Conducted by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, the report shows an economic recovery could help create a sustainable 35 percent annual growth rate for the medical tourism industry by 2010. Deloitte Center for Health Solutions executive director Paul Keckley said outbound medical tourism could reach upwards of 1.6 million patients by 2012 when barring any tempering factors, such as supply constraints, resistance from health plans or government policies. Despite the setbacks of the economic downturn, medical tourism may begin to recover in 2010, as quality is better defined, new business models emerge, health care providers become increasingly involved in coordinating care and consumers continue to test it out to explore savings. In 2007, more than 750,000 Americans travelled abroad for outbound medical care, but in 2008 the figure dropped 20 percent to 540,000 due to the economic recession. However, 2009 is already seeing recovery, with projections of an estimated 648,000 Americans travelling abroad for outbound medical care.