participation in online consultations is possible via a mobile device (Android, iOS/iPhone) or any personal computer that has a microphone and camera. So, by using a webcam or your phone's camera, you can see our doctor and he can see you in real time.

The first step for online consultations is to contact our call center, who will, in agreement with you, book a 30-minute appointment with your preferred doctor or medical cosmetologist. When ordering an online consultation, you will receive an appointment invitation on your e-mail address that contains details of the date and time of the appointment, as well as a link to the so-called virtual room. By clicking on the link the necessary, free, app will automatically install, and you can begin your consultations with our doctors or medical cosmetologists.

In each virtual room, it's just you and our doctor or medical cosmetologist, and all communication is encrypted, so you don't have to worry about your safety and privacy. 

The popularity of telemedicine

Telemedicine is a blend of technology and medicine that involves the use of electronic communications and software to provide healthcare services to patients without their personal visit to healthcare facilities. It allows us to diagnose, treat and control patients remotely, but also provides the option of answering specific health questions and educating and advising our patients. It is an indispensable link in the development of a quality medical system based on new technologies and digitization.

Telemedicine, or online consultations, is a tool that represents the future of healthcare because it enables doctors to connect with their patients via telephone, email or specially designed software solutions, and with their personal interaction and individual approach, give expert opinion on particular health issues.

Advantages of online consultation

The use of telemedicine has many benefits for patients as healthcare users:

- avoiding unnecessary exposure to others

- practicality

- shorter waiting time for consultations

- availability of quality medical diagnostics and treatment

- privacy and confidentiality

- minimizing the cost of time

- better patient experience and satisfaction

- better treatment outcomes

BAGATIN MEDICAL BEAUTY WEBSHOP - YOUR NEW DESTINATION FOR EXCLUSIVE DERMOCOSMETICS

To ensure an adequate care for all our clients and patients, we have launched Bagatin Medical Beauty - a webshop that offers dermatological cosmetics and make-up products trusted by our experts.

As of last month, a number of exclusive dermocosmetics products are available on the website, which will, in addition to purchasing, be equipped with useful tips and services, all for the sake of your health and the beauty of your skin.

The best brands of dermocosmetics

A wide range of products on the Bagatin Medical Beauty webshop is made up of only the best brands of dermocosmetics and make-up, not available in drugstores or perfumeries. The specialty of such products lies in the fact that their ingredients, besides nourishing the skin, solve and reduce various problems - acne, rosacea, skin dehydration, pigmental changes and slow down aging.

Ognjen Bagatin, the CEO of Bagatin Clinic, said: The idea of opening a webshop was influenced by our clients and patients. As in addition to treatments, we always advise care that they can use at home. Therefore, we have decided to select professional products that are more difficult to access in the market and offer to our existing, but also new clients the products to which we are both privately and professionally loyal to.

In addition to products not widely available, the Bagatin Medical Beauty webshop features a modern design, good user experience and a simple interface.

Advice from experts

Proper care means knowing your skin and then choosing the right care. Webshop clients can be assured of a good product selection with the expert advice of our operators available via telephone and web chat, and there’s also a special benefit they can expect - VISIA professional skin analysis at especially affordable prices at our Clinic.

Useful tips from our doctors and cosmetologists are also available in the form of blogs, videos of routines and proper use of products and makeup application - all to make sure you find exactly what your skin needs.

Simple purchasing

Although very simple, Webshop Bagatin Medical Beauty is not only a sales catalog of products, but a complete interface with the choice of what you need, that is, the continuation of the service we provide at the Clinic.

An overview of the products, organized by different care categorories, will give you information about the product, ingredients and usage, and the purchase itself takes place in just a few clicks.

The benefits of shopping at the Bagatin Medical Beauty webshop are the simplicity, speed, availability of all information, and the guaranteed quality in excellent packaging. In a short period, your favorite product will be available at your home address.

Our brands

Sales begin with brands that we have been working with for years and that we trust, but we will not stop at them - new brands will gradually be introduced into our offer, whose quality has been proven with a longstanding tradition.

The represented segments currently relate to dermocosmetics with an emphasis on Reviderm and Mesoestetic products and the Reviderm Skin Jewels make up line, and over time the range will expand to other beauty and lifestyle segments.

All product news will be available on our social networks, and all those who subscribe to the newsletter will have the opportunity to be the first to read new information and get additional benefits.

Reviderm

The REVIDERM dermocosmetics line is well known to all clients of Bagatin Clinic. These are high quality products that are somewhere between medical products and cosmetics. In addition to nourishing, they successfully improve the condition of the skin and address existing deficiencies.

Reviderm Skin Jewels

In addition to REVIDERM dermocosmetics, you can also find Reviderm's make up line called Skin Jewels on our Webshop. Products can also be used by people with problematic and sensitive skin, and the special advantage is that it can be used after facial treatments.

Mesoestetic

A global leader in the cosmetic and aesthetic medicine sector, Mesoestetic has gained a number of loyal clients throughout their long tradition. Find the well-known Mesoestetic chemical peels in our offer, that have been awarded the excellence category for years by thousands of people around the world.

The accelerated pace of today's life also offers certain benefits - the convenience of buying from the comfort of your own home via a cell phone or computer has never been greater.

Visit our webshop bagatinmedicalbeauty.hr and enjoy your shopping today!