FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1.
Are you real Doctors?
Doctor Valencia has a 16 years long experience as a General Surgeon, a 15 years long experience as a Laparoscopic Surgeon and a 4 years long experience with Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. He has been a University Professor for the biggest and most prestigious Universities in our city.
He is the Chief Surgeon of the Bariatric Team at the Reina Sofia Clinic, one of the most important health institutions in our country.
He has preformed more than 260 laparoscopic bariatric surgeries with out mortalities and with a lower than average complication rate, as of January 2006.
Dr. Valencia is a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery (ASBS).
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2.
Which type of Bariatric Surgery does our surgical team
perform?
Our surgeons performs
RNY Gastric Bypass through laparoscopic and open
techniques.
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3.
Is it safe to go to Bogotá?
We believe that you have a significantly higher
chance of being injured in a car accident in the
U. S. than being a victim of a violent act while
you are visiting Bogota under a controlled situation
like the one we've plan for you.
We invite you to contact some of our former American Patients, for you to learn from their experience coming to have surgery with us.
Click here to read what they have to
say.
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4. I don't speak
nor understand Spanish whatsoever. How am I going
to communicate with you people?
Tourism is one of the biggest businesses in Bogota
and therefore you will find many people that speak
fluent English.
One of our English-speaking team members will be
waiting for you at the airport to carry you to the
Hotel. You will also have permanent communication
with him/her through a mobile phone and he/she will assist
you at any time.
Finally you will receive an English written list
with the most common phrases you might use at the
hospital with their respective translation to Spanish.
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5.
How will I identify the guy that is waiting for
me at the airport?
He will have a board with your name on it and he
will identify himself with a password that we have
previously agreed on.
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6.
What can I do if I miss this person at the airport?
You will have a phone card code to call him from
any local phone.
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7. I just can't
pay for somebody to go with me. Can I find anyone
in Bogota that can help me to get along in the
first hours after surgery?
You will have a private
nurse, 24 hours a day for the first three days after
surgery and the first day at the Hotel.
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8. I do not have
too much money. Who is going to pay for the extra
hospital, medical and hotel costs if a complication
arises and I have to stay for a longer time?
Our all included
packet contains a unique "complication
insurance" that will cover all these costs up to
US $ 10,000.
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9.
When do I have to pay for the all included package?
We usually request a deposit for at least 30% of the total price, for us to proceed with reservations and airline ticket purchasing.
We should receive the balance due, anytime before the scheduled date for your surgery.
If you are paying cash, you may order a wire transfer
to our account in Miami and as soon as we have confirmation
from our bank that the deposit has arrived we will
confirm your surgery date.
If you are having financing with one of our suggested loan companies, they will
transfer the money to our account, once you sign with
them. As soon as we receive confirmation from them, regarding your loan approval, we will proceed to confirm
your reservation.
Checks get lost on
the mail. PLEASE DON'T SEND CHECKS, not even through
the US postal service. We do not assume any responsibility
for stolen or lost checks.
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10. What is the cost for your all-inclusive package?
The new price of US $ 14,500 will be effective on April 15, 2008. We offer a US $ 1,000 discount if you pay cash though and this brings the price down to US $ 13,500.
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11. How does your payment plan works?
We have agreements with a few loan processing companies for them to help our patients to find a loan, to pay for our all-inclusive package price. Please contact us for more information.
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12. How much time would I be out of work?
You may return to work between the 10th and the 15th day after surgery when you have the Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass. It will take 20 days more if you have the open surgery.
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13. For how long would I stay in your city?
You should stay with us for around 8 days. 2-3 days on your preop. work, and the remaining on recovery after surgery.
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14. Which tests are include in the preop. work?
You will have the following tests:
- Endoscopy
- EKG
- Blood Work
- Chest X-Rays
- Abdominal Ultrasound
- Spirometry (In some cases)
- Medical Appointments
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15. Am I going to be put asleep for the Endoscopy?
Yes, you will be put to sleep.
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16. Do you accept insurance?
We have no agreement with insurance companies, but we are willing to be paid by anyone who will cover your surgery.
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17. Do you make the airline arrangements?
We usually make the airline arrangements. If you wish to make the arrangements, you may do it and we will deduct the US$ 700 we cover for airfare from the total price.
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18. How do I know if I classify for a gastric bypass with you?
Please contact Dr. Silva and he will let you know if you qualify.
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19. How soon may I have surgery after I confirm I want to have surgery with Affordable Bariatrics?
We may schedule your surgery date within the next three weeks after you confirm us you want to have surgery with us.
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20. Where are you located?
We are located at Bogota, Colombia (South America). We are three hours away from Miami in a commercial flight.
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21. Are there any extra costs if I bring someone as a companion?
We will be able to accomodate him/her in your same hotel room for free. He/She will have to pay more for the following extra costs:
- Her/His airfare
- Her/His meals
- The three night she/he will spend at the hotel, while you are at the hospital (US$ 450 for the three nights)
- Transportation and guidance costs (US$ 150)
- Any extra costs he/she will incur in his/her stay (Minibar, pay-per view, internet, etc)
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22. Do you perform the Lap-Band?
Though we perform the Lap-Band on some of our local patients, we do not offer it to our foreign patients since it must be adjusted several times after surgery, and it may be very hard for them to find someone willing to adjust it back at their homeland.
On the other hand it is world wide accepted, as it was mentioned in the most recent ASBS meeting this January, that the Lap-band is rapidly losing ground as an accepted and efficient long term treatment for Morbid Obesity and that it will very soon end being used only in very few and selected patients (as very old patients).
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23. Will you remove my gallbladder?
Though some Bariatric teams remove the gallbladder on all of their patients, we think that removing the gallbladder is another big surgery with some risks (and it is even riskier in an obese patient) and that it may have severe complications; therefore you should remove it only when it is absolutely necessary. That is why we only remove the gallbladder during a Gastric Bypass surgery when the patient has gallstones and she/he has been symptomatic (A severe pain in your right side abdomen that forces you to stop doing what you were doing and makes you lay down for an hour or so before it goes away).
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24. I have heard that you have stiff mattresses and pillows, is that true?
Unfortunately we prefer hard mattresses and pillows down here and therefore you may find them stiffer than what you normally use in the US.
It would be a good idea if you bring your own pillow, especially for the time you spend at the hospital, so that you may be more comfortable.
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