Reference

Medical tourism & CRM glossary

Plain definitions for 63 terms used across the industry, written so your team can share one vocabulary.

A B C D F G H I J K L M P Q R S T U W Z

A

Account ledger: An account ledger is the chronological record of what is owed between you and a patient, clinic or supplier. On the patient side it shows deposits paid, balance outstanding and refunds; on the partner side, commissions and payments. Kept properly, it turns period-end reconciliation from an afternoon in a spreadsheet into a report.; Related Deposit Commission Facilitator
Airport pickup: An airport pickup is the moment a designated person meets the patient on arrival and takes them to their accommodation. It forms the patient’s first impression of your service, and a late or forgotten pickup overshadows even flawless surgery. Holding the flight number, landing time and terminal on the record is what makes this step reliable.; Related Transfer Companion
All-inclusive package: An all-inclusive package bundles the procedure with accommodation, transfers, interpreting and sometimes flights under one price. It is common in medical tourism because international patients struggle to compare line-by-line pricing across countries. What the package does and does not cover must be spelled out explicitly in the quote.; Related Transfer Companion Quote revision Deposit
All-on-4: All-on-4 is a technique in which a fixed full-arch prosthesis is carried on four implants in an edentulous jaw. By angling those four implants, it avoids placing one implant per tooth and often removes the need for bone grafting. Because it is priced per arch, a quote must make clear whether one jaw or both are included.; Related Dental implant Zirconia crown Second visit
API: An API, or Application Programming Interface, is the defined interface through which two pieces of software exchange data. It is what lets your CRM talk to accounting software, a call centre platform or your website. A connection built on an API replaces the copy-and-paste transfers people would otherwise do by hand.; Related Webhook iframe SaaS Cloud-based
Audit log: An audit log is the timestamped trail of who viewed or changed which record, and when. Its evidential value depends entirely on it being impossible to edit after the fact. For a business handling sensitive patient data, the log is not merely a security feature — it is the foundation of accountability.; Related Role-based access control (RBAC) Special-category personal data KVKK

B

Body mass index (BMI): Body mass index is weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres. In bariatric surgery it is one of the core criteria for assessing whether a patient is a candidate, and it is read alongside any accompanying conditions. Asking for it at first contact and storing it on the record stops ineligible patients from booking flights.; Related Sleeve gastrectomy Gastric bypass Lead

C

Cloud-based: Cloud-based means the application runs in the provider’s data centre rather than on a server in your own office. The team reaches the same up-to-date data from anywhere and on mobile, and a hardware failure at the office does not stop work. In exchange, where the data is hosted and backed up is something the contract must state clearly.; Related SaaS Data processor API
Commission: A commission is the amount owed to a partner arising from a case. Between a facilitator and a clinic it may be a fixed sum, a percentage, or a rate that varies by procedure. Calculating it per case at the moment of recording is what stops period end becoming an argument about who is owed what.; Related Account ledger Facilitator Deposit
Companion: A companion is the person travelling with the patient throughout the treatment trip. Usually a partner, family member or friend, they must be counted separately in accommodation, transfer and catering plans. Recording companion details on the patient file is what makes room type and package pricing come out right.; Related Transfer All-inclusive package Airport pickup
Consultation: A consultation is the assessment conversation between the patient and a physician. In medical tourism it usually takes place by video before travel, and it is where clinical eligibility is decided. Writing the consultation note onto the patient record keeps every promise made at this stage traceable later.; Related Lead Follow-up appointment Health tourism
Conversion rate: A conversion rate is the share of people entering a step who go on to complete it. Medical tourism has no single conversion rate: lead to quote, quote to deposit and deposit to operation are separate figures. A conversion rate quoted without naming the step it measures cannot be compared with anything.; Related Pipeline Stage CPA (cost per acquired patient) Lost reason
CPA (cost per acquired patient): CPA is advertising spend divided by the number of patients who actually went through with treatment. Unlike CPL, it counts the patient who paid and travelled, not the person who filled in a form. Calculating it per channel requires the lead’s source to be carried on the record all the way through to the operation.; Related CPL (cost per lead) UTM parameter Conversion rate Meta Lead Ads
CPL (cost per lead): CPL is total advertising spend divided by the number of leads that spend produced. It shows how fast a campaign generates enquiries, but on its own it says nothing about profitability. A channel with a low CPL is an expensive channel if none of those leads ever reaches surgery.; Related CPA (cost per acquired patient) Meta Lead Ads UTM parameter Conversion rate
CRM: CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is software that consolidates every interaction a business has with its customers and prospects into one system. Contact details, message history, quotes, payments and tasks all sit on the same record. In medical tourism its defining value is joining sales and operations on a single patient record.; Related Pipeline SaaS Segment Lead

