02 Aug 17

There are many reasons a person leaves their home to come live in a foreign country: professional career, marriage, children deciding to pursue higher studies abroad and wanting to be closer to them, or chasing a dream. In most of those instances, the ability to bring all your loved ones with you is rare and you sometimes leave behind parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, spouses, friends, children, and other close relationships. What you do not leave behind is the stress and worry about their well-being and if they are being taken care of in your absence and one of the biggest points of worry is medical care and this is where NRI Family Health comes in.  

What is NRI Family Health?

NRI Family Health is the solution to ensure that our parents and loved ones are getting the best care and stay healthy back home in India. Not to be confused with an insurance provider, NRI Family Health is not insurance but an actual service provider with a wide network of physicians, nationwide hospitals and diagnostic facilities, and home health care. Physicians at NRI Health do a baseline Health Assessment – collecting a patient’s health history and creating a customized care plan which is holistic in nature and includes dietary needs, diagnostic, physical therapy, and medical care. The goal of NRI Health is to identify problems before they happen to ensure that a timely diagnosis can save a patient from further complications. This is extremely important for our loved ones back home because the concept of preventative healthcare is extremely rare in India and most people will only go to a doctor when in extreme pain. 

While there are many home health companies focused on NRIs in India, there is no company except NRI Medical Health doing this via US Certified Physicians. NRI Family Health provides US Certified Physicians, state of the art medicine using the latest protocols and guidelines, and care similar to what a patient in the USA would get. They can also be used merely as a second opinion, if required. For example, if a doctor is saying you need to get a surgery done immediately, NRI Family Health can be used to validate that with a second opinion. Since they will not get paid by doing the procedure, they have no incentive to force the procedure so it serves as a good second set of eyes on whether something is really necessary or not. 

Packages can be individual or group. Individual packages cater to people living in the USA wanting to buy this for family back in India. Group packages for smaller companies that can buy this as an option for parents whose children are being sent to the USA for professional commitments. 

How Does It Work?

Initially, a person will register with NRI Family Health and they will conduct a baseline assessment. In this, they collect all history including any tests that have been previously done, medications they are on, etc. From this, a customized plan is created and then executed. If more thorough testing is needed, there are nearby laboratories or hospital facilities available to conduct that. They also have a large partner physician network who works closely with them to coordinate and manage the care in India. Once follow-up care starts, adjustments are made based on progress. They can also help with many other needs as appropriate and no need is too small: for example in home care a few hours a day, arranging for equipment such as wheelchairs or canes, dieticians for heart patients or those with diabetes. If the patients are on a trip visiting the US, their partnership with AKOS ensures they get medical care with a physician while they are here. 

For patients that are nervous about switching physicians because they are not currently part of the network, existing physicians can register with NRI Family Health so the patient can keep their provider because they have found that they can execute better if patients have the option of sticking with who they like instead of being forced to change. If the patient has good care in certain areas but are missing pieces in the care, they can add to existing care to make sure they have overall care including diet, exercise, etc. There are also specialized care packages for certain conditions such as diabetes that include supplies. Any supplies that are needed that are not part of a package can also be arranged via mail for convenience. NRI Family Health also provides itself in helping with the non-medical needs to ensure care can be provided. They can provide translators if the patient doesn’t speak the language to facilitate with communication. Last, but not least, family members sitting abroad can see what is happening with the patient through a personalized patient health portal.    

Why NRI Family Health?

The What and the How are pretty clear but some people may still wonder Why?  India has some of the greatest medical programs and some of the best practitioners in the world so why do I need something like NRI Family Health. One of the biggest reasons is the amount of corruption and fraud that is rampant in India is also applicable to the medical industry. Not all medical practitioners are fraud but how do you know whether you are seeing a reputable physician or not. I recently read a Times of India article regarding health department officials beginning to crack down on quacks – stories ranged from a 32-year old man who claimed to have a medical degree from Russia that was practicing for 8 years but failed to clear a screening test conducted by the Indian Medical Council (IMC) to a clinic practicing allopathic medicines where the person that ran the clinic had studied Ayruvedic medicine (Ref: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/health-department-officials-begin-crackdown-on-quacks/articleshow/59690760.cms). Then, there was the Hindustan Times story on the 6.33 crore in financial irregularities in the Bihar National Rural Health Mission scam in which 23 people were charged including 7 doctors (http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/chargesheet-filed-against-23-in-rs-6-33-crore-bihar-nrhm-scam/story-8FG3GmUmYLy4dfZ4ZWqOtO.html). And then there’s the occasional news story regarding physicians paying bribes in exchange for referrals making one doubt if the referral you are getting is truly because this is the best person for the job or because the person referring you has been paid to do so. 

In India, many things are overdone due to this fraud from testing to procedures. And the goal of NRI Family Health is make sure they get preventative care to save costly procedures later and to ensure that care that is recommended is appropriate for the patient. While there are companies providing healthcare and preventative care packages in India where many tests are done and results provided, the patient is often unclear on what to do with the information. 

