Why Use a Coordinator or Consultant?

After you have thoroughly researched and decided on a surgery, why wouldn't you just post in the appropriate surgery forum, ask for recommendations, and conduct further research into surgeons from there?

Once you've chosen one, why not just arrange your surgery directly with him/his office?

Why pay thousands of extra dollars in commission for someone to do something that is so easy to do and you really should be doing yourself?

I had my DS in Hermosillo, MX and handled all the details myself by email. It couldn't have been easier. Shortly after, a poster arrived on the DS board who had to pay $2500 more than me because she went through a medical tourism company.

It seems like a rip-off to me.

Really? If you absolutely can't manage it on your own, I'll do it for only $500.

Not to mention you don't even know for sure who is working for him or who is poaching clients off an internet website.

I'd be a little leery of a surgeon who can't afford salaried office staff to manage his practice and patients without the need for these used car salesmen. If he is legit, they are only hurting his reputation.

Besides, isn't this type of personal sales against TOS?

Sounds like a great way to go if you can get ahold of the surgeon. I asked months in advance for my surgeons email and no one would give it out. Most surgeons are interested in the medical care aspect and not the administrative. It would definitely help if these surgeons could give direct contact information so this stuff can be avoided.

This is why a reputable, busy surgeon hires sufficient office staff. Unless there was a reasonable explanation, an unreachable surgeon is a big red flag. So, GREAT! Not using that one is an easy decision.

This is NOT the norm and won't be the case with any reputable surgeon. If he's busy, don't expect a reply in 24 hours, but he shouldn't be unreachable.

Are you still trying to reach one?

If you can't do it without a salesperson middle man, he's not worth the effort.

No I am not looking, I am done and over with. Now have my surgeon's email though lol. I can understand they do not want to get bombarded with emails. Yes a good office staff should be proficient and be able to handle these requests and forward the ones onto the surgeon that are serious and have selected that one surgeon. I have contacted lots of people prior to my final decision even though I was pretty sure of who I wanted, I tried to look at the lower cost ones which I always found reasons to change my mind and I realized I was spending way too much time researching the surgeons and just went with the one that my heart told me to go with.

I heard your surgeon was the top notch for the DS and then I heard of others that were top notch for the VSG in Mexico. I believe my surgeon is top notch for the care that I have received and the research I have done including all the references that are out there.

If you can't get ahold of someone when you want to GIVE them money, good luck when you are trying to get aftercare they can't charge you for!

Any surgeon worth his salt who wants American patients will have SOMEONE on staff who speaks English...even if he does not.

Paying a coordinator to herd you through a system is ridiculous.  I mean...it's your money...but if you want to throw it away, there are more fun ways.

THe whole staff where I went spoke English--a couple of the nurses were not perfect at it but we were able to understand one another with no problem. Which doc has a non English speaking staff? I haven't heard of that problem with any of the MX surgeons on this board. And I didn't pay thousands extra either, or even hundreds.