One team, from records review through your first six weeks back home. Surgeon, clinic, recovery, accommodation, equipment, in-person and remote physiotherapy, follow-up. Planned before you fly and supported through your first six weeks home.
Send your information and available imaging. Once the file is sufficiently complete, you receive the honest next step within 3 to 5 business days.
Standard complete journey
USD 19,500
Surgical team
Two specialists in orthopedics and traumatology operating together
Duration in Medellín
19 nights, Surgery on day four
On the ground physiotherapy
12 sessions
Continued support
First 6 weeks home
Patients usually reach MedValet for one of two reasons: U.S. self-pay costs are difficult to predict or absorb, or Canadian access timelines no longer match the life they want to return to.
Self-pay patients may receive separate estimates from the hospital, surgeon, anesthesia provider and rehabilitation providers. Published self-pay ranges for the surgical components are approximately USD 35,000 to 55,000; final scope and coordination vary by provider and insurance status. Add the named source and access date.
Publicly funded surgery avoids a direct procedure bill, but wait times vary by province, facility and clinical priority. National reporting shows a meaningful share of knee-replacement patients waiting beyond the 26-week benchmark. Add the current CIHI source beside this statement.
You can stop, change your mind, or step away at any point. There is no financial commitment until stage four, except the USD 200 surgeon consultation, which is applied against your journey if you proceed.
1
You submit your basic information, your knee X-ray, and two photos through our case review form. Your Patient Journey Director reviews the file personally and requests preliminary surgeon input. You hear back within 3 to 5 business days with an honest read on whether Medellín is the right fit for your case.
Free
2
A 15-minute conversation with your Patient Journey Director. We walk through the process, answer your questions, and discuss timing. Your companion is welcome to join, or we schedule a separate call for them.
Free · 15 min
3
A video consultation with Dr. Jaramillo to review your case in clinical detail. Your Patient Journey Director is present with you in the consultation. USD 200, applied in full against your journey if you proceed.
USD 200 · applied to your journey
4
Your full journey quote in USD: surgical pathway, accommodation, transport, physiotherapy, coordination, and continued support at home. The deposit confirms your surgery date.
Your date is locked
From stage 1 to stage 4, most cases take two to four weeks. Some patients move faster. Some take months to decide. Both are fine.
Surgery is one part of an international knee replacement. Accommodation, equipment, transport, rehabilitation, communication and the return-home plan have to work together. MedValet coordinates those parts as one pathway.
01
Your medical records and imaging are reviewed before travel: genuine clinical screening, not a sales call. If your case appears appropriate, your USD 200 surgeon consultation covers your diagnosis, expected outcome, approach, and risks, discussed directly with the surgeon and applied against your final journey.
02
Ambulatory knee replacement at Clínica del Campestre or Clínica Llanogrande, selected private surgical facilities in the Medellín area. Surgical theater, anesthesia, implant and the full surgical team are included. Dr. Alejandro Jaramillo and Dr. Paula Sarmiento operate together from incision to closure on every MedValet knee replacement. For the patient, this means the operation has the attention of two attending knee specialists throughout the procedure.
Equivalent self-pay cost in the United States: USD 35,000–55,000 for the surgical components alone.
03
A recovery stay pre-walked for orthopedic suitability: elevator access, single-floor layout, pharmacy within four blocks, flat sidewalks. It arrives equipped with a shower chair, cold-therapy machine, ice packs, stationary pedal exerciser before you walk through the door. Accommodation and breakfast for one or two people inside the same plan. You are not left trying to adapt an ordinary hotel room after surgery.
Booked and equipped independently: USD 2,850–4,400 for a comparable 18–20 night stay.
04
Pickup at José María Córdova on arrival. Medical transport for pre-operative evaluations, surgery, follow-ups and departure is arranged in advance and included in the standard journey. You do not have to find transport or repeatedly explain your mobility needs while recovering.
05
Typically 12 sessions across your stay, scheduled to match the surgeon's recovery protocol and your daily progress. Mobility, strength, gait training, inflammation management. You are not left to figure out early movement alone.
