Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before You Book Abroad

Short answer: go into your consultation with written questions in six groups: credentials, facility, the plan for your body, complications, follow-up and money. Good surgeons answer specifically, put key points in writing and are comfortable saying "it depends" and explaining why. Vague, rushed or pressuring answers are information too.

This guide focuses on the conversation with the surgeon. Your anesthesiologist deserves a separate set of questions, and independent registry checks are something you should do yourself, outside the consultation.

Before the consultation

Many consultations with Colombian surgeons happen by video before you travel, then again in person. Either way, you'll get more out of it with a little preparation.

• Your medical history, medication and allergy list, and any recent lab results, sent ahead
• Clear photos if the surgeon asks for them, taken in good light
• Your goal in one or two sentences, in your own words
• This question list, printed or on a second screen, with space for notes
• An interpreter or bilingual companion if you aren't fluent in Spanish and the surgeon isn't fluent in English

Credentials and experience

• "What is your specialty, and where did you complete your residency?" A good answer names a recognized surgical specialty that fits your procedure and the program. Then confirm it yourself in RETHUS, Colombia's national registry of health professionals.
• "How often do you perform this specific procedure?" There is no magic number. You're listening for someone who describes it as a regular part of their practice and talks comfortably about variations and difficult cases.
• "Which professional societies are you a member of?" Membership can be a useful signal, but it's not a license. Verify the specialty independently.
• "What cases like mine would you decline or refer elsewhere?" Surgeons who can describe their limits are often the ones who respect them.

If the surgeon mentions additional training, such as a fellowship or courses abroad, it's fine to ask what it involved and how it relates to your procedure. Extra training can be valuable, but it doesn't replace a recognized specialty.

Avoid treating follower counts, awards or a long list of logos as answers. They aren't credentials.

Where it happens

• "What is the full name and address of the facility where I'll be operated on?" You need the exact site, not just the brand, because habilitation in REPS, the Ministry of Health's provider registry, is recorded per service and per location.
• "Is the operating room in a hospital or an outpatient surgical center?" Either can be appropriate. What matters is that it's habilitated for your procedure.
• "If I need a higher level of care, where would I be transferred, and how?" A clear answer names the hospital and describes the arrangement.
• "Will I stay overnight, and who monitors me?" Ask whether trained staff watch you through the night, and where. A recovery house or apartment is not a monitored hospital bed.

The plan for your body

• "Based on my history and goals, what do you recommend, and what are the alternatives?" Including a smaller procedure, a staged approach, or not doing surgery.
• "Who will be in the operating room, and what will each person do?" Ask who assists, whether residents or other surgeons are involved, and who closes the incisions.
• "Will you be present for the whole operation?" A straightforward question that deserves a straightforward answer.
• "Who is the anesthesiologist, and when will I speak with them?" You want a name and a pre-operative conversation, not a stranger on the morning of surgery.
• "If I'm having more than one procedure, why combine them, and how does that change the time under anesthesia and my risks?"
• "What results are realistic for my body, and what won't this procedure do?" Listen for honest limits, not promises.
• "What do you need me to do beforehand?" Medications, nicotine, labs, clearance from your home doctor.

If something goes wrong

This is the section people skip because it feels awkward. It's also the one that tells you the most about a surgeon.

• "What are the most common complications of this procedure, and what are the most serious?" A good answer is plain, not dismissive, and doesn't claim zero risk.
• "How do you reduce the risk of blood clots for a patient like me?" Ask how it's assessed and what's done.
• "If I have a complication while I'm still in Colombia, who pays for the extra care?" Ask what's covered and what isn't.
• "Have you had to take a patient back to surgery for this procedure, and how did you handle it?" You're not looking for a number. You're looking for candor and a process.

Follow-up and going home

• "How many days do you want me to stay before flying, and what would make you ask me to stay longer?" Don't book a return flight you can't change before you hear this.
• "Which follow-up visits are in person, and who sees me: you or someone else?"
• "After I fly home, how do I reach you, and how quickly will someone reply?" Ask about weekends.
• "What should I do if a problem appears after I'm home?" Ask whether they'll communicate with a local doctor, and what records you'll leave with.
• "Will I receive my operative report, discharge summary and implant details in writing?"

Money and paperwork

• "Can you give me an itemized quote in writing?" Surgeon, anesthesia, facility, overnight stay, labs, garments and follow-up visits listed separately.
• "What is your revision policy, and what does it cover?" Ask what counts as a revision, how long the policy applies, and what you'd still pay for: facility, anesthesia, travel.
• "What happens to my deposit if you, or I, need to cancel?"
• "Will I sign an informed-consent document, and can I see it before I travel?" If it's in Spanish, ask for time to have it translated.

Red-flag answers at a glance

Frequently asked questions