Average Stay for WISE Patients

WISE would like to thank Jenny from Houston, Texas for submitting the following question:

"What is the average length of stay in Costa Rica for medical tourists and what kind of care is provided?"

The average number of days that a WISE patient stays in country AFTER being released from the hospital or ambulatory out-patient center is 8 days. Most of the 60+ procedures that WISE covers require the patient to stay in the hospital overnight for one night for observation, before being released to their recovery center. Other, more invasive procedures, such as total hip replacements, total knee replacements, gastric bypass, and others require 2-3 nights in the hospital for observation before being released to the recovery center. Also, WISE suggests that patients arrive in Costa Rica at least one day before their scheduled procedure, if at all possible, to make sure that the patient does not feel rushed. When you combine the average of an 8 day stay in the recovery center with arriving at least 1 day prior to surgery and 1-3 nights in the hospital, the total days that an average patient stays in Costa Rica is 10-13. 

Some minor procedures and treatments such as non-invasive dental work and botox only require a patient to stay for a few days in Costa Rica, while other procedures such as a total mouth restoration that needs to be performed over several meetings with the dental specialist will take 3 or more weeks.

The main concerns for all procedures and treatments for all WISE patients are safety and ensuring a great result. This is the basis for the length of stay for all procedures.

To answer the second part of the question about the care provided in the recovery centers...

Because each patient and each procedure is different, there is different care needed for each. All WISE recovery centers have a full-time registered nurse to care for each and every patient. In addition there are personalized meals provided; if someone is a vegetarian, no problem! If someone prefers nothing but meat, no problem! Everything is personalized. Also, WISE doctors and surgeons make trips to the recovery centers to check on their patients when needed or requested, because ensuring that their patients have every thing they need to recover quickly and comfortably is very important to them. Personalized and specialized care is what makes the experience perfect for every WISE patient.

The Do's and Don'ts for every WISE Patient

·         Do plan ahead.

The farther in advance you plan, the easier it is to schedule your trip for the most conducive dates, obtain financing if needed or requested, and to receive the lowest airfares. If possible, begin planning 8 – 10 weeks prior to the date which you wish to arrive in beautiful Costa Rica; if this is not possible, no need to worry, WISE has close professional relationships with all of their providers, doctors, recovery centers, and tourism counterparts and will be sure to get you the best amenities at the lowest possible price.

·         Do be sure about your diagnosis and treatment needs.

WISE will help you coordinate and assess your diagnosis and treatment needs with your local doctor and with the doctor who will be performing your procedure in Costa Rica. Being sure of what procedure you need to have done is vital not only to obtaining an accurate quote, and planning the details of your trip, it is also very important to ensure the best possible outcome for your health. For example: If a prospective patient requests a total knee replacement procedure and they are only in need of a partial knee replacement, the quote, treatment plan, and procedure will be quite different. Certainty of what diagnosis and treatment needs are best for a patient can be obtained with diagnostic testing such as an MRI, CT Scan or X-Ray.

·         Do research the physician that will be performing your procedure.

WISE only works with world renowned doctors and surgeons who carry the highest accreditation and who have performed procedures in their given specialty hundreds if not thousands of times. However, to ensure that the highest level of comfort is achieved, WISE encourages all their patients for all procedures, no matter how big or small, to speak with their doctor in Costa Rica directly before ever coming down to Costa Rica. WISE coordinates all phone calls for their patients with their doctors to make certain that all questions are answered to the patient’s satisfaction.

·         Do consider traveling with a companion.

Traveling with a friend or family member to Costa Rica for your healthcare needs can be very helpful and enjoyable. Having someone that is close to you travel with you will help in sharing the experience in Costa Rica. Also, if your procedure is more invasive, a travel companion can be very helpful in assisting with getting through the airport, when departing for and returning from Costa Rica.

·         Don’t plan your trip too tightly.

Arriving a day earlier than your first scheduled doctors visit in Costa Rica will allow you to settle into your room at your recovery center, eat a wonderful meal, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery before you. Many WISE patients arrive two or three days early in order to enjoy some of the many things to do while in the country such as: zip lining, canopy tours of the rainforest, beach days, tours at any of the 4 active volcanos, white water rafting, fishing, snorkeling, and much more.

·         Do alert your bank and credit card company.

