Virtual Pre-Op Consults with Colombian Surgeons: Preparation, Limits and Red Flags

For most people considering surgery in Colombia, the first real conversation with a surgeon happens on a video call. It can be a good way to get your questions answered, compare surgeons and get a provisional plan. It can also be a polished sales call that leaves you with a quote and very little else. The difference usually comes down to how you prepare, who is actually on the call, and what you get in writing afterwards.

This guide covers the practical side: what a video consultation can and can't do, how to prepare, how to confirm you are speaking to the surgeon you think you are, and what should arrive in your inbox afterwards. For how to judge whether a surgeon is the right person for you, read surgeon fit vs credentials alongside this.

What a video consult can and can't do

The key word is provisional. A good surgeon will tell you what they would need to see in person before confirming anything. Be wary of a surgeon who promises a definite plan before examining you.

Before the call

Send your records ahead

A consultation goes much further when the surgeon has already read your history. Send a summary of your conditions, medicines, allergies, past operations and recent test results a few days ahead, and ask the clinic to confirm the surgeon has received them. Our list of records to send before surgery abroad helps you put this together.

Think before you send photos

Cosmetic consultations often involve photographs, sometimes intimate ones. Before sending any, ask:

• Which exact views does the surgeon need, and why?
• Will they go through an official clinic channel or upload portal, not someone's personal phone?
• Who will see them, how long will they be kept, and can you ask for them to be deleted?

Leave your face out of body photos unless it is the area being assessed, and don't send more than you were asked for.

Sort out language and timing

Ask whether the surgeon will speak with you directly in your language or through a professional interpreter. If you can't follow the explanation of risks and alternatives, the consultation hasn't done its job, and NHS guidance on surgery abroad makes a shared language a basic requirement (NHS, reviewed 2022). Colombia doesn't use daylight saving time, so the time difference with your home country may change during the year. Confirm the appointment in both time zones.

Set up for a real conversation

Use a laptop or a phone on a stand in a quiet, well-lit room. Keep your notes and medicines next to you, and if possible have a companion listen in and take notes. Test the platform the day before.

Confirm who you are speaking to

NHS advice is blunt on this point: a consultation should be with the surgeon, not sales staff, and you shouldn't hand over money for a surgeon or hospital you have never actually met (NHS, reviewed 2022). A call with a coordinator or "medical adviser" can be useful for logistics, but it isn't a surgical consultation. To confirm the surgeon's identity:

1. Ask them to state their full name and specialty at the start of the call, and write it down.
2. Ask for the identification number they are registered under. The Ministry of Health's ReTHUS registry lets anyone check a health professional's authorization to practice by their identification, and shows sanctions for doctors (Ministerio de Salud, accessed 2026). See our ReTHUS guide for how to search.
3. For plastic surgeons, look up the name in the SCCP's public member directory (SCCP, accessed 2026). Check that the city matches, and compare the directory's contact details with the ones the clinic gave you.
4. Make sure the person you see on screen matches the photos the clinic uses for that surgeon.

A simple agenda for the call

1. Your goals, in your own words, and what would count as a disappointing result.
2. Your history: ask whether anything in your records concerns the surgeon.
3. The proposed plan: the exact procedure, technique, alternatives and the main risks for you.
4. What has to wait for the in-person exam: what could change the plan once they examine you.
5. Where and how: the facility, the type of anesthesia and who will give it.
6. Recovery and stay: expected nights in hospital, follow-up visits, and when you could fly home.
7. After you go home: how follow-up works and who answers your messages. CDC advises agreeing a plan for managing complications with both your doctor at home and the overseas clinician (CDC Yellow Book, 2026).
8. Cost: what the quote includes, and what happens to the price if the plan changes.

If you'd like to record the call, ask first and record only with consent. Otherwise, take notes and ask for a written summary.

After the call: what should arrive in writing

A follow-up email or document should cover:

• The procedure name, technique and the facility where it will take place
• The planned anesthesia type
• What the surgeon will confirm or might change at the in-person exam
• The expected stay, follow-up schedule and earliest likely flight home
• An itemized price, deposit terms, and the cancellation and refund policy
• Direct contact details for clinical questions

Compare it with your notes. If something you were told on the call is missing, ask for it to be added. Unwritten promises are hard to rely on later.

Give yourself time before you commit. NHS guidance describes two separate consultations with the surgeon, with a cooling-off gap that is usually two weeks in the UK. A second video call after you have read the written plan is a sensible way to build that in. When two surgeons recommend quite different operations, a neutral specialist can review both plans. Our piece on getting an independent second opinion explains how.

Comparing several surgeons fairly

Many patients have video consultations with two or three surgeons. Unless you take notes the same way each time, the most recent or most charming call tends to win. A simple comparison sheet helps. After each call, record:

• How long the surgeon spent with you personally
• Whether they had read your records before the call
• The exact procedure they proposed, and any alternatives they mentioned
• The main risks they named for you
• What they said they would need to confirm in person
• The expected stay and the earliest likely flight home
• The total price, and what it included and excluded
• How quickly the written summary arrived, and whether it matched the call

Comparing like with like shows differences that are easy to miss in conversation. One surgeon may quote less because the quote leaves out the hospital stay. Another may propose a smaller operation than you asked for, which can be a sign of careful judgment rather than reluctance.

Red flags specific to virtual consults

• The surgeon never appears, keeps the camera off, or leaves after a minute or two
• A deposit is requested before you have spoken to the surgeon
• A firm quote and date are offered before anyone has seen your records
• The result is "guaranteed" without an examination
• You are pushed to move the conversation to a personal number or an unofficial account
• Discounts expire within hours of the call
• Questions about the surgeon's full name or registration are avoided
• More photos are requested than the procedure seems to need

Frequently asked questions