The clinician who sees you after you get home wasn't there when you were treated. Everything they know about your procedure comes from what you bring back, so plan the handoff as carefully as the trip.
The handoff is a document, a person and a date
After treatment abroad, the clinician who sees you at home starts with almost nothing. They weren't in the operating room, they may not read Spanish, and they can't phone the surgeon on a whim. What you hand them decides whether they spend the first appointment working out what was done or actually looking after you.
A good handoff has three parts, and all three should be arranged before you travel:
- A person: a named clinician at home who has agreed to see you.
- A date: the first appointment, booked before you leave for Colombia.
- A document set: the records that clinician needs, in a language they can read.
This guide is about preparing those three parts. For managing the follow-up care itself after you are home, see how to handle post-op follow-up back home.
Who is on the receiving end, and what each one needs
Different clinicians need different parts of the story. Ask each one in advance what they want to see.
| Receiving clinician | What they should not have to guess |
|---|---|
| Primary care doctor | What was done, any complications, new and stopped medications, what symptoms to watch for |
| Surgeon or specialist | Operative technique, implants or devices, pathology or imaging, the planned follow-up schedule |
| Physical therapist | The rehab protocol, movement precautions with dates, weight-bearing status, expected milestones |
| Dentist | Implant system and components, materials used, X-rays, what is temporary and what is final |
| Pharmacist | Generic drug names, doses and end dates, so foreign brand names can be matched |
The handoff packet, item by item
The CDC Yellow Book (2026) advises getting complete medical records before you leave the destination, asking for them in English, and sharing them with whoever provides your follow-up. In practice, ask the Colombian team for:
- Procedure or operative report: what was done, by whom, where and on what date.
- Discharge summary: how the stay went, including any complications or unplanned events.
- Medication list: generic names, doses, how often, and when each one stops. Include anything that was stopped.
- Device or implant details: manufacturer, model, size or lot information, where relevant.
- Results: pathology, imaging and lab results produced during your care.
- Restrictions with dates: lifting, driving, bathing, exercise, flying. Written as "until [date]", not "for a while".
- Wound or site care: dressing changes, suture or staple removal timing, garments.
- Warning signs: which symptoms mean you need urgent care where you are.
- Contact route: how your home clinician can reach the treating team, and how quickly they will hear back.
Ask for a copy in Spanish and in English. If the English version is a translation, keep the original as well.
Line up the receiving clinician before you go
Some clinicians are hesitant to take on aftercare for a procedure done elsewhere. It is far better to find that out during planning than in pain after you get back. Our article on whether U.S. doctors support medical tourism covers why. When you ask, be specific:
"I'm planning [procedure] in Colombia on [date], returning on [date]. Would you see me for follow-up around [date]? What would you need from the treating team, and in what format?"
Their answer tells you what to ask the Colombian team for. Send it to the clinic before treatment, so the records are put together with your home clinician in mind instead of in a rush at discharge.
Tell your home clinician about the stay, not just the procedure
Some details of the trip matter clinically even if they seem minor. The CDC advises U.S. healthcare professionals to screen for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), a group of drug-resistant bacteria, in patients who had an overnight stay in a healthcare facility abroad within the previous six months. So tell your doctor, and any hospital that admits you, whether you stayed overnight in a clinic or hospital in Colombia and when.
The flight home matters too. The CDC (2024) lists recent surgery among the factors that raise clot risk on trips of more than four hours. It lists warning signs such as leg swelling, pain or warmth, and, for a clot in the lung, difficulty breathing or chest pain that gets worse with a deep breath. Make sure your home clinician knows the dates of both your procedure and your flights.
Carry the records yourself
Don't rely on the two clinics to swap records directly. In the U.S., the Department of Health and Human Services (2025) notes that providers may share records with other providers for treatment, but the rule does not require them to. It also confirms your own right to get copies. The practical answer is to keep the full set yourself:
- A paper folder in your hand luggage, not in checked bags.
- A digital copy saved somewhere you can open from your phone.
- Imaging on a disc or as a download link, plus the written report.
For file formats, imaging and translation options, see how to transfer medical records internationally.
The medication handoff is where gaps show up most
Medication lists cause more confusion than almost any other part of the handoff. Brand names differ between countries, doses can be written in unfamiliar formats, and "take as needed" means little to a pharmacist reading it weeks later. Before discharge, check that the list:
- Uses generic (active ingredient) names, with the strength of each tablet or injection.
- Says how often each one is taken and the date it should stop.
- Marks clearly which of your usual medicines were paused, and when to restart them.
- Covers the gap: you have enough supply to reach your first home appointment.
- Includes anything given for clot prevention, with who decides when it ends.
Show the list to your home pharmacist or doctor soon after you get back, rather than waiting until a refill runs out.
Decide who you call, for what
Once you are home, there are two clinical teams in your recovery, and in a worrying moment you shouldn't have to work out which to contact. Agree the split in advance and write it in the packet:
- Routine questions about the healing you'd expect, such as dressing changes or garment timing: the treating team in Colombia, through the contact route it has given you.
- Anything urgent, including the warning signs on your discharge sheet: local urgent or emergency care, with the packet in hand.
- Ongoing monitoring, such as stitches, therapy progress or test results: the home clinician you lined up.
Ask the Colombian team to say in writing how quickly it usually answers messages, and whether it will speak directly with your home clinician if asked.
A note for therapy-heavy recoveries
For orthopaedic surgery and other procedures with a rehab phase, the physical therapist is often the clinician you will see most. A therapist working without the surgeon's protocol has to be cautious, and progress can stall. Ask the surgeon for a written protocol with phases, precautions, range-of-motion goals and the point at which restrictions lift. Confirm the first therapy appointment before you fly out, and take the protocol to that first session.
Before you leave the clinic for the last time
At the last in-person visit, go through the packet with the clinical team while you are still there to ask questions. Check that dates are filled in, medication names are generic, the implant details are complete and the contact route works. Gaps are easy to fill in the building and hard to fill from home.
Frequently asked questions
When should I arrange follow-up care at home?
Before you travel. Ask a named clinician whether they will see you, book the first appointment for after your return, and ask what records they want, so the Colombian team can prepare them before discharge.
What if my home doctor won't take on aftercare for surgery done abroad?
Find out during planning, not after. Ask whether another clinician in the practice, a specialist or an urgent care service could see you, and ask the Colombian team whether it offers remote follow-up for routine questions.
Should records from Colombia be in English?
The CDC advises asking for overseas records in English and sharing them with your follow-up providers. Keep the original Spanish version too, in case a translation is unclear.
Why does my doctor need to know I stayed overnight in a hospital abroad?
The CDC advises U.S. clinicians to screen for certain drug-resistant bacteria in patients who stayed overnight in a healthcare facility abroad within the past six months. Telling them helps them decide on the right precautions and tests.
What does a physical therapist need from my surgeon in Colombia?
A written rehab protocol with phases, movement precautions with dates, weight-bearing status and expected milestones. Without it, the therapist has to guess what the surgeon intended and will usually be more cautious.
Want help routing the trip or case?
Tell us the treatment area, destination preference, timing and the decision you are trying to make. This routes into the existing medical lead pipeline.
Related planning guides
Medical-travel network
- CDC Yellow Book 2026: Medical Tourism
- CDC: Understanding your risk for blood clots with travel (2024)
- HHS: Individuals' Right to Access Medical Records (2025)
These sources support the general planning points above. They do not set an individual treatment plan or travel clearance.