Informing your bank and credit card company (or companies) of the dates and destination of your travel plans will ensure that your card(s) are not declined or rejected, if you should want to use them for anything while in Costa Rica. The contact information to inform your companies of travel is listed on the back of most credit or debit cards.

·         Do learn about your destination.

WISE has compiled a lot of interesting information about Costa Rica to make learning about this beautiful country very simplistic; this information can be found under the “Why Costa Rica” tab on the WISE website (wisemds.com)

·         Do inform your local doctors before you leave.

WISE will coordinate any necessary follow up care for you with either your family doctor that you choose or a US doctor that works within the WISE network; each patient is given a choice for how they wish to proceed for follow up care and everything is in place and scheduled before they even board the plane to beautiful Costa Rica.

·         Do set aside some of your medical travel savings for a vacation.

You and your companion deserve some time off to just relax! If you are unable to take some leisure time during your stay in Costa Rica, then set aside a couple days for some time off once you return home; this helps tremendously in the healing process before returning to work.

·         Do keep your receipts from your trip.

At tax time, your medical trip may very well be tax deductible. In brief, if you’re itemizing your deductions in the US, and if qualifying medical treatment and related expenses amount to more than 7.5% of adjusted gross income, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows US citizens to deduct the remainder of those expenses, whether they were incurred in San Jose, California, or San Jose, Costa Rica. For this reason, WISE provides an itemized receipt for their patients to use at tax time.

Expert Questions Direction of American Healthcare

Despite a history of strength and stature in America, the hospital institution is in the midst of massive and disruptive change. Such change will be so transformational that by 2020 one in three hospitals will close or reorganize into an entirely different type of health care service provider. Several significant forces and factors are driving this inevitable and historical shift.

First, America must bring down its crippling health care costs. The average American worker costs their employer $12,000 annually for health care benefits and this figure is increasing more than 10 percent every year. U.S. businesses cannot compete in a globally competitive market place at this level of spending. Federal and state budgets are getting crushed by the costs of health care entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Given this cost problem, hospitals are vulnerable as they are generally regarded as the most expensive part of the delivery system for health care in America.

Second, statistically speaking hospitals are just about the most dangerous places to be in the United States. Three times as many people die every year due to medical errors in hospitals as die on our highways — 100,000 deaths compared to 34,000. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that nearly 100,000 people die annually in hospitals from medical errors. Of this group, 80,000 die from hospital acquired infections, many of which can be prevented. Given the above number of admissions (in the U.S.) that means that 1 out of every 370 people admitted to a hospital dies due to medical errors.

Check out the rest of the article: http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/03/onethird-hospitals-close-2020.html

This is much of the reason that Americans are looking abroad to Costa Rica for their healthcare needs.

What are the real savings?

Much is to be said about how significant the savings are when you travel to Costa Rica for a surgery. On average, procedures costs 70% less when they are performed in Costa Rica opposed to the US. While the numbers below are not quotes, check out the price comparison between the US and Costa Rica.

Medical Procedure	USA		Costa Rica
Heart Bypass	$144,000		$25,000
Angioplasty	$57,000		$13,000
Heart Valve Replacement	$170,000		$30,000
Hip Replacement	$50,000		$12,500
Hip Resurfacing	$50,000		$12,500
Knee Replacement	$50,000		$11,500
Spinal Fusion	$100,000		$11,500
Dental Implant	$2,800		$900
Lap Band	$30,000		$8,500
Breast Implants	$10,000		$3,800
Rhinoplasty	$8,000		$4,500
Face Lift	$15,000		$6,000
Hysterectomy	$15,000		$5,700
Gastric Sleeve	$28,700		$10,500
Gastric Bypass	$32,972		$12,500
Liposuction	$9,000		$3,900
Tummy Tuck	$9,750		$5,300
Lasik (both eyes)	$4,400		$1,800
Cornea (both eyes)	N/A		$4,200
Retina	N/A		$4,500
IVF Treatment	N/A		$2,800

Source: http://www.medicaltourism.com/en/compare-costs.html

Again, these are not intended to be quotes from us (or anyone for that matter) and each patient will have a different medical history, which can alter their needs/pricing.

Do you know someone who could use the saving? Pass it on! Knowledge is power!