D

Data controller: A data controller is the party that determines why and how personal data is processed. A medical tourism business is the controller for its own patients’ data: it decides what is collected and how long it is kept. The duty to inform data subjects and to answer their requests also sits with the controller.; Related Data processor KVKK GDPR
Data processor: A data processor handles personal data on behalf of a controller and on that controller’s instructions. A CRM vendor is typically the processor for its customer’s patient data and may not use it for its own purposes. The split and the obligations flowing from it are set out in a written agreement between the parties.; Related Data controller KVKK SaaS Cloud-based
Dental implant: A dental implant is a titanium screw placed in the jawbone to replace a missing tooth and carry a prosthetic restoration. Treatment runs in two stages: the implant is placed, three to six months are allowed for it to fuse with the bone, then the restoration is fitted. In medical tourism that waiting period means a second trip.; Related Second visit Zirconia crown All-on-4
Deposit: A deposit is the part of the treatment price paid upfront to lock in a date. It lets the clinic reserve theatre time, hotel rooms and transfers for that patient, and it reduces last-minute cancellations. If the refund terms are not written into the quote, a dispute later is close to guaranteed.; Related Account ledger All-inclusive package Quote revision
DHI: DHI, or Direct Hair Implantation, places grafts directly with pen-shaped implanters instead of opening channels as a separate step. It is often preferred because follicles spend less time outside the body and the angle of placement can be controlled more precisely. It typically takes longer than FUE and is priced differently.; Related FUE Graft Sapphire FUE
Discharge: Discharge is the point at which in-clinic care ends and the patient is cleared to leave. It is when medication, dressing, mobility and return-flight instructions are handed over. Keeping the written version of those instructions on the patient record gives you a single source of truth for every question or complaint that follows.; Related Follow-up appointment Transfer Second visit
Donor area: The donor area is the part of the scalp — typically the back and sides of the head — from which grafts are harvested. Follicles there are used because they resist hormonal thinning. Donor capacity is finite: it sets the lifetime total of grafts a patient can ever receive, which is why it must be assessed before any promise is made.; Related Graft FUE DHI
Duplicate record: A duplicate record is the same person existing more than once in the system. It happens constantly in medical tourism: the lead fills in an ad form, then messages on WhatsApp two weeks later and a second record opens. The result is two consultants quoting different prices to one patient, and inflated lead counts in every report.; Related Lead CRM Conversion rate

F

Facilitator: A facilitator is the company that finds the patient and matches them with a suitable clinic or doctor. It handles marketing, first contact, quoting, travel logistics and aftercare coordination, while a contracted provider performs the procedure. Its revenue usually comes from a commission paid by the clinic or a margin added to the patient price.; Related Commission Health tourism Health tourism authorisation certificate Account ledger
First response time: First response time is the gap between a lead reaching you and the first meaningful reply they receive. Because leads in medical tourism typically message several clinics at once, this interval is a direct competitive advantage. What counts is the first real answer, not an automated acknowledgement.; Related Lead Meta Lead Ads Conversion rate
Follow-up appointment: A follow-up appointment checks whether recovery is progressing as planned after the procedure. In medical tourism the patient has usually flown home, so these checks are often run remotely through photos and video calls. Without a scheduled reminder, follow-up is the step most likely to be skipped entirely.; Related Discharge Second visit Consultation
FUE: FUE, or Follicular Unit Extraction, is the technique of harvesting follicles one by one from the donor area with micro punches and placing them into opened channels. Because no strip of skin is removed, it avoids a linear scar and shortens recovery. It is currently the most widely performed hair transplant method in medical tourism.; Related Graft DHI Sapphire FUE Donor area

