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.