Best Places to Retire Abroad- Costa Rica

AARP- The Magazine says "The Central Valley's outlying towns boast temperate, dry days, natural beauty—and so much more."

Find out why this reputable company loves Costa Rica!

http://www.aarp.org/home-garden/livable-communities/info-07-2010/best-places-retire-costa-rica-central-valley.html

Study on Type 2 Diabetes CURE

Study on Type 2 Diabetes CURE

World Institute of Surgical Excellence is now conducting a study on a surgery that CURES type 2 diabetes, as well as other weight loss surgeries; there is a limit of 20 participants. 

The treatment is referred to as Metabolic Surgery and has proven excellent results on Type 2 Diabetes patients. Nearly a 90% complete remission of diabetes! This means 5 years with stabilized measurements. The remaining 10% are now on an extremely low dose of blood sugar medication.

There are a few specifications on who´s candidate:

·         16 to 60 years old

·         Less than 10 years passed since diagnosis

·         Less than 10 year medication protocol

·         BMI under 35

·         *Peptide C and Glycated hemoglobin results

*These tests are going to be confirmed in Costa Rica.

**If you don´t qualify on some of these items, there are several options for you.

What do you get by participating?

For anyone who chooses to participate in our study, which also includes ANY of our weight loss surgeries (Lap Band, Gastric Sleeve, Metabolic Surgery, etc), your ensuing cosmetic surgery could be paid for by WISE!

The Type 2 Diabetes Treatment (Metabolic Surgery) consists on a modification of the Gastric Bypass procedure. Your procedure will be performed by Dr. Jacabo Zafrani.

The main differences are:

-The doctor makes a bigger stomach cavity or “pouch”. Since its planned for non-obese patients, having a bigger pouch helps them maintain a healthy weight.

-He also bypasses a few less inches of the small intestine. The part of the small intestine that is bypassed helps stimulate the pancreas insulin production and reduces the hormone that keeps the insulin from activating into the blood stream.

You´ll stay in Costa Rica 9 days and your schedule is:

Day 1: Arrival. There will be a transportation waiting for you at the Airport to take you to the Recovery Center.

Day 2: Pre-Ops and Surgery. This requires a 12 hour fasting period.

Day 3: Afternoon discharge , you´ll have everything set up to go back to the beautiful recovery center, with 24/7 nurse supervision.

Day 4-7: Recovery.

Day 8: Post Op Appointment with the surgeon.

Day 9: Fly home…as a non-diabetic.

If you have any interest in this or any other weight loss surgery I encourage you to call or email me directly with the information at the bottom of the page. For additional information about WISE-Evans, our affiliate hospitals, and surgeons please visit WiseEvans.com. 

Visit us at wiseEvans.com or email us directly at devans@wiseMDs.com. You may also watch this brief video with WISE Surgeon, Dr. Zafrani himself:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bn8U79R99A

It's Disgusting!! (My Reply)

While sending e-mails to editors of local publications about my recent press release regarding Medical Tourism, I got this email back...


"I'm sorry, but I think the idea of having to go to a third world country to get medical care because it's gotten to god-d#*! expensive in this country is disgusting."


Interesting email.


I replied back that I appreciated him taking the time to write me. I also noted that, yes it is pretty unfortunate that a country, like this one, has not yet come up with a system that allows affordable medical care to everyone.


I then thought to myself, "I'm not sure what that email was actually implying". I couldn't believe how odd it actually was. 


I'd like to address each point as the was presented in the email:


"I'm sorry, but I think the idea of having to go to a third world country to get medical care..." 


I do not blame this writer for not knowing anything about Costa Rica. Honestly, before doing my research. I too, did not know much about Costa Rica except for where it was on a map and the fact that it has GREAT weather. Upon further research though, I found that Costa Rica is a vibrant, stable country with very high rankings in health care. None of those describers imply the thought of a traditional "third wold country". In fact that term is completely outdated. The term originated during the cold war to describe a country that did not have an alliance with either the US or the Soviet Union. The term "third world country" has since been an adjective to describe a poverty stricken country with an unstable government. 


