Want a new hip and a vacation at the same time? Consider Southwest Florida where medical tourism is about to take off.
Southwest Florida Welcomes Medical Tourism
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As SHR Orthopedics explains it, “It’s now possible for you to have a same-day knee replacement, hip replacement or other total joint replacement on an outpatient basis, if your overall health is good and your insurance plan allows it.”
The Seaside Surgery Center, located in Naples, Florida, was the first in the region to do same-day outpatient joint replacement. The firm’s founder, Robert Zehr, M.D. performed the initial same-day surgery. The surgery center is also the first in the region to have and make use of the Mako Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery technology for partial knee replacements.
Seaside has posted its all-inclusive bundled orthopedic surgery package prices for four popular procedures: knee arthroscopy, partial knee replacement, total knee replacement and total hip replacement.
| Seaside Surgery All-Inclusive Surgery Prices | |
| Knee arthroscopy | $4,000 |
| Partial knee replacement | $22,500 |
| Total knee replacement | $23,700 |
| Total hip replacement | $24,900 |
Company officials believe these packages will be especially appealing to international patients who do not want to wait for their surgeries and may already be familiar with South Florida.
Proponents note that the level topography of Southwest Florida is perfect for walking, with myriad trails winding through mangroves or pinewood flats.
Many patients, according to proponents, say they are back on the tennis courts or golf course just a few weeks after surgery. The staff at Seaside assures potential patients that Southwest Florida has a vibrant hospitality infrastructure with world-class resorts and restaurants readily available for medical tourism patients.
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Discussion
This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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