Average Stay for WISE Patients

WISE would like to thank Jenny from Houston, Texas for submitting the following question:

"What is the average length of stay in Costa Rica for medical tourists and what kind of care is provided?"

The average number of days that a WISE patient stays in country AFTER being released from the hospital or ambulatory out-patient center is 8 days. Most of the 60+ procedures that WISE covers require the patient to stay in the hospital overnight for one night for observation, before being released to their recovery center. Other, more invasive procedures, such as total hip replacements, total knee replacements, gastric bypass, and others require 2-3 nights in the hospital for observation before being released to the recovery center. Also, WISE suggests that patients arrive in Costa Rica at least one day before their scheduled procedure, if at all possible, to make sure that the patient does not feel rushed. When you combine the average of an 8 day stay in the recovery center with arriving at least 1 day prior to surgery and 1-3 nights in the hospital, the total days that an average patient stays in Costa Rica is 10-13. 

Some minor procedures and treatments such as non-invasive dental work and botox only require a patient to stay for a few days in Costa Rica, while other procedures such as a total mouth restoration that needs to be performed over several meetings with the dental specialist will take 3 or more weeks.

The main concerns for all procedures and treatments for all WISE patients are safety and ensuring a great result. This is the basis for the length of stay for all procedures.

To answer the second part of the question about the care provided in the recovery centers...

Because each patient and each procedure is different, there is different care needed for each. All WISE recovery centers have a full-time registered nurse to care for each and every patient. In addition there are personalized meals provided; if someone is a vegetarian, no problem! If someone prefers nothing but meat, no problem! Everything is personalized. Also, WISE doctors and surgeons make trips to the recovery centers to check on their patients when needed or requested, because ensuring that their patients have every thing they need to recover quickly and comfortably is very important to them. Personalized and specialized care is what makes the experience perfect for every WISE patient.