Many years and peace talks later, Middle East nations are less likely to try to enforce the boycott. But it does happen, and U.S. businesses that trade with those countries risk fines and loss of export privileges if they violate the federal Export Administration Act.
Just last year, Brunger Export Co., a Fort Lauderdale-based manufacturers representative for boat parts, paid $14,000 to settle charges that it didn't report to the U.S. Commerce Department that a customer's credit applications with Kuwait banks required "no dealings with Israel." Brunger President Fred Kegelmeyer says the mistake also cost him $4,000 in legal fees. "When in doubt, report," he says.
For information about the law, call a government hotline at 202/482-2381.
HEALTHCARE
Orlando may be better known for Mickey Mouse than medicine, but the city's two largest hospital networks figure they can leverage Orlando's worldwide reputation as a vacation destination into new international healthcare business.
Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional Healthcare System, in need of new revenue sources to combat shrinking hospital stays and insurance reimbursements, want to steal overseas business from renowned treatment centers like Mayo Clinic and Johns Hopkins Hospital. Their biggest competitor is Dade County, where hospitals are capitalizing on their heavily Hispanic culture to woo Latin American patients.
Orlando may lack the cultural edge, although a surprising 10% of Florida Hospital's physicians speak Spanish. But Florida Hospital's international services director Robert Jimenez claims modern airports, plentiful hotels and internationally known attractions make a compelling case for choosing Orlando over other healthcare options. "We can offer a family package which includes a healthcare experience that's second to none," Jimenez boasts. He touts a partnership with Celebration Health Center, Walt Disney Co.'s high-tech "hospital of tomorrow," as the centerpiece of Florida Hospital's international strategy (see page 110).
Florida Hospital plans to use international tour companies to market vacation packages that include Mayo-style executive physicals: While Dad gets his EKG, Mom relaxes at the Celebration spa, then the whole family spends a few days at Disney World. Both hospital networks are piggybacking on Orlando's existing tourism marketing to the United Kingdom, Brazil and Germany; and they plan sessions with Brazilian tour operators to talk up the healthcare tie-in. "What this provides them is a product they can sell in the low season," Jimenez says.
At Orlando Regional, international business director Allan Jones focuses on three target markets: Europe (the U.K., Germany and Scandinavia) the Middle East and South America, specifically Brazil, Chile and Argentina. He chose those areas for existing tourism flow, ease of international travel relative to other healthcare destinations like Baltimore, and desire for high-class U.S. medical technology."We knew we could compete on the quality of the services, and we could offer something none of the other facilities could offer, Orlando," Jones says.
Jones then went looking for international partners. The first was Gulf Diagnostic Center in the United Arab Emirates. Orlando Regional helped design the center, and now sends physicians over for lectures and provides second opinions on patients. In return, the center refers patients to Orlando Regional for surgery.
In addition, Orlando Regional's molecular genetics laboratory tests a Buenos Aires diagnostic center's patients for predisposition to breast cancer. The hospital designed special packaging and translated numerous medical forms into Spanish for the local doctors, who overnight women's blood to Orlando. "These affiliations give us international name brand recognition and additional revenue," Jones says. "We think we can replicate this in other markets." Orlando Regional also is working with international insurers to become preferred providers for foreigners desiring treatment in the U.S. and for those needing medical care while vacationing.
Orlando's tourism pitch may win Latin American business away from places like the Mayo (who wants to go to Rochester, Minn., in the winter?), but how will it fare statewide against its very Hispanic Miami competitors? On the strength of its culture and geography, Dade County has been grooming itself as a healthcare powerhouse for Latin America. Its biggest asset: physicians, whose performance as cultural ambassadors is crucial in a region where personal relationships are paramount. "Anyone can stand up and talk about angioplasty," says Mount Sinai Medical Center cardiologist Alberto Vadillo. "The difference is what we do afterwards. We can roll up our sleeves and be one of them."
Mount Sinai in Miami Beach identifies doctors (29% are foreign-born) with close ties to the hospital's nine target countries and encourages them to build on relationships with doctors back home, inviting them to Miami for seminars and "mini-residencies." The hospital also is able to market to key areas - Argentina, Venezuela and Brazil - through Dade's sizable foreign population. Says Sinai Vice President Amy Perry: "Instead of spending lots of marketing dollars chasing a population in their home country, we can do it right in our own backyard."
Perhaps Orlando and south Florida can learn from each other. Jimenez suggests Celebration Health recognizes the importance of "cultural compatibility" and is actively recruiting multilingual doctors. Dade hospitals, meanwhile, agree they need to work on using the area's entertainment offerings to lure international patients. Says Perry, "That's definitely an advantage Orlando has."