By KIMBERLEY McGEE

While five-star restaurants, million-dollar production shows and the chance to pay off your mortgage with the right roll of the dice draws more than 39 million visitors to Las Vegas annually, a small percentage of tourists are also coming to town to improve their health. The city is prepared to accommodate visitors with more than 150,000 hotel rooms and suites, and those with medical trips in mind can take advantage of the amenities to rest and recuperate in comfort, with a dose of fun on the side to be taken when needed.

Mayor Oscar Goodman and former Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt-Bono have met with area businesses to promote the idea of medical tourism. Both have talked extensively about the benefits of the city's amenities to those seeking medical attention as well as the opportunities and diversity that having a strong medical community can mean to the sagging local economy.

Medical tourism, or travel for medical purposes specifically, could be a boost to the local economy, said David S. Davis, O.D., Vision Source East, 4840 E. Bonanza Road.

"That concept is what is going to differentiate us, like Las Vegas has differentiated itself in many ways," said Dr. Davis, who has practiced in Las Vegas for 22 years. "But we really need to find different ways to turn our local economy around here. I see how medical tourism can be a great way, and a great opportunity, to diversify our economy."

Many people often will travel a few miles or hours to be seen by a physician they hold in high regard or has a service that is of a higher caliber than they can receive in their immediate area. While Las Vegas has a pool of premiere physicians who can offer unique treatments and services, the city also offers something more than the usual destination.

"If medical tourism works, it can work here and it will be based on something that they (patients) just can't get anywhere else, and that is an experience," Davis said. "It's a progressive thought, and we are offering something that will draw people to Las Vegas. And our climate is ideal for that type of thing (health related), such as recuperating."

Clients from New York, Canada, Texas and from all of the states in the Southwest region have come to Davis for his specialized training.

"It's been an exciting thing, the concept of having people from a wider area," said Davis.

While he doesn't market to outside clients, he finds his returning clients from other areas bring potential clients to him.

"About half of them are previous patients who wanted to continue to come back to my care, and they come back to visit their family and make seeing me a part of their trip as well," he said. "The other half comes because it is about the technology that I got into five or six years ago."

Davis uses the latest available procedures to correct or assist in clearer eyesight and also corrects vision with Izon lenses, which are contact lenses made from what he calls an "optical fingerprint."

The Izon lenses provide clearer vision for those who have serious eye problems that previous eyewear available could not correct.

"People find me online quite a lot when they are looking for something to improve vision and haven't been successful in their area," he said.

The influx of visiting patients has Davis considering making some changes to his practice.

"Something I would consider now, at this point in the business, is to offer to make more conveniences available to my patients," said Davis, who is looking to expand his business and is currently accepting applications.

There is also an added benefit for making a trip to Las Vegas a medical one.

"They can write their trip off on their taxes and get good medical care," he said. "It's a great concept, medical tourism. We don't see it as a two-mile radius but a 2,000-mile radius when we think about our patients and where they are coming from."

Another local eye doctor also sees an influx of out-of-town patients. Some of Dr. Adam Schwartz's patients come from as far away as Down Under.

"People have come to me from the usual places, such as California and regionally, but we also get people who find we can help them from around the world," said Schwartz, O.D., owner of Schwartz Eye Care, 3016 W. Charleston Blvd.

The optometrist fits patients who have been told that wearing contact lenses would be impossible.

"They've been diagnosed, for whatever reason, and those are the patients I enjoy getting because I can basically fit anyone in to a contact lens," he said. "It's pretty gratifying because usually they have serious corneal problems because usually they can see better with a contact lense than anything else. Being able to help them when they have come from far away is very satisfying."

He has specialized in difficult cases since arriving in Las Vegas more than a decade ago, he said.

"For years I was the only one locally fitting specialty lenses," he said. "It has been very rewarding for me to watch these patients leave with better eyesight."

Word spread quickly and he began to pick up more clients from close locales, such as Arizona, Utah and California.

"The Internet has been a great resource," he said. "I don't market for clients to come to Las Vegas; they find me based on their (medical) need."

A recent patient from New Zealand found Schwartz through his own physician, who had been in the audience of a conference in Las Vegas and heard the optometrist speak about unusual corneal conditions.

"He realized I could help his patient, that I could fit a particular contact lens that would help his patient because there are certain corneal conditions that, in my experience, a person can see better with a contact lens."

