In these insurance programs, the operative words are "non-emergency" and "cost-effective," according to Dr. Virginia Cardin, a senior healthcare consultant with Frost & Sullivan. The latter involves measuring immediate outcomes and required follow-up care that would be done in the U.S.

India's medical tourism industry may benefit in a number of ways, some direct and some indirect, from U.S. IT .

For one, the expertise that offshore firms acquire in can be applied to Indian environments. Increasing familiarity by U.S. residents with the India may help as well.

It's also possible that IT outsourcing in India and elsewhere may make some companies comfortable with the idea of offering medical tourism as an employee option.

However, Annica Blake, managing director of Grail Research, said a company's experience with an offshore vendor can hurt as well. The critical barrier for medical tourism "is what happens if something goes wrong, what are the legal ramifications," said Blake. "Who is on the hook for the heart transplant that went bad?"