Many of our patients travel.
Excision surgeons are not evenly distributed, and about a quarter of our patients travel to reach one. Here's how it works, honestly, including the licensing rule that trips people up.
About one in four of our patients comes from outside Massachusetts, and many more drive in from across New England. You can absolutely be one of them, but there's one rule about the first consult that trips people up, so it's the first thing on this page rather than the last.
The one rule: you must be in Massachusetts for the consult
Both of our surgeons are licensed in Massachusetts only. A doctor can only see you where they hold a license, so your consult, in person or by video, has to happen while you are physically inside the state.
You don't have to live here. You need to be standing in Massachusetts at the time. Patients have done their video consult from a relative's kitchen, from a hotel the night before surgery, from a rented cottage on the Cape, and more than once from a car in a gas station just over the border. All of those are fine.
We cannot see you by video while you are sitting at home in another state. That isn't a policy we've chosen: it's how medical licensing works, and Massachusetts is not part of the interstate licensure compact that would remove the problem. If that changes, this page changes with it.
This catches close neighbors too. If you're twenty minutes over the line in New Hampshire, Connecticut or Rhode Island, the rule is exactly the same as if you were in California. The distance doesn't matter; the state line does. In practice that's easy to work around, and our coordinators do it every week.
So how does it actually work?
Two routes, and most traveling patients use the first:
- Combine the consult with a trip. If you're visiting Massachusetts for any reason, we can do the consult by video while you're here, then plan surgery for a later date.
- Consult and surgery on one trip. Come in, have the consult in person, and have surgery on the same visit where it's clinically appropriate. We'll tell you honestly whether your case suits that before you book anything.
Call us before you book flights or take time off. Our coordinators do this every week and will tell you which route fits your situation.
One thing to mention early. Some conditions need an examination that cannot be done over video: checking for rectovaginal nodules, assessing the size of the uterus, or a biopsy before a hysterectomy. It usually is not needed at the first visit, so a video consult is still a sensible place to start. Tell the coordinators if you are traveling and we will fold any examination into a trip you are already making. Flying in twice for a short examination would be a poor use of your time, and we will work around it.
Where we operate
- Winchester Hospital
- Mount Auburn Hospital
- Beth Israel Deaconess Milton
All three are within easy reach of Boston Logan. Adolescent patients are cared for at Winchester.
How long to stay after surgery
Surgery is same-day, and we very rarely keep anyone in overnight. How long to stay nearby afterwards depends on how you're getting home:
- Driving 2–3 hours: you can usually travel the same day.
- Driving 4–6 hours: plan to stay one night.
- Driving further: plan for at least two nights.
- Flying: two nights is usually right.
These are general guidance, not a rule. Your surgeon will give you a specific answer for your operation at your consult, so ask before you book a return flight.
Time off work
Roughly three weeks after excision surgery, and four to five after a hysterectomy. We request more than that on your FMLA paperwork, four weeks and six respectively, so that you have the room if you need it. Going back sooner than the paperwork allows is entirely fine.
Where people stay
Placeholder: a short, practical list of hotels and serviced apartments near each hospital, with rough nightly costs and whether they'll hold luggage on discharge day.
Getting your records to us
Bring or send whatever you already have. Operative reports and pathology are the most useful, imaging next. If a previous surgeon has operated, their operative note tells us more than any scan will. Our coordinators will chase records for you if you'd rather not.
Follow-up when you get home
Post-operative follow-up is virtual for patients who travel, and we coordinate with your doctor at home for anything that needs hands on. Our follow-up runs for years, not weeks, and distance doesn't change that.
If you're weