"Am I ready to book?" is hard to answer as a feeling and easier to answer as a score. This page gives you a simple rubric for a medical trip to Colombia: six areas, each scored 0, 1 or 2, plus five hard stops that override the total. It shows which part of the plan is weakest. That part, not the most exciting one, is where your next email to the clinic should go.
How the score works
Score each of the six areas below as 0, 1 or 2, using the descriptions in the table. Add them up for a total out of 12. Then check the five hard stops in the box above. If any hard stop is unchecked, the plan is not ready to book, whatever the total says.
The rubric is a planning tool we designed, not a validated clinical instrument. It does not judge whether a procedure is right for you. That decision belongs to your clinicians. It only measures whether the booking is defined well enough to commit money and travel.
Score honestly. If you are unsure whether an area deserves a 1 or a 2, give it the 1. The aim is to find the gaps, not to reach a number.
The six areas
| Area | 0 points | 1 point | 2 points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Clinical clarity | Only a procedure name and a price | Preliminary recommendation, records not yet reviewed | Treating clinician has reviewed records; what could change is stated |
| 2. Provider identity | Clinic brand only | Names given, not yet checked | Clinician and facility named and checked by you |
| 3. Money and terms | Verbal price | Written quote, exclusions or refund rules unclear | Itemized quote, exclusions, currency and refund terms in writing |
| 4. Travel flexibility | Nonrefundable flights already fixed | Some legs flexible, return is not | Dates set by the clinical schedule; return can move |
| 5. Recovery setup | No recovery address or help planned | Lodging booked, support or transport unclear | Recovery address, transport to follow-up and help arranged |
| 6. Home continuity | Home doctor unaware | Home doctor informed, records plan unclear | Home follow-up agreed, records promised in a usable language |
What each area is really testing
1. Clinical clarity
This area asks whether the price attaches to a plan or just to a procedure name. Getting 2 points does not require certainty, since many plans depend on an in-person exam. It requires that the treating clinician has seen what matters and that the clinic has said what could still change. If you are unsure who should review your case first, the case router can help.
2. Provider identity
This area asks whether you know who and where, and whether you checked for yourself. In Colombia, the public ReTHUS registry overseen by the Ministry of Health (MinSalud) is where you can confirm that a named clinician is authorized to practise and see whether any sanctions have been recorded. The CDC Yellow Book (2026) also cautions that medical tourism marketing often leaves credential details out. Our verification chain guide covers the clinician and facility checks step by step.
3. Money and terms
This area asks whether the money side is written down. Follow-up costs are worth checking explicitly: the CDC chapter warns that follow-up abroad can carry significant charges outside the headline price.
4. Travel flexibility
This area asks whether the travel plan can bend if the clinical plan does. A plan with fixed, nonrefundable flights scores 0 even if everything else is strong. Fixed tickets create pressure to proceed on schedule.
5. Recovery setup
This area asks where you will actually recover and who will help. A hotel booking alone earns 1 point. It earns 2 when transport to follow-up appointments and support for the first days are both arranged.
6. Home continuity
This area asks whether the episode has an ending. The CDC recommends talking with your primary care clinician well before travel, settling with both doctors what happens if complications arise, and collecting English-language copies of your overseas records. See our guide to post-op follow-up back home.
Why the hard stops override the total
A high total can hide a fatal gap. A patient with perfect flights, lodging and records could still not know who is operating. The five hard stops are the gaps that should block a booking on their own:
- Unknown clinician means you cannot verify the person responsible for your care.
- Unknown facility means you cannot check where care happens or plan transport and recovery around it.
- Unwritten terms leave you with nothing to rely on if plans change.
- Pressure is a warning sign in its own right. The NHS treatment-abroad checklist (2023) lists a hard sell and pressure to decide quickly among the signs to think carefully about.
- No complication plan leaves the hardest scenario unanswered. The same NHS checklist says to be clear about how aftercare will be coordinated.
Reading your result
These bands are a rule of thumb for planning, not a measured threshold:
Not ready, whatever the total. Fix the hard stop first.
Early research. Keep gathering information; don't commit money yet.
Close. Find your lowest-scoring area and send the clinic specific questions about it.
The booking side is well defined. Final medical decisions still belong to your clinicians.
An illustrative score
Illustrative only, an invented case. A patient planning dental work has a written, itemized quote with refund terms (Money: 2). She has checked the dentist and the clinic herself (Identity: 2). The dentist has reviewed her X-rays and the clinic has explained that a scan on arrival could change the plan (Clinical: 2). She bought nonrefundable flights early (Travel: 0). A hotel is booked, but she has no plan for getting to appointments (Recovery: 1). Her home dentist does not know about the trip yet (Home: 0). Her total is 7, with all five hard stops checked. That puts her in the "close" band, and the score points to two concrete fixes. She can change or protect the flights where possible, and book a visit with her home dentist before leaving.
How to raise a low score
Each area has one move that usually lifts it fastest:
- Clinical clarity: send complete records and ask whether the treating clinician has reviewed them.
- Provider identity: ask for full names and the facility address, then run your own checks.
- Money and terms: request an itemized quote with exclusions, currency and refund rules.
- Travel flexibility: hold off on, or change, nonrefundable tickets until dates come from the clinic.
- Recovery setup: confirm the recovery address, the route to follow-up visits and who helps on the first days.
- Home continuity: book a visit with your own doctor and ask the clinic how records will be provided.
Re-score whenever the plan changes
A score is a snapshot. If the clinician, facility, procedure, price or dates change, score again from scratch. A plan that scored 11 last week can drop to a hard stop if the operating surgeon changes and you have not verified the new one. For a different test, the red-team exercise tries to break the plan on purpose rather than score it.
Frequently asked questions
What score means my medical trip is ready to book?
There is no magic number, and this rubric is a planning aid, not a clinical tool. As a rule of thumb, a plan with every hard stop checked and a total of 10 or more has its booking side well defined. Medical decisions still belong to your clinicians.
Why does one unchecked hard stop make the plan not ready?
Because each hard stop is a gap that a good score elsewhere cannot make up for. Examples are not knowing who is treating you, where, or on what written terms, or being pressured to decide quickly.
Can I score the plan before I have a quote?
Yes. A low early score simply shows where to focus. It is normal to start at 0 or 1 in several areas and move up as the clinic answers written questions.
Does a high score mean the clinic is good?
No. The score measures how well the booking is defined and documented. Quality of care and whether a procedure suits you are clinical questions for the treating team and, ideally, your own doctor.
How often should I re-score?
Whenever something material changes, such as the clinician, facility, procedure, price or dates, and once more just before you pay.
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
- NHS — Treatment abroad checklist (reviewed 2023)
- Colombia Ministry of Health — ReTHUS registry information
These sources support general travel, continuity-of-care and verification concepts. They do not establish an individual treatment plan or travel clearance.