Quick Facts:
-Costa Rica's health care is ranked higher than the US by WHO (World Health Organization)
-AARP backs Costa Rica as a wonder place to retire (Believe me the AARP has too much of a reputation to be recommending anyone go to a country where they will not receive adequate health care or is a "third world country" with drug lords running around the streets with machine guns.)
-National Geographic says Costa Rica is a top 5 climate in the world
-NASA proclaims Costa Rica as the healthiest climate in the world
-Happy Planet Index boasts that Costa Ricans are the happiest people in the world and  have the highest life satisfaction
-Costa Rica's ecomony is very stable and ever improving (opposite practically the rest of the world)
-Costa Rica does not have an Army or Navy because they do not get involved in conflict

-Country wide literacy rate of 96.2%

I guess, depending your version of the arbitrary definition of "third world country", any country could fit your model.

"...because it's gotten too GD expensive in this country..."


If you've read some of my previous posts you know how I feel about the extra and un-need expenses that are involved in US health care. I guess for this writer health care has not been an issue. It's been such a non-issue for him that he feels that going to any country besides the US for medical care is just silly. I bet 50 million un-insured Americans don't think it's as silly or in his words, disgusting. Maybe Medical Tourism isn't for them, but when you are forced to swallow a $25,000 medical bill for a knee replacement, it'll make you at least explore some other options. 


"...is disgusting." 


Again going back to the first point that Costa Rica is not a "Banana Republic" but a healthy, intelligent country. I don't see whats disgusting about it. Now, if it were a Witch Dr. performing surgeries in a hut with rust knives while spouting gibberish, yea that'd be disgusting. On the other hand, when it's highly educated and experienced surgeon performing procedures in a state-of-the-art facility, where everyone speaks English and treats you like a rock-star, that is not disgusting at all. Quite the opposite of disgusting if you ask me.


Thank you so much, Mr. Editor, for your email. Sometimes I forget how unfamiliar most American's are with any other country other than the great U.S. of A. 


Knowledge is power!


If you'd like to see the press release referenced in this article just follow the link below. 

http://www.prlog.org/11863344-spiraling-healthcare-costs-in-the-us-causes-citizens-to-seek-alternatives-for-care.html

Great article about why Dental Tourism has taken off!

Check out why many people in the UK (specific to this article) and many others are choosing to get their dental procedures done abroad.

Medical Tourism

http://www.implant.uk.com/dental-implants/the-popularity-of-dental-surgery-abroad-today

Top Cosmetic Surgeries performed on Americans

Check out what the top cosmetic surgeries performed on Americans are.

Before you read, comment below, and try to guess which is ranked the highest!

http://247wallst.com/2012/04/23/the-most-popular-plastic-surgeries-in-america/

Metabolic Surgery can cure Type 2 Diabetes!

Dr. Jacobo Zafrani, WISE Bariatric Surgeon, explains how he can cure Type 2 Diabetes!

Expert Questions Direction of American Healthcare

Despite a history of strength and stature in America, the hospital institution is in the midst of massive and disruptive change. Such change will be so transformational that by 2020 one in three hospitals will closed or reorganize into an entirely different type of health care service provider. Several significant forces and factors are driving this inevitable and historical shift.

First, America must bring down its crippling health care costs. The average American worker costs their employer $12,000 annually for health care benefits and this figure is increasing more than 10 percent every year. U.S. businesses cannot compete in a globally competitive market place at this level of spending. Federal and state budgets are getting crushed by the costs of health care entitlement programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. Given this cost problem, hospitals are vulnerable as they are generally regarded as the most expensive part of the delivery system for health care in America.

Second, statistically speaking hospitals are just about the most dangerous places to be in the United States. Three times as many people die every year due to medical errors in hospitals as die on our highways — 100,000 deaths compared to 34,000. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that nearly 100,000 people die annually in hospitals from medical errors. Of this group, 80,000 die from hospital acquired infections, many of which can be prevented. Given the above number of admissions (in the U.S.) that means that 1 out of every 370 people admitted to a hospital dies due to medical errors.

Check out the rest of the article: http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/03/onethird-hospitals-close-2020.html

This is much of the reason that Americans are looking abroad to Costa Rica for their healthcare needs.

Top 10 Questions (Part 3)

This is part 3 of 3. The questions from this post are:

7. What’s the medical tourism process like?
8. Can I add a minor procedure (ie dental) when going for a major procedure?
9. Will I be able to communicate with everyone, easily?
10. How long does the trip usually last?