G

Gastric bypass: A gastric bypass connects a small pouch of the stomach directly to the small intestine, shortening the digestive route. Because it limits both intake and absorption, it is often chosen for patients with accompanying type 2 diabetes. The change in absorption makes lifelong vitamin and mineral monitoring mandatory.; Related Sleeve gastrectomy Body mass index (BMI) Follow-up appointment
GDPR: GDPR is the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation. It can apply when services are offered to people located in the EU, even if the provider itself sits outside it. For health tourism businesses taking patients from Europe, that makes it a framework to assess alongside KVKK rather than instead of it.; Related KVKK Special-category personal data Data controller
Graft: A graft is a single follicular unit taken from the donor area and moved to the recipient area in a hair transplant. One graft can contain between one and four hairs, so graft count and hair count are not the same figure. Since quotes are usually built on a graft range, that distinction has to be explained to the patient plainly.; Related FUE DHI Donor area Sapphire FUE

H

Health tourism: Health tourism is travel outside one’s own country in order to receive treatment, surgery or care. It covers far more than the clinical procedure itself: flights, accommodation, transfers, interpreting and post-treatment follow-up are all part of the service. In Türkiye the busiest segments are hair transplant, dentistry, aesthetic surgery, bariatric surgery and eye treatments.; Related Medical tourism Facilitator Health tourism authorisation certificate USHAŞ
Health tourism authorisation certificate: The health tourism authorisation certificate is the official permit that healthcare providers and facilitators in Türkiye must hold to serve international patients. It is issued against criteria such as staffing, physical conditions and interpreting capacity, and is renewed on a fixed cycle. Operating in health tourism without it is a regulatory breach.; Related USHAŞ Facilitator Health tourism

I

iframe: An iframe is the HTML element that embeds one web page inside another as a frame. It is usually the fastest way to place a CRM-generated enquiry form onto an existing website, since it needs no change to the site’s own code. Because the embedded form writes straight into the CRM, nobody has to wait on an email notification.; Related Web form API Meta Lead Ads

J

JCI accreditation: JCI accreditation is an international healthcare quality certification awarded by Joint Commission International. It is granted after on-site assessment of patient safety, infection control, medication management and record keeping, and must be renewed periodically. For international patients it is one of the trust signals weighed during the decision.; Related USHAŞ Health tourism authorisation certificate Health tourism

K

KVKK: KVKK is Türkiye’s Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698, setting the rules for processing personal data. It requires every processing activity to rest on a lawful basis, the data subject to be informed, and data not to be retained longer than necessary. Health data counts as special-category, so stricter conditions apply to it.; Related Special-category personal data Data controller Data processor GDPR

L

LASIK: LASIK corrects refractive error by lifting a thin corneal flap and reshaping the tissue beneath it with an excimer laser. The procedure takes minutes and vision usually improves markedly within a day. Patients without sufficient corneal thickness are not candidates, which makes pre-screening essential.; Related SMILE Consultation
Lead: A lead is someone who has signalled interest in your treatment but has not yet decided to buy. They arrive through an ad form, a website form, a WhatsApp message or a referral. In CRM terms every lead is held as a single record carrying its source, the procedure of interest and the full conversation history.; Related Lead scoring Pipeline Meta Lead Ads Conversion rate
Lead scoring: Lead scoring ranks leads by their likelihood of buying so the team knows where to start. The score is built from signals such as country, procedure of interest, stated budget, whether photos were sent and how quickly they reply. The aim is not to discard leads but to spend limited consultant time on the highest-value conversations.; Related Lead Segment Tag Pipeline
Liposuction: Liposuction removes fat from specific areas of the body through cannulas under suction. It is a contouring procedure for localised fat that resists diet and exercise, not a weight-loss method. Holding the result depends on the patient keeping their weight stable afterwards.; Related Mommy makeover Rhinoplasty Sleeve gastrectomy
Lost reason: A lost reason records why a lead did not buy, chosen from a standard list. Price, date mismatch, clinical ineligibility, went to a competitor and went silent are the usual options. Using a fixed list rather than free text is what makes the true source of your losses reportable.; Related Pipeline Stage Conversion rate

