02/01/2026
This patient came to see me from California early in my practice and was one of my first patients to travel to me. She was the kind referral of a patient I had already operated on from Memphis. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about how to continue to improve safety and outcomes for patients that travel as they continue to be an important segment of my practice. Traveling for surgery has become more and more common, but it has to be planned well and contingency plans must be in place. I do both virtual and/or in person consults with patients from out of town before surgery. The patients are responsible for sharing their medical work up from their home doctor before surgery. The Patient Care Coordinators provide the patients with information on different tiers of accommodations, overnight care if desired in the same building as the surgery center, after care nurses, and transportation options when patients book their surgery. Most patients bring a friend or family member, but there are nursing options for those that can’t. I ask patients to stay in town a minimum of 10 days but always tell them that I reserve the right to ask them to stay longer if needed to make sure they get the care they need. The hardest part (for me)? That’s if I don’t get to see the patients in person and depend on selfies from them for follow up. But my preference is to see them back at 1,3, and 6 months if not a year. Part of facelift care is making sure that you’re getting the laser and skincare needed to optimize the result, which we can do at those long term appointments. Don’t fix up the engine under the hood and not polish the paint