There are many success stories and testimonials from currently enrolled individuals who are grateful to NRI Family Health for taking care of their loved ones. One that struck out to us was the story of a Sr. Finance Controller who was recently promoted and had the chance to travel to the USA with his family. While he was busy packing for the move, his wife became ill and was advised medication for a week but nothing was working. A senior at his US office told him about NRI Family Health when he was about to turn down this opportunity. He contacted them and the correct tests were done that showed Tuberculosis. NRI Family Health took complete charge to provide best in class treatment from hospitalization to a healthy discharge and she was able to travel with her husband. Satisfied customers, they enrolled their elderly parents while leaving for the USA. This is one of many success stories with NRI Family Health. 

Where Did the Journey Start and Where is it Heading?

The concept was formed in 2014 by founders who were all 1st generation NRIs and medical practitioners with families back home in India. Being medical practitioners, they were always pushing their families to get the right care and often getting multiple calls from friends and family stating medical situations they were in and asking for advice because they did not trust what they were being told.  In addition, they would often find that families had hidden information about a situation because they did not want to worry them or did not take it seriously until it was too late. And they often thought that if they are struggling with these situations being medical practitioners, how much harder is this for non-medical professionals. What started out as a friends and family network to stay close to the health of their loved ones back home quickly turned into a nationwide network of hospitals, diagnostic facilities, and home health care operating out of all major cities in India. All existing users love it and NRI Family Health has a 100% retention rate with many testimonials stating that members have seen a big difference in the health of their loved ones back home.

Looking ahead, NRI Family Health hopes to make significant strides around technology. The core services they offer will be the same, but there will be improvements around technology. They hope to roll out mobile apps for easier access, have a tele-medicine platform available in the application, send more prescriptions via mail for home delivery, and provide real-time updates from hospitals so data can be shared back and forth instantaneously to be able to provide day to day updates. 

Contact NRI Family Health for a free consultation today and receive a full-time care plan and physician involvement as needed. For more information, please visit http://www.nrifamilyhealth.com/ or contact via email at info@nrifamilyhealth.com or via phone US Toll Free (888)-743-5435 and International +91-92-8989-1234. 

About the Founders…

Dr. Swaraj Singh

Dr. Singh’s areas of interest include vascular diseases affecting brain such as stroke, aneurysms, venous thrombosis etc, headaches and neurodegenerative disorders. He is member of American Academy of Neurology, American Heart Association, Society of Vascular and Interventional…Neurology and American Medical Association. After graduating in 2002 from Govt. Medical College Patiala in India.

Dr. Singh did a two year basic research fellowship in Experimental medicine at University of British Columbia, Canada where his research focused on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, ALS and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Singh completed his neurology training at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and VA hospital, Little Rock AR, where he also served as chief resident. He did a fellowship in vascular neurology at University of Massachusetts.

Dr. Singh has various publications during his training including co-authoring a text book chapter. He has presented his research in various national and international conferences. He has been awarded many times including best resident of the year, Jeff Nicholas prize for dedication towards care of veterans and a prize for evidence based improvement in practice.

Dr. Kishlay Anand

Dr. Anand completed his MBBS from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. He did his Masters in Public Health from Columbia University, New York. He is board certified cardiologist and electrophysiologist.

He has been very dynamic and enterprising in his career…He is the Founder of “Prayatna” a voluntary organization which works in the area of promoting health awareness and patient welfare. Its activities have been praised by media and other reputed organizations. In January, 2002 when Gujarat was hit by a massive earthquake, he not only raised funds for earthquake victims, but also organized an emergency medical relief team and worked in the affected area and delivered health care under extremely challenging environmental conditions.

Dr. Anand has received numerous honors and awards from different organizations for his services. He is the Founder and President of Abiacare LLC, a health information technology company for chronic disease management.

He has keen interest in academics and has numerous publications in peer reviewed journals and has presented his research work at national and international conferences.Dr. Anand is a cardiac electrophysiologist and specializes in management of complex heart arrhythmias.

Dr. Sumeet Mittal

Dr. Mittal is a tenured professor at Creighton University and Director of Esophageal and Foregut Program at Norton Thoracic Institute in Phoenix.. He completed his MBBS from the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and is Fellow of the American College of Surgeons.His sub-speciality training is in esophageal surgery. Additionally he has obtained MBA from Creighton University School of Business.

He has a keen interest in educating people and published nearly 100 articles / book chapters and given more than 200 scientific presentations at national and international forums. He has been honored with 'Distinguished CME educator award: Creighton University School of Medicine. 2015',Global directory of who’s who. 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10,2010-11;Who's Who in America (Marquis) 2011 and has been Voted " Best Doctors in America" 2010-11, 2011-12. His interest in improving the Medical practices in India using best of innovative technology associates him to NRI Family Health

Dr. Vikramjit Aulakh

Dr. Aulakh did his MBBS from the prestigious Calcutta University, Kolkata in December 2000. After graduating, he completed his training in Internal Medicine from Mercy Hospital Medical Center, Chicago and is board certified in the same.

During his training, he was among the top residents…in the program and later served as a chief resident in the same program. Besides having affinity for the academics, Dr. Aulakh is also keen on research and has had publications in various peer reviewed journals.

He also has a keen interest in promoting primary and preventive health care and he has helped organize various health camps in the community where mostly the focus is on educating people on controlling diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol, obesity and promoting screening tests for various cancers.