Patients Beyond Borders: Monterrey, Mexico Edition

• Current: Distintivo H certification, awarded by the National Secretary
of Tourism for hygienic food handling
• Current: Laboratory accreditation, awarded by PACAL, a program of
external monthly evaluations of public and private labs nationwide for
more than 20 years, to ensure and improve analytical quality
Feature Story
featured hospitals
Al L., Georgia, United States
Hospital CIMA Monterrey and BridgeHealth, Bariatric Surgery
al was having troubles with many facets
of his health. He was extremely overweight,
had diabetes and high blood pressure,
and was tired and constantly falling
asleep in the car or on the sofa. His doctor
recommended a LAP-BAND, and Al thought
that sounded fine . . . until he realized the
cost: US$14,000 outpatient, US$17,000 inpatient,
and none of it covered by his health
insurance.
A woman in Al’s office suggested a
“medical vacation,” something Al had
never heard of. So he started doing research,
contacting several groups in the US
that assist people in medical travel. He also
found some LAP-BAND discussion groups
on Yahoo in which people who’ve had the
surgery tell their stories and post their pictures.
“I saw some interesting before-andafter
pictures on there,” Al says. The more
Al studied the LAP-BAND option, the more
right it seemed for him. “I didn’t want any
of the other bariatric options; I felt the LAP-
BAND was the least intrusive,” he explains.
Al had a number of concerns about
having the procedure done abroad. For
one thing, he needed to know who would
fill his LAP-BAND back home. He felt sure
no US doctor would touch him after he’d
seen a doctor out of the country. But the
medical travel company he selected reassured
him on that point. It took the worry
out of travel in several others ways, too, by
taking care of Al’s transportation and hotel
arrangements. With Monterrey as his destination,
he didn’t need to be concerned
about the Mexican border towns that
made him uncomfortable.
“They sent me information on the
doctor so I could evaluate him, and on the
hospital, too,” says Al. “It was an Americanowned
hospital, with American standards.
The doctor does this procedure in Mexico
and Texas, so on both sides of the border,
which was reassuring. So I signed up with
them. The whole thing ended up costing
me $7,000 for travel and surgery in the
hospital.”
Monterrey, Mexico Edition 55