Other U.S. States

Patients from across the United States travel to Miami to see Dr. Nestor de la Cruz-Muñoz for revisional bariatric, reflux and complex foregut surgery.

Besides Florida and New York, Dr. Nestor de la Cruz-Muñoz cares for patients from many other states. Many of them travel for something specific: a revision of an earlier weight-loss operation, reflux or a hiatal hernia that came back after surgery, or a less common condition such as MALS or SMA syndrome. This page covers how out-of-state care works, from the first video visit to follow-up after you go home.

What brings patients from other states

Revisional bariatric surgery. He is a national leader in complex revisional bariatric surgery: weight regain, reflux after a sleeve, marginal ulcers, strictures, malnutrition and conversions between operations.
Foregut surgery. His most common operation. This includes anti-reflux surgery, hiatal and paraesophageal hernia repair and redo and revisional foregut surgery when an earlier fundoplication or hernia repair has failed.
Less common conditions. Minimally invasive release for median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) and surgery for SMA syndrome.
Experience and teaching. More than 25 years in practice, more than 9,000 bariatric operations and over 15,000 minimally invasive procedures. He directed a bariatric surgery fellowship for 10 years and is a Professor of Surgery at a university-based medical center.

States we see patients from

This page covers every state except Florida and New York, which have their own pages, and Washington, D.C. Patients have traveled from states including Texas, California, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, New Jersey, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio. If you live in New Jersey or Connecticut, see also the New York page for flights from the New York airports.

Getting to Miami

Miami International (MIA) has nonstop flights from most large U.S. cities, and Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood (FLL) adds many more, including low-cost carriers. Approximate flying times: about 2 hours from Atlanta or Charlotte, 2½ to 3 hours from Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, Dallas or Houston, and 5 to 5½ hours from Los Angeles, San Francisco or Seattle. From Hawaii and Alaska, plan on at least one connection. MIA is about 15 minutes from our area; FLL is about 35 to 45 minutes.

Step by step

Video consultation. Send your records, including operative reports from any earlier surgery, then meet Dr. de la Cruz-Muñoz by video to discuss options and whether a trip to Miami makes sense.
Testing in your home state. Labs, imaging, medical clearance and nutrition evaluation are coordinated with your local doctors; the pre-operative class can be done by video. You do not need several trips to Miami.
7 to 9 days in Miami. Arrive the day before surgery. Most patients spend one night in the hospital and 7 to 9 days in Miami in total (3 to 5 days for a shorter procedure), with a follow-up visit before flying home. Bring a support person for the first 24 to 48 hours.
Follow-up from home. Video visits at about 1 week, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months and then every year, with nutrition guidance and labs drawn near you.

If you have a problem after you are home, go to the nearest emergency room and ask the staff to contact our team. The out-of-town patient guide and the Miami Bariatric Destination Program cover lodging, packing and the recovery timeline.

Insurance from outside Florida

Whether surgery is covered depends on your plan and its criteria, not on where you live. Many plans that are based in another state treat our Florida practice as out of network, so check your out-of-network benefits and prior authorization rules with your insurer; HMO and EPO plans often have no out-of-network coverage, while many PPO plans do. Medicare covers bariatric surgery when its criteria are met. Our office verifies your benefits before you travel, and self-pay options are available. Read what every patient needs to know about insurance coverage.