Doctors in Mexico - What are the risks?

Long2BFree · March 29, 2008

I see a lot of people going to Mexico to have surgery. It looks like most have good experiences but I wonder how you are able to check the credentials of the doctors, nurses and medical facilities? I looked at one doctor's website and it didn't give much information about his training or that of his staffs. If someone dies during surgery or has life threatening complications I wonder how this is handled? Are they able to handle such emergencies? Is their training up-to-date compared with those in the US?

How is it going over the border? Do you have to register with anyone in the US before going there so that someone knows you are there? The only reason I ask this is because I work for the gov't and we had to sign a form stating that we wouldn't go there because of some the unrest that has taken place the past few years and it's not safe.

VegasGrace · March 30, 2008

The risks are the same.

It's like buying a car locally or farther away...it's the same car but what if something goes wrong? You'll have to drive far away again or go to someone different close by.

But, the costs are so different. You could buy 3 cars farther away to the 1 one in your home town.

The US has something anywhere else doesn't have.... call me on it if I'm wrong.... the AMA. You are supposed to be able to check any doctor as they are supposed to be licensed. (say supposed to be because the AMA is definitely not what it used to be)

I found the surgicenter in Tijuana better than many in the US. I found my surgeon to be more skilled than any in the US.

miller · March 30, 2008

Dr. Ariel Ortiz (Mexico) helped train the doctors at kaiser in No. California how to perform the surgery. I felt more comfortable going him because he had done so many surgeries, and a good reputation to boot. Lots of docs in the states are still new at performing this surgery. The docs in Mexico have been at it much longer.

miller · March 30, 2008

All you need is passport. No registry. Waiting in line is the biggest inconvenience. However, your doctors staff will guide you through this process. They don't just leave you to your own devices.

kbinaz · March 30, 2008

I think if you do your research (and that's whether you have surgery in the US or elsewhere...) and choose an experienced doctor who is well known it doesn't matter what country you have surgery in. In the US there are what are known as Centers of Excellence and those doctors have to meet certain stringent requirements to be called that. They may have something comparable in Mexico but I don't know. My advice is to count ALL the costs, not just the cost of surgery. The lap band is kind of high maintenance - you don't just leave the operating room and never see a doctor again. The most important requirement after surgery is fills, and in the months after surgery you may need 4, 5, or even 6 to get where you need to be. My surgeon, who is 1/2 hour from my home, gives us free fills for a year after surgery and we are allowed to get more added ten days later if we find we don't have enough restriction. If I had surgery in Mexico I don't know how I would get the number of fills I needed to get to my sweet spot. There may be great ways to do it but my point is to do your research and take the fill situation into consideration. (If you have to pay for fills in the US rather than going to Mexico each time you needed one, realize they can be over $200 each and I've had 6) Also, consider what would happen if you had complications of any kind once you returned home after surgery - many US doctors are reluctant to take care of problems of another surgeon.

There are also occasionally problems after a fill, so if you got your fills in Mexico and got home and had a problem (like being overfilled and not able to swallow even Water, which does happen) where would you go for help? You need to know the answers to all these questions even if you have surgery in the US.

_Becca · March 31, 2008

I went to Dr. Arturo Rodriguez and everything was wonderful. The hospitals and care are just good as the states. My insurance had an exclusion, so I decided to go to Mexico. I was able to schedule my surgery in a short time and I am very happy with the results. Good luck!