7. What’s the medical tourism process like?

This is a very common question because people only know how it works at their local establishments. With Medical Tourism, it’s not entirely different. Once you speak with your Costa Rican doctor about the surgery and any concerns you may have, you will then receive a final quote for the procedure. WISE and its representatives will take care of all the travel arraignments, hotels, recovery centers travel to and from hospitals, etc. We can even assist in scheduling post-operative follow up with local physicians.

Once you arrive in Costa Rica you will be taken to your hotel. Either that day or the following day (depending on your arrival time) you will be taken to the facility where your procedure will take place. Your personal Health Care Assistant will either pick you up or meet you. Your wait time will be minimal and you will meet with your doctor and go through all of the pre-operative tests. After the tests, you will go back to your hotel for rest and relaxation. The procedure will be performed the following day. After your procedure, you will be cleared to leave the hospital (an overnight stay may be necessary for some surgeries), and you will then be taken either to a beautiful recovery center or your immaculate hotel. Again, this portion will be taken care of by WISE and its representatives. Once you finish your recovery period and/or finish your vacation, you will then be taken back to your doctor for a post-op follow up and you will be cleared to travel home. Upon your arrival home the doctor and nursing staff you came in contact with will follow up with you, as well as any WISE representative you met with. Your follow up appointments will be scheduled before you leave for Costa Rica.

Any other assistant you ask for or require will be handled by WISE.

           

8. Can I add a minor procedure (ie dental) when going for a major procedure?

This is a great way to get more “bang for your buck”, if you will. Many people take advantage of this, in fact. If you are planning to have a larger procedure done (knee replacement), and you need something small done as well (dental, some non-invasive cosmetics) this is a perfect way to maximize the value of your trip.

Other examples could include a trip where the wife requires a gall bladder removal and the husband decides to do the zoom whitening procedure. The out of pocket costs on the two of those procedures, in done in the states, could cost the same as what the entire cost of the trip and procedures cost if done in the tropical paradise of Costa Rica. The beauty of this scenario is that, depending on the patient, the gall bladder procedure can yield a very short recovery period and they may have time to truly enjoy Costa Rica. If they planned on staying 6 nights they could spend a few days simply laying on the beach, or even doing a minimally active sightseeing tour eco-tour.

9. Will I be able to communicate with everyone, easily?

WISE guarantees that everyone you come in contact with in the health care facilities will speak English. Not only will they speak English but it will be very fluent English. We strive to completely remove any communication barriers between the patient and hospital staff, nurses, and doctors. Check out our YouTube Channel to get a glimpse of some of our doctors. YouTube-WISE MDS

10. How long does the trip usually last?

This is highly based on two components

1.      The required recovery time for the procedure
2.      The time a patient may want to stay for tourism/vacation

All we do is set a minimum on days based on the recovery period for each surgery. Aside from that, it’s all based on how much time you’d like to spend in paradise.

Top 10 questions about Medical Tourism (Part 2)

In the last post you got the top 3 questions that are  asked by people I personally come in contact with. This is part 2 of 3. The questions from this post are:

4. What if something goes wrong while I’m there?
5. Why does it cost so much less? How much will I pay?
6. How are the facilities and physicians chosen? What are their qualifications?

--

4. What if something goes wrong while I’m there?

            Unfortunately, there is a reality in medical tourism that something could go wrong. While this is never expected, there is always a plan for it.  If there are any unforeseen complications WISE will work with you, your surgeon, the hospital or clinic, your emergency contact and/or companion (if applicable) to ensure that the problem is fixed as quickly as possible.

5. Why does it cost so much less? How much will I pay?

There are three major reasons that it costs less to get a procedure done outside of the United States and Canada.

1.      Health Care professionals are paid less

2.      Fewer people getting paid per transaction

3.      Competition for the US Dollar $

1- Quite simply, the average salary for any profession in Costa Rica compared to the United States is going to be lower.

2- I’ll give you a generic example just to illustrate. In the US when you go in for a procedure, you could have 20 people who end up getting paid. In Costa Rica you may have only 7 people getting paid. It’s simple math. If you have fewer people who are getting paid less, then your costs go down considerably.

