You are probably wondering why I would deal with all the obstacles, why not just travel to the States and have the surgery performed there especially since that is where our permanent residence is located. The answer to this question is the easiest part of the entire ordeal, insurance. Our medical insurance encourages us to have all of our medical issues taken care of outside the continental United States. In fact, 100% of this TKR is covered by our insurance IF we have it done outside the USA. If we go to the States our insurance covers the normal 80% of allowable charges which means the remainder of costs are out-of-pocket for me. Considering all the issues, I opted to have my TKR done in the Republic of South Africa. RSA has some of the best medical care in the world and rivals most options in the United States. My wife and I departed Liberia on July 16, and arrived in South Africa on July 17th.
My first visit with the orthopedic surgeon was on July 19. All of medical records, including the x-rays from the orthopedic surgeon I visited in the States, were sent to my surgeon here in RSA prior to my arrival. Upon arrival at the surgeon’s office, I was directed to the radiology lab for a complete set of new x-rays. To my surprise, the radiologist handed me an envelope containing all the x-rays after they were developed, and I was instructed to carry them back to the surgeon’s office.
The meeting with the surgeon went quite well. He is very personable, well-disposed and knowledgeable. He performed an extensive exam, viewed the x-rays and without any hesitation at all agreed with the diagnosis given me, almost a year earlier, by the orthopedic surgeon in the States. Surgery was scheduled for August 1, 2016.
The surgeon’s office staff sent me to the on-sight lab to have blood drawn and a complete analysis work-up for the primary care physician that I would see the next day.
No comments:
Post a Comment