Benchmarking Patient Journey in Southeast Asian Medical Check-Up Tourism

Abstract: This study explores benchmarking and patient journey strategies of medical check-up (MCU) services within the context of health tourism in Southeast Asia. Despite Indonesia’s extensive healthcare infrastructure that meets international standards, a significant number of Indonesians still seek medical services abroad, particularly in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, including for preventive health check-ups. This phenomenon indicates existing gaps in service quality, patient experience, and system coordination within Indonesia’s healthcare sector. The research aims to identify best practices in patient-journey management and benchmarking models from leading ASEAN countries to enhance Indonesia’s competitiveness in preventive health tourism. Using a qualitative comparative approach, the study analyzes hospital service systems, promotional frameworks, and patient-experience dimensions through Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The findings reveal that Malaysia’s integrated healthcare travel ecosystem, Thailand’s hospitality-oriented medical services, and Singapore’s digitally efficient healthcare systems provide valuable benchmarking insights. Based on these findings, the study proposes a conceptual model that links clinical quality, operational efficiency, hospitality orientation, digital integration, and policy coordination to patient-journey effectiveness. This model contributes to theoretical and practical frameworks for strengthening Indonesia’s medical tourism industry and positions MCU services as a strategic entry point to improve patient satisfaction, build trust, and encourage cross-sector collaboration. Keywords: Medical Tourism, Bencmarking, Southeast Asia, Medical Check-up