M

Medical tourism: Medical tourism is the branch of health tourism built around a specific clinical intervention. Unlike thermal or elderly-care travel, the trip exists because of a defined procedure or operation. Because the decision is expensive and the conversation runs for weeks, it demands disciplined record keeping.; Related Health tourism Lead All-inclusive package
Meta Lead Ads: Meta Lead Ads are instant-form advertisements on Facebook and Instagram that users complete without leaving the app. Fields are pre-filled from the user’s profile, which lifts completion rates but also increases the share of low-intent enquiries. Piping submissions into the CRM in real time is the only way to hold first response time at that volume.; Related Web form UTM parameter CPL (cost per lead) First response time
Mommy makeover: A mommy makeover combines several procedures in one session to address changes following pregnancy and breastfeeding. It typically pairs abdominoplasty with breast surgery and liposuction. Because multiple procedures are combined, recovery runs longer than for any single one and the travel plan has to be built around that.; Related Liposuction Rhinoplasty Follow-up appointment

P

Pipeline: A pipeline is the ordered sequence of stages a lead passes through from first contact to purchase. Some leads drop out at every stage, which is why it is also drawn as a funnel. Defining the stages around your actual process is what lets you see precisely where the losses concentrate.; Related Stage Conversion rate Lost reason Sales cycle

Q

Quote revision: A quote revision is a new version of an already-sent quote produced because the price, scope or dates changed. Keeping the previous version rather than overwriting it means you can always show what was offered on which date. Revision history also produces honest pricing data about which line items you keep discounting.; Related Deposit All-inclusive package Zirconia crown

R

Rhinoplasty: Rhinoplasty is surgery to change the shape of the nose and, where needed, its breathing function. Aesthetic goals and functional correction are often addressed in the same operation. The final result only emerges over months as swelling resolves, which makes managing expectations from the first conversation essential.; Related Liposuction Mommy makeover Consultation
Role-based access control (RBAC): Role-based access control assigns permissions to roles rather than to individual people. Roles such as consultant, operations coordinator, finance and partner see the data their job requires and nothing beyond it. When someone joins, you assign a role instead of walking through an access list line by line.; Related Audit log Special-category personal data KVKK

