Testimonial for Angioplasty in Mexico – Sue Nagy

Sue Nagy, Waukegan, IL

I just came back home from having Angioplasty in Mexico. After a trip to the emergency room thinking I’d had a heart attack, I found out my arteries were seriously blocked. After a 64-slice CT scan, I learned the blockage was 95%, and that I needed angioplasty right away. I had no insurance. I contacted several hospitals trying to get a quote for the procedure. Though most said they couldn’t give me a quote, a few did: It would cost me about $45,000.

I remembered an article a few years back about medical tourists going abroad for medical care. I got on the internet and checked out the websites of several companies that handled medical travel arrangements. The site for WorldMed Assist had the most information, so I contacted them and said I needed the procedure right away. We talked about India, Turkey, and Mexico, but I knew I didn’t want to travel as far as India and Turkey. Janet Kwan, who is a registered nurse, was my case manager at WorldMed Assist. She made all the necessary arrangements with Hospital Angeles in Mexico. She set everything up very quickly and kept me informed along the way. Janet also did a lot of work to make sure that it was safe for me to travel to Mexico, including checking with my doctor in the U.S. Anna Hall, who is one of the travel agents at WorldMed Assist, assisted me with my travel arrangements.

Even with all that work, just ten days after I contacted WorldMed Assist, my surgery was done. The actual procedure for the angioplasty took only 20 minutes.

My total cost, including travel, was $13,000—quite a savings! The cardiologist at Hospital Angeles, Dr. Jorge Luna, was excellent. He’d done two post graduate fellowships at Stanford in California, spending almost 4 years there, so I was confident in my decision. Before the procedure, he explained everything fully. Over the two days I was in the hospital, he spent a lot of time with me—way more time than a U.S. cardiologist would have!

When I got home, I gave my U.S. cardiologist a video of the surgery and my X-rays. He hadn’t been thrilled about my decision to go to Mexico, but after he reviewed Dr. Luna’s work, he said everything looked great and that the medicated stent they put in was the same brand he’d have used.

At first, I was a little hesitant about going to Mexico, and my friends thought I was crazy. But now, I’d tell anyone in my situation: Go for it! WorldMed Assist made everything really easy and safe, and the quality of care and the hospital were both excellent.