Equivalent in the United States: USD 1,800–3,000 for a comparable 12-session course.
06
Your post-operative medication plan is coordinated locally, prepared at a partner pharmacy, and delivered before it's needed. A private nurse covers the first overnight after surgery, daily nurse visits handle injections and dressings, and the GP comes to you in the first two days. You don't travel to appointments that can come to your door.
07
Your Patient Journey Director attends every medical appointment during your stay, handles translation and continuity with the surgical team, and answers the WhatsApp line that means you are never alone in a Medellín apartment at 3 AM wondering whether the swelling is normal. Your travel companion is our second customer: a dedicated pre-arrival briefing call, a briefing the day before surgery, the ambulance ride home with you, and daily contact through the first week. Your companion knows what happens next, who to contact and what MedValet is handling.
Part of the plan, not a bystander to it.
08
Surgeon clearance to fly is confirmed in person, not by email. You leave with your operative report, implant documentation, physiotherapy notes, and a written recovery plan any home-country orthopedist can pick up. Where eligible, post-operative complications insurance through Pan American Life covers re-intervention, hospitalization, imaging, and follow-up for procedure-related complications during the recovery window in Colombia, up to 30 days from surgery.
09
The journey does not end at the airport. Remote physiotherapy and scheduled check-ins continue through your first six weeks of home recovery. With the same physiotherapists who treated you in Medellín and the same coordinator who organized your case. Your rehabilitation does not stop at the airport or restart with someone unfamiliar with your early progress.
Surgery alone at USD 35,000–55,000, then physiotherapy, equipment, and aftercare billed separately by providers who don't talk to each other.
Named implant manufacturers. Two specialists in orthopedics and traumatology operating together. One team from records review through the first six weeks home.
The comparison is the argument. We'll put your number in writing.
Start Your Free Knee Case ReviewStandard complete journey
USD 19,500
This is not a surgery-only quote. It is the price of the complete standard journey described on this page. For patients who fit the standard pathway, USD 19,500 covers surgery with two knee surgeons, the 19-night stay, pre-operative evaluations, the medication kit, complications insurance where eligible, recovery equipment, all local transport, and 24 physiotherapy sessions: 12 in person and 12 remote. The personalized quote identifies every included service before commitment.
Estimated U.S. self-pay equivalent: USD 35,000 to 55,000 for the comparable scope. Roughly half the estimated U.S. cost. Priced in USD and locked at quote for 30 days. Display the source methodology and access dates beside the comparison.
U.S. equivalent reflects typical cash prices for total knee replacement plus the separately billed items our standard journey already includes: anesthesia, implant, physiotherapy, equipment and aftercare.
We cannot guarantee a medical outcome. We do guarantee that the named clinicians, included services, exclusions, accommodation, transport, rehabilitation plan and responsibilities are documented before you commit.
What's not included.
Your accommodation includes a breakfast plan and a working kitchen. Restaurants, groceries, and meals out are not bundled because patients prefer flexibility on food during recovery. Most patients budget USD 25–50 per day for food outside the apartment.
Breakfast and a working kitchen are included; most patients budget USD 25–50 per day for food beyond that.
Your partner stays in the same accommodation at no extra charge; their flights and personal expenses sit outside the package.
If you ask for something beyond the journey as described, such as additional physiotherapy sessions or a specific accommodation request, we price it and tell you before anything is committed. Not sure where something falls? Ask during your case review.
The standard pathway MedValet plans around. Exact appointment days, medication schedules, physiotherapy frequency and departure timing are determined by the treating clinicians and adjusted to your progress. Your final timeline is confirmed after the surgeon consultation.
The first week is the most attended window in the journey: your Patient Journey Director is with you at every medical appointment, briefing your travel companion at each stage, and in daily in-person contact. Once you settle into the recovery rhythm, in-person visits become lighter. 24/7 access on WhatsApp remains every day of your stay.
01
Pre-operative preparation
Days 1–3
Arrival, exams, meeting the surgical team.