3- There are a limited number of countries that have high enough health care costs to justify Medical Tourism, namely the US, Canada, and a few other European countries. That leaves many MORE countries that offer health care costs at a much lower rate. There is more supply than there is demand right now.

The caveat to this is that not all countries that offer lower costs actually have equal or better care than the prospective patient’s native country.

6. How are the facilities and physicians chosen? What are their qualifications?

            WISE has established their own set of provider inclusion guidelines that do exactly that. The provider inclusion guidelines must be met by every provider that WISE works with; they can be summarized by the following points of interest:

• Must be accredited by a recognized accrediting organization under ISQua

(International Society for Quality in Health Care)

• Must meet standards that allow WISE to remain compliant with AMA’s

(American Medical Association) guidelines for medical tourism facilitators

• Must have a respectable medical procedure volume for each procedure that

WISE intends to utilize the provider’s services for

• Must have a low mortality rate relative to the American national average for each respective procedure

• Must have a low complication rate relative to the American national average for each respective procedure

• Must have a low infection rate relative to the American national average for each respective procedure

• Must have a nurse to patient ratio for each floor of the facility of no less than 1:5

• Must have a low re-admission rate relative to the American national average for each respective procedure

• Must have English speaking nurse available and assigned to WISE patients

24/7

• Must have CT (computed tomography) scan device with capability of 64 slice or greater

• Must have MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machine with 1.5 Telsa or greater

• Must have the highest quality machines and/or systems available for each respective procedure (i.e. the da Vinci robotic surgery system for hysterectomies)

ISQua launched their International Accreditation Program (IAP) in 1999. They are the only international program that accredits the accreditors. As of September 2011, there are currently 19 organizations, 35 sets of standards (from 21 organizations) and 8 surveyor training programs accredited by ISQua. They work closely with the WHO (World Health Organization) to ensure that the highest qualities of healthcare standards are met in each and every one of their accredited facilities. Currently, there are two governing bodies that are accredited by ISQua that WISE providers are accredited by: JCI (Joint Commission International) and  AAAASF (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery

Facilities).

The JCI is the same governing body that accredits hospitals in the United States to ensure that the highest quality healthcare standards are met and maintained. The JCI accredits three hospitals within WISE’s network:

1. Hospital CIMA San Jose

2. Hospital Clinica Biblica

3. Hospital La Catolica

WISE is stringent in the selection of the surgeons that we will work with to ensure that we can provide the best experience for our patients. Surgeons are selected based on their educational background, certifications related to their field, involvement in continuing education, communication skills, experience in the field and something often not thought of but very important, their bedside manner. WISE personally interviews each surgeon to make sure a great working relationship will ensue if they are brought into the network to work with our patients.

Top 10 Questions about Medical Tourism (Part 1)

We get many questions when it comes to medical tourism. I have taken the liberty to answer the Top 10 questions that I personally get, so that you have an easy reference. Since some of the answers can be lengthy (even when highly condensed), I've made it into a 3 part series. 

The the 3 question in this post are:

1. Is it safe?

2. What surgeries are offered?

3. How will you assist in post-operative care and follow up visits upon my return home?

1. Is it safe?

When it comes to medical tourism, safety should be a top priority for everyone involved.

Disclaimer: Since this is a sensitive subject let me be clear; I am speaking on behalf of WISE and its associated only. Each Facilitation Company, hospital, country/destination, and surgeon handles the topic of safety differently. 

To be honest, this topic deserves its own chapter in a book. I’ll keep it as short as I can.

As stated above, your safety and satisfaction should be and are the top priority of WISE and its associates. Below is a list of preventative measures we take before any procedure takes place:

-Patient selection process- Qualifying each potential patient, to ensure they are healthy enough to travel before and after their procedure.

-Surgeon Inclusion Criteria- Please refer to  Part 2

-Provider Inclusion Criteria- Please refer to Part 2

-Selection of destination-  Costa Rica is consistently ranked higher than the US in their health care and life expectancy  (WHO Rankings)

-Compliance with American Medical Association’s guidelines for medical tourism facilitators (AMA)

-Compliance with International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua)

Before I lose myself in this post, and write the whole chapter for you, let me say this. With total confidence, I can tell you that any procedure done by our surgeons in our affiliate hospitals and ambulatory clinics will be as good as or better than any done by your local provider.

