Typically Italian phenomenon. Far from "tourism". The latter usually applies to people from rich countries going for cheaper cures (particularly dental) to poor countries. In Italy, conversely, what with the national health coverage, patients from poorer regions (generally the South) commute for better health care to the richer and better organized regions (North and Centre). Another shuttling of patients is rural-urban (very typical for the USA)

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Note added at 13 hrs (2012-07-06 10:12:53 GMT)
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You need not apologize: in this case no context is really needed; and requiring it peremptorily is, in my view, nitpicking. "And the sun also rises" hardly needs any further specification of context, be it a quote from the Ecclesiast or title of a novel by Hemmingway... "Pendolarismo sanitario" is as standard in Italian healthcare-related texts as is "appendicectomia". Would they indignantly require context for that too? However, as Russians say, "you can't ruin porrige with butter", and context is that butter: the more of it you put in the better!

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Note added at 1 day20 hrs (2012-07-07 16:54:29 GMT) Post-grading
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I didn'r realise that rather than being linguistic this is a forum dedicated to psychology and clairvoyance, set to determine what colleagues "think".
I too do think that context is important; just happen to think that at this instance it's not as important as to make a big deal out of its absence. I also "thought" that my note above states the case clearly enough. However, it wasn't enough for mr/ms fbbest, in spite of the fact that you also indicated the objective lack of further context. What else can we do? :)