Mexico's medical tourism business brings more than a million Americans to the country each year. They often find superior care — for a fraction of the cost.

• Medical tourism is drawing attention after the kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico last week.
• Some 1.2 million Americans seek medical treatment in Mexico each year — mostly due to lower costs.
• One expert said it's possible to participate in medical tourism safely, but people have to research carefully.

News of the kidnapping of four Americans in Mexico has drawn new attention to the phenomenon of medical tourism, a hugely profitable industry that draws millions of Americans each year, despite well-publicized risks to health and safety.

On March 3, four Americans were abducted shortly after crossing the Mexican border from Brownsville, Texas, into Matamoros, Tamaulipas. The group was fired upon and kidnapped by armed gunmen, and two of the Americans were later found dead, according to the FBI.

One of the survivors, Cheryl Orange, has told media outlets that the group entered Mexico so that one of them could undergo cosmetic surgery. That friend is one of the estimated 1.2 million Americans to travel to Mexico seeking medical treatment each year, according to the organization Patients Beyond Borders. 

Patients Beyond Borders has calculated that, on average, Americans can expect to save 40% to 65% on medical treatments in Mexico. Cosmetic surgery is among the most popular treatments Americans seek out in foreign countries, according to the group, along with cardiovascular, orthopedic, and even cancer treatments. 

One 2020 survey of American medical tourists in Mexico found that dental procedures were the most sought-after medical service, and 92% of the people surveyed cited cost as the reason they participated in medical tourism. 

Lydia Gan, who heads the Medical Tourism Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, said medical tourists can face great risks traveling abroad for procedures if they fail to properly research the countries and medical facilities they're visiting.

Gan said the Mexico kidnapping should be viewed as an "isolated case." The greatest risk medical tourists face is "not knowing your environment," she told Insider.

When selecting travel destinations, Gan recommended people always review the State Department's travel advisories about the areas they're visiting. Currently, the State Department has issued a "do not travel" advisory to the Mexican state of Tamaulipas due to the heightened risks of crime and kidnapping.

Gan, herself, has traveled to Tijuana, Mexico, for medical treatment and said she felt "very safe" due to the extensive research and precautions she took before traveling.

"Typically, if I go to a country for treatment, I spend about a month doing research on the country, and definitely have a contact person there that I can work with," Gan said. 

She said Americans can even seek out medical tourism travel agents to further reduce their risk. These organizations can arrange travel for patients between airports, medical clinics or hospitals, and hotels, and can even assist in seeking out accredited doctors and hospitals.

Gan said Americans can find superior care to what they'd receive in the US — for a fraction of the cost. She said patients should seek out medical facilities that are accredited by the Joint Commission International to ensure they are on par with American standards of care.

"A lot of these hospitals have doctors that are US or UK board certified, and have been trained in the US or the UK," Gan said. "The nurse-to-patient ratio is usually 1:1, and you get more attention. You're not just a statistic. People just have to do their homework."