If you have specific questions about this topic, please comment below and I can answer them more directly.

2. What surgeries are offered?

WISE offers over 45 surgeries and procedures; Everything from Dental procedures to Orthopedics and Cosmetics to Gynecology. Instead of me listing each and every procedure that we offer you can view them all, by category with this link

3. How will you assist in post-operative care and follow up visits upon my return home?

            WISE would like you to have the best experience possible and that includes correspondence with your local physician and specialists. We contact your current physician to obtain all of your current and up-to-date medical information, to ensure your safety. While you are in Costa Rica you will meet with your doctor to go through any and all preoperative exams. Once your procedure is complete, you will meet with your doctor at least two more times; One to be released from the hospital and another to receive the clearance to travel. Once you return home you will not be left to figure everything out for yourself, you will have the WISE family with you ever step of the way. Follow-up visits with your local physician upon your return home will be coordinated by a WISE representative.  There will also be coordinated follow-up with WISE's surgeons and its affiliates.  

*It should go without saying, but we follow HIPPA regulations when it comes to your personal medical records. All of your information is kept confidential

I got a HUGE bill!

I wanted to share a personal experience that I'm sure many of you have had at least once before in your life.

I had an episode, a freak occurrence  in fact, where I shortly went unconscious and purged my recently eaten soup. My poor wife (who is a nurse) witnessed the whole episode and rushed me to the local ER {actually the one she works at}. Many tests were taken and luckily nothing was found. I have health insurance and I knew that mostly everything would be covered. I spent about 2.5 hours in the ER saw a few very nice nurses, a few PAs, and I think I saw an actual doctor. (I don't remember seeing the doctor, but my bill said I did...)

Once I received the ER bill I was astonished! I had to pay over $1,500 out of pocket for this visit!!
-A couple of Bags of saline
-CT scan
- Xray
- Time with medical staff
_____________________
Actual total was $8,000 (before my health care coverage)

Again, I have health insurance. Yes, I only paid a small percentage of the actual cost. BUT, I was still out of pocket, $1,500. I've got plenty of things I'd rather buy with that amount of CASH. That's $600/hr I paid.

While this type of care could never be converted to a Medical Tourism trip, it made me think much harder about what a major procedure would have cost  me out of pocket.

What if I needed a surgery? I'd have to dip deeper into my savings, even more than I did for this one. What if I'm one of the millions of Americans who don't have a savings built up or one that's been depleted?

Word to the wise (seriously, no pun intended), before you get that procedure done check to see what the final and total out of pocket costs will be. EVEN if you are insured.

Choose WISEly! (pun intended)

Medical Tourism

If you haven't heard of Medical Tourism, you're not the only one. The term, "Medical Tourism" is relatively new. Simply put Medical Tourism is the act of getting a medical procedure done abroad. This option is chosen by many US and Canadian residents for various reasons, namely the cost-savings the patient will receive by traveling outside their country, and it's health care systems. Most people's initial reaction to medical tourism, is curiosity. Where do you go? Is it safe? What all does it en tale? These are all great questions.

A recent study has shown that people are going to many different locations around the world! Singapore, Costa Rica, Brazil, Thailand are all common places for medical tourist to consider. Some people choose their destination because of a specific surgeon/surgery that may not be available at their "home"(Link to Type 2 Diabetes-Metabolic Surgery). Others simply choose  the cheapest option. There are others who choose a destination because of it's tourism attractions ie; beaches weather, attractions. (The latter is usually for those who combine a vacation with something like a dental procedure.)



For the most part, Medical Tourism is safe. Make sure to do your homework, of course. Questions you will want to ask:

• Are the hospitals JCI (Joint Commission International) accredited?
• Where did the surgeons get their education and what experience do they have?
• Who you will be your source of communication once you arrive? (usually called a Health Care Adviser/Coordinator)
• What post operative care and follow up can I expect?
• Are you working with a reputable facilitator/company? 

There are many other questions you will have, but these are a good starting point.


Medical Tourism actually encompasses a lot, if not all, medical procedures. From Cosmetics to Orthopedics and Bariatrics, etc. The list goes on and on.

For many, Medical Tourism is new term. If you haven't heard or used it yet, get ready!
Remember where you heard it first, World Institute of Surgical Excellence!