S

SaaS: SaaS, or Software as a Service, means using software over the internet on a subscription instead of buying and installing it. Server maintenance, updates and backups are the provider’s responsibility, and users simply reach it through a browser. Paying periodically rather than for a perpetual licence keeps the entry cost low.; Related Cloud-based Data processor API CRM
Sales cycle: The sales cycle is the average time between first contact and the decision to buy. In medical tourism it varies sharply by procedure: days for a hair transplant, often months for aesthetic surgery. Knowing your cycle length is what tells you when a lead has genuinely gone cold and how often to follow up.; Related Pipeline Stage Second visit
Sapphire FUE: Sapphire FUE is a variation of FUE in which channels are opened with sapphire-tipped blades instead of steel. The finer, smoother tips are intended to create smaller channels and speed up healing. The name refers only to the blade material — the harvesting method itself is standard FUE.; Related FUE DHI Graft
Second visit: A second visit is the return trip needed to complete a treatment. In implant dentistry in particular, the prosthetic stage happens three to six months later, once healing is complete. If that visit is never scheduled the patient does not come back and the treatment stays unfinished — a loss of both revenue and reputation.; Related Dental implant Follow-up appointment Sales cycle
Segment: A segment is a group of patients or leads brought together by a shared attribute. Country, language, procedure of interest, budget band or source campaign are typical criteria. Segments are what turn bulk outreach from one message sent to everyone into a relevant message sent to the right people.; Related Tag Lead scoring CRM
Sleeve gastrectomy: A sleeve gastrectomy removes most of the stomach surgically, leaving a narrow tube-shaped remnant. It both reduces the volume of food that can be eaten and removes part of the tissue producing the hunger hormone. It requires a complete pre-operative workup beforehand and nutritional follow-up that stretches over years afterwards.; Related Gastric bypass Body mass index (BMI) Follow-up appointment
SMILE: SMILE corrects refractive error by shaping a thin lenticule of tissue inside the cornea with a laser and removing it through a small incision. Because no flap is lifted, it leaves a smaller opening on the corneal surface. It is not suitable for every prescription, so eligibility is decided by the surgeon after measurement.; Related LASIK Consultation
Special-category personal data: Special-category personal data is data whose disclosure could expose a person to discrimination or harm. Health information, biometric data, religious belief and criminal convictions fall within it. The lab results, X-rays, diagnoses and before-and-after photos held in medical tourism belong to this category and carry stricter processing conditions.; Related KVKK GDPR Role-based access control (RBAC) Audit log
Stage: A stage describes where a lead currently sits within the pipeline. Labels such as “awaiting photos”, “quote sent” or “deposit received” make progress readable at a glance. A well-defined stage also implies who owes the next action — vague stage names make the resulting reports meaningless.; Related Pipeline Conversion rate Lost reason

T

Tag: A tag is a short label attached freely to a record so it can be filtered later. Unlike a stage, a record can carry several tags at once and a tag implies no position in the process. An uncontrolled tag list quickly makes filtering useless, so the tag vocabulary needs active curation.; Related Segment Stage CRM
Transfer: A transfer is the vehicle journey moving a patient between airport, hotel and clinic. A typical medical tourism case includes at least three: the airport pickup, the hotel-to-clinic run and the return transfer. Because a changed flight time cascades through the whole plan, transfers belong on the patient record rather than in a chat group.; Related Airport pickup Companion All-inclusive package

U

USHAŞ: USHAŞ is Türkiye’s state-owned International Health Services company, responsible for promoting and coordinating international healthcare services. It plays a part in the registration and authorisation of organisations working in health tourism. Companies operating in the sector treat it as a primary reference point for regulatory matters.; Related Health tourism authorisation certificate Health tourism JCI accreditation
UTM parameter: A UTM parameter is a tag appended to a link that carries the source, medium and campaign a visitor came from. utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign are the most commonly used. When that value is written onto the patient record at form submission, channel-level CPA stops being guesswork.; Related CPA (cost per acquired patient) CPL (cost per lead) Web form Meta Lead Ads

W

Web form: A web form is the field set embedded in your website through which a visitor leaves their details and becomes a lead. Completion rate falls as the number of fields rises, so every extra mandatory question costs you some leads. Wiring the form straight into the CRM removes the notification sitting unread in an inbox.; Related Meta Lead Ads iframe UTM parameter Lead
Webhook: A webhook sends an automatic notification to another system the moment a defined event occurs. Unlike an API you have to poll, it pushes the event to the receiving side as it happens. It is typically the mechanism that makes an ad form submission appear in the CRM within seconds.; Related API Meta Lead Ads Web form

Z

Zirconia crown: A zirconia crown is a prosthetic cap fitted over a tooth with a substructure made of zirconium oxide rather than metal. It transmits light much like a natural tooth, giving a better aesthetic result, and carries no metal allergy risk. It is usually priced per tooth, so a quote must state exactly how many teeth are covered.; Related Dental implant All-on-4 Quote revision

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