follow-up with US doctors after surgery in Europe
 

Hi everyone,

I'm just at the beginning of my "spine journey", after being diagnosed with large herniated cervical discs a few weeks ago. Given the fairly mild symptoms currently, I may not actually need surgery just yet, but I'm exploring all the options, including going to Germany or Spain for a two level cervical ADR.

It seems that the obvious issue with having surgery done abroad, especially with devices or approaches not yet approved in the US, is potential difficulty with follow-up in the US, if there are issues. And I'm surprised that there isn't more discussion about that here.

Could it be that typical results are so good, that people who have done it abroad haven't actually had a need for follow-up in the US? Or is it not actually an issue? Can I just show up at a US spine surgeon's office with two M6-Cs in my neck? What about insurance coverage - can I be denied for reimbursement for follow-on care because I had a procedure not approved in the US?

Or, is it just understood that any follow-up requires a trip back to where the surgery was done?

Thanks in advance.