Overview
ISO 22525:2020 - Tourism and related services - Medical tourism - Service requirements defines international service and quality requirements for organizations involved in medical tourism. It sets out expectations for both facilitators (e.g., travel agencies, medical clusters) and healthcare providers (e.g., clinics, hospitals) to ensure safe, transparent and well-coordinated care for people who travel with healthcare as their primary motivation. The standard covers pre-travel, treatment and post-treatment stages and explicitly excludes thalassotherapy centres, medical spas and wellness spas.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 22525:2020 organizes requirements across operational and clinical topics, including:
-
General service requirements
- Documented information on specialties, services and fields of expertise
- Cooperation between facilitators, providers and medical tourists
- Insurance and legal compliance (licences, health authority authorizations)
-
Concierge and travel coordination
- Visa arrangements, transportation, accommodation, translators and other concierge services
- 24‑hour personal attention and logistical support where relevant
-
Data protection and administration
- Documented procedures to define job profiles, access permissions and confidentiality for clinical and administrative records
-
Facilitator-specific requirements
- Pre-travel and pre-treatment coordination, case assessment and continuity planning
- Monitoring of medical tourist satisfaction and corrective action plans
-
Healthcare provider requirements
- Clear information for patients about providers and treatments
- Staff planning, qualifications and training expectations
- Medical service provision: admission, medical history, informed consent, rooms, discharge and follow-up
- Nutrition, safety and security (food safety, pest control, fire risk, emergency plans)
- Cleaning, disinfection, sterilization and maintenance
-
Supporting material
- Annex A: Rights and duties of the medical tourist (informative)
- Annex B: Minimum competency requirements and recommendations for facilitators (normative)
Practical applications
Adopting ISO 22525 helps organizations improve patient safety, service quality and legal compliance in cross‑border care. Practical uses include:
- Designing standard operating procedures for international patient intake and follow-up
- Structuring contracts and information packages for medical tourists
- Training and competency frameworks for facilitators and clinical support staff
- Risk assessments for facility safety, infection control and emergency response
- Evidence of quality practices for insurers, regulators and accreditation bodies
Who should use this standard
- Medical tourism facilitators and case managers
- Hospitals, clinics and rehabilitation centres serving international patients
- Travel and patient‑coordination services integrated with healthcare delivery
- Health regulators, insurers, and quality/acceleration programs seeking harmonized service criteria
Related standards
ISO 22525 was prepared by ISO/TC 228 (Tourism and related services) and references healthcare terminology such as ISO 22886:2020 (for definitions). Use in combination with local healthcare regulations and applicable patient-safety standards for comprehensive compliance.
Keywords: ISO 22525, ISO 22525:2020, medical tourism standard, service requirements, facilitators, healthcare providers, patient safety, informed consent, concierge services.