Day 1
Airport pickup at José María Córdova. Drive to your recovery accommodation in El Poblado. Your Patient Journey Director walks you through the days ahead and gives you the instructions for the following day. Rest.
Day 2
Pick-up in the morning for your pre-operative evaluations: bloodwork, urine sample, X-ray, and ECG. Fasting from the night before is required for the bloodwork. Transport back to your accommodation, and the afternoon is free for rest or tourism.
Day 3
In-person consultation with Dr. Jaramillo at his private consulting rooms at Torre Intermédica. Surgical plan, pain management protocol, icing and mobility expectations, and confirmation of your medication schedule and first DVT injection timing are discussed directly. Transport across to Clínica del Campestre for the anesthesia review and to see where the surgery will happen the next morning. Afternoon free.
02
Surgery and immediate post-op
Days 4–7
Ambulatory surgery, daily doctor visits, pain pump removal.
Day 4
Transport to Clínica del Campestre (or Clínica Llanogrande, depending on the clinical pathway) at dawn. Admission one hour before surgery. Total knee replacement performed by Dr. Alejandro Jaramillo and Dr. Paula Sarmiento, operating together from incision to closure. The procedure is ambulatory: an ambulance transports you back to your accommodation the same day, and a private nurse begins a 12-hour overnight shift to monitor recovery and manage the immediate post-operative window.
First DVT injection administered in the evening.
Day 5
The first full day of the coordinated recovery protocol. The first physiotherapy session begins according to the treating team’s plan. Doctor and nurse visits, wound review, injections, dressings and medication are scheduled according to the individual pathway.
Day 6
Second physiotherapy session. Second doctor's visit at your accommodation. Second nurse visit. First walker mobility around the apartment.
Day 7
Transport to the clinic for pain pump removal and post-operative X-ray verification. Third physiotherapy session. Nurse visit in the evening for the DVT injection. Side note: the pain pump may be removed early, depending on the GP’s evaluation.
03
Active recovery
Days 8–14
Daily physiotherapy, first surgeon follow-up, transition from walker to cane.
Day 8
No physiotherapy. Nurse visit for the daily DVT injection. A deliberate rest day built into the protocol, so the body absorbs the first three days of active physiotherapy.
Day 9-10
Daily physiotherapy session, daily nurse visits for injections.
Day 11
Transport to Dr. Jaramillo's consulting rooms for the first surgeon follow-up, approximately seven days after surgery. Wound check, range of motion review, progress assessment. Physiotherapy continues at your accommodation. Progression from walker to walking with a cane encouraged.
Day 12-14
Daily physiotherapy continues. Daily nurse visits. Most patients transition from walker to cane during this window. Last day of the primary anti-inflammatory and pain management medications on Day 14.
04
Final recovery and departure
Days 15–20
Second surgeon follow-up, clearance to fly, departure.
Day 15
No physiotherapy. Nurse visit for the daily DVT injection. Second built-in rest day before the final week of progressive strengthening.
Day 16-18
Daily physiotherapy. Daily nurse visits. Final strengthening, gait training, and preparation for independent walking. Cane use continues to reduce.
Day 19
Transport to Dr. Jaramillo's consulting rooms for the second surgeon follow-up, approximately fifteen days after surgery. Final wound and range of motion check. Clearance to fly is confirmed. Implant card, operative report, physiotherapy progress notes, and your written home recovery plan are handed over.
Day 20
Optional final physiotherapy session in the morning. Transport to José María Córdova. Wheelchair assistance arranged at both ends of the flight. Continued support begins the moment you land at home.
The procedure itself, candidacy criteria, and the week-by-week recovery after you fly home live in our complete guide.
Your travel companion, often a spouse, an adult child, or a close friend, is our second customer. We know the days around surgery can be more stressful for the person doing the caretaking than for the patient themselves, especially in a foreign country.
Our care for your companion runs in parallel with your own.
A dedicated pre-arrival call with your companion after confirming surgery, separate from your case review, to walk through what to expect and what will be handled.
Your companion is briefed on the day you land and again the day before surgery. Your companion rides in the ambulance with you back to your accommodation after the procedure, meets the overnight nurse, and meets the doctor who visits the next day. Part of the plan, not a bystander to it.
Your Patient Journey Director is in daily in-person contact with both of you. Every day is planned together and questions are answered before they turn into worries.
Once you settle into the recovery rhythm and are stable at the accommodation, MedValet steps back from daily in-person visits. Responsibility for the daily rhythm gently shifts to you and your companion, with our team a WhatsApp message away for anything either of you needs, at any hour of the day or night.
Medellín sits at approximately 1,500 metres in the Aburrá Valley, with a temperate climate averaging around 22°C (72°F). José María Córdova International Airport offers direct and connecting routes from North America; routes vary by city and season. Recovery accommodation is selected in El Poblado for access to the surgical facilities, pharmacies, groceries and mobility-appropriate buildings.
Your accommodation is selected for your mobility needs, budget, and travel partner. After your case review, we send a curated list matched to your situation. The three tiers below are illustrative.
Serviced apartments and boutique aparthotels in central El Poblado. Concierge service, daily housekeeping, full kitchen, elevator access, walking distance to multiple pharmacies and clinics.
Premium-but-practical: Seissta Deluxe and similar properties. Calm residential building, elevator access, single-floor layouts, walking distance to El Poblado amenities.
Most patients choose this
Quality residential apartments in walking-friendly streets, selected for orthopedic suitability and proximity to your clinic and physiotherapist. Lower budget without compromising the recovery-relevant criteria.
Below is a brief introduction to each surgeon. Full profile pages with credentials, training history, publications, awards, and practice locations live in our Resources hub.
Specialist in orthopedics and traumatology with supraspecialty training in knee and shoulder arthroscopy. More than 15 years of surgical practice and more than 25 peer-reviewed publications. Verified SCCOT membership and registration should be linked from the full profile.
Specialist in orthopedics and traumatology with supraspecialty training in knee surgery. AOSSM Traveling Fellowship, 2015. Verify the first-female claim from a primary source before publication. Operates at every MedValet knee replacement alongside Dr. Jaramillo.
USD 19,500 is the price of the complete standard journey described on this page, not a surgery-only quote. The personalized quote confirms that the standard pathway applies to your case. Any surgeon-identified clinical addition outside that pathway is priced and approved before commitment.
The partner facilities work with Smith & Nephew, Zimmer Biomet and Stryker systems. Your surgeon selects the specific implant based on your anatomy and clinical needs, and the manufacturer reference is included in your documentation.
Because it is MedValet’s surgical standard. Dr. Jaramillo and Dr. Sarmiento are both specialists in orthopedics andtraumatology with advanced knee-focused training and operate together from incision to closure on every MedValetknee replacement.
You return to your recovery accommodation the same day by ambulance, with a private overnight nurse and a doctorvisit the next morning. You sleep in a quiet apartment rather than a shared ward, and your recovery protocol startsimmediately in the environment where you will actually recover.
Day 20, after your second surgeon follow-up on day 19 confirms clearance to fly. Wheelchair assistance through theairport is arranged for you.
Your surgeon remains reachable on WhatsApp, your remote physiotherapy team sees you twice a week, and yourdocumentation is written for any local orthopedist to pick up your care. The complications insurance window coversthe recovery period in Colombia; after you fly home, your MedValet team stays actively involved through your first sixweeks.
Your Patient Journey Director reviews your file personally. The cost is our team's time, plus the surgeon's preliminaryinput, which we absorb because most cases either screen out at this stage or convert into a serious conversation. Themodel only works if the first step is genuinely free.
Send us your basic information — X-rays and MRI can come later by WhatsApp or email. Your Patient Journey Director reviews your file personally and requests preliminary surgeon input once the records are complete. We tell you the honest next step, even if Medellín isn't the right fit for your case.
Not ready yet? Read the complete knee guide first — every question answered, no forms.