Saudi royals' Mayo Clinic trip buoys local economy
 

I think we are onto something by importing medical patients. I know every time Saudi royalty (and there are many) visit the Cleveland Clinic, they typically buy mansions to accomodate the families.

ROCHESTER, Minnesota (AP) -- Members of Saudi Arabia's royal family spent enough during a visit to the Mayo Clinic to give the area's economy a shot in the arm, according to Rochester, Minnesota, officials

Rochester officials say Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz arrived on November 15 for a checkup at the Mayo Clinic and was accompanied by at least five princes and hundreds of others.

The king left Wednesday, but some members of his group remain in Rochester.

Rochester Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director Brad Jones says a conservative estimate of the royal family's spending on the trip to Mayo Clinic is up to $1.5 million.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/22/sau....ap/index.html

This type of thing happens all the time at the Harvard hospitals as well (i.e. MGH or Brigham for cardiology and neurology patients, Dana Farber for cancer, etc.). I just think it's something unique to top hospitals, I'm not sure it can be extended into anything more than that.

Holy cow. That's a lot of money.

A hospital in my old hometown had the not so brilliant idea to not charge Gloria Estefan for the visit she had there (don't remember if it was the singer herself or her daughter who needed the hospital services). If anyone could have paid, it was her.