Surgical Tourism comes to Bogota! The author of Hidden Gem: A Guide to Surgical Tourism in Cartagena, Colombia now brings you the full story of the hospitals, treatments, and physicians of Bogota, Colombia. Methodically researched, this book takes you behind the closed doors of the operating room to tell you what you need to know. This guide is essential for more than just the surgical tourist - this is a must have for anyone traveling to, living or working in Bogota, Colombia. Detailed chapters on multiple surgical specialties: including cardiothoracic surgery, general surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedics, plastic surgery, bariatrics and more. Comprehensive information and guide to preparing, and undergoing surgery as a medical tourist; what to bring, what to ask, when to call the doctor, and where to go in an emergency.
Hello everyone! I'd like to tell you a bit about myself. While I was originally born in Fairfax, Virginia; I've spent much of my life moving around the country, so I have no designated "hometown".
I recently returned home from several months living in Bogota, Colombia while I researched and wrote my second book, which turned into two books. Writing is always an adventure, and explaining to strangers that it's "just one nurse, one camera" while interviewing, photographing, keeping up the blog and typing every night - can be kind of an interesting life. I feel a bit like Jimmy Olsen, once people find out you are writing - one thing leads to another..
After returning to the United States, we (my husband and I)embarked on a cross-country move - from small-town Virginia to the mountains of Arizona. We live in a great, big, beautiful country and we have a wonderful mix of people from a variety of backgrounds but as we travelled across the country, we saw so many towns, and people in these communities struggling. The economy and the financial woes have changed our country dramatically - and it's painful and difficult to see. It has affected all of us, in different ways. Despite this new age depression, we remain a united and powerful, yet diverse nation. Within this malstrum, there are some common themes; we are all Americans and we ALL worry about health care! It's this 'universal' worry that led to my first book, and now subsequent books.
Today, health care is more fractured and confusing than ever. More and more Americans are either going without, or being destroyed by the financial aspects of the American health care system. Did you know that medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country? It may also surprise you, that this isn't just a problem for the millions and millions of uninsured Americans. The costs of health care are so astronomical that even well insured, otherwise financially comfortable people are one illness away from foreclosure and financial ruin.
I'm not an economist, and I don't have any easy solutions. But I am here to help investigate some of the newer options and trends in American health care, especially medical/ surgical tourism. As a master's prepared nurse with a background in caring for surgical patients, I know what to look for. It isn't just who your doctor is, it's much more than that! It's the hospital, the operating room, the support personnel (nurses and other staff.) The best surgeon in the world doesn't operate in a vacuum, and the best surgery in the world can fail due to poor post-operative care due to inadequate nursing staff. How is the average consumer to know?
Remember too, all of us are consumers, and the choices we make not only influence our care, but the overall system. When large numbers of patients decide to boycott the local facilities for elective or outpatient procedures, these hospitals lose money. Unfortunately, sometimes money is the only thing these corporate CEOs understand; and in the U.S. the CEOs, not the doctors make most of the important decisions that affect YOUR care.
This means we have to be more than informed about our health, and our health care, we need to be wise consumers. I'm here to help. I don't know everything, but I'm here to investigate and find out as much as possible, one geographic location at a time!