The patient jumped at the chance for better eyesight, and a trip to one of the top entertainment destinations in the world.

"Las Vegas is just a destination for a lot of people, and he was here with some of his buddies and why not get this (contact lens), too?" Schwartz said.

Many of his out-of-town clients come to him through word of mouth.

"A lot of these patients go on message boards and word gets around that way," Schwartz said. "It's amazing how these patients will talk to one another. A lot of our patients are looking for answers and we do what it takes to help them out."

Although he offers no concierge services so far, he does accommodate his schedule to meet the needs of patients who fly in to town to see him.

"They will be here for a short amount of time and I may have to order some things, which can hold us up," Schwartz said. "But I know they are in town for a short amount of time so I do my best to give a little bit more."

Patients come to Las Vegas to fulfill dreams, and a local fertility clinic draws people from around the world due to its success rate and attention to personal care. Bruce S. Shapiro. M.D., founder of The Fertility Center of Las Vegas, said about 10 percent of their practice is made up of clients from around the world as well as regionally.

"We've had patients from as far away from China, and we get many from Alaska routinely," he said. "They hear from their friends, and what they know about us and Las Vegas compels them to come here."

The practice offers a concierge service for those visiting Las Vegas who may be unaccustomed to the city's accommodations and infrastructure. The staff is highly trained and receptive to each patient's needs, particularly those who are far away from home during a sensitive time.

The Fertility Center has a live birth success rate for patients over age 35 of more than 60 percent as of 2008.

"We really are known for having our good science, safety and success rate," said Shapiro, who partners with Said T. Daneshmand, M.D. "It's a very personal business."

A large number of clients come to the Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas for a relatively new procedure. Gastric sleeve surgeries make up approximately 10 percent of surgeries performed by the institute, said James Atkinson, M.D., of the Gastric Band Institute. The gastric sleeve option is becoming more popular due to the procedure's ease and quick recovery time and he expects more clients from out of town as the sleeve receives more attention.

A bit more than 10 percent of the institute's clients annually come from out of town to receive their weight-loss care at the institute, Atkinson said.

The two main reasons patients come from out of town, Atkinson said, is that they either live in a rural area where bariatrics isn't readily available, "or they seek us out," he said. "We have operated on people from across the country, especially the Western states."

Visiting clients often stay at one of the Station Casinos properties in town, where clients receive a discounted rate if the surgery is paid through insurance. If the client pays cash, the cost of the hotel is included in the price, which includes a car service for rides to and from the institute, so that clients don't have to worry about recovery while they recuperate in a safe, accommodating space.

Atkinson removes about 60 percent of the stomach during the gastric sleeve procedure, so that it takes the shape of a tube or sleeve. Recovery time includes an overnight stay at the institute and the patient can often return to work, or fly home, within one week.

Gastric sleeve is a comfortable option for those patients that don't qualify for gastric bypass or gastric band, he said. The Gastric Band Institute has been helping people in Las Vegas and across the country since 1989. The Gastric Band Institute of Las Vegas devotes 100 percent of its practice to weight-loss surgeries including the gastric sleeve as well as gastric bypass and gastric band.

Atkinson and his associate, Dr. Darren Soong have trained more than 100 surgeons from across the country how to perform these operations. The turnover rate is low at the institute, but Atkinson said he is accepting applications.

"I'm always on the lookout for high-quality people," he said.

The Gastric Band Institute prides itself on its comprehensive post-op support programs, including weight-loss surgery support groups, nutritional classes, individual psychological counseling and institute-sponsored events and group activities to ensure long-term health and wellness. The institute checks in with patients who return to their homes in other areas after the surgery to ensure they receive the same care.

Some Las Vegas tourists are visiting local medical centers out of necessity. DaVita Inc. is a provider of kidney care with more than 1,600 centers around the United States. It sees clients with kidney failure or chronic renal disease whose lives are made better by the ease of care DaVita offers at each center around the country.

Patients can attend dialysis or receive other treatments while traveling and have a continuity of care by going to DaVita centers in the city they are visiting away from home.

"Medical tourism to us is a great benefit to our patients that allows them to live their lives and travel without interruption by receiving treatment at different centers across the country," said Mollie O'Brien, communications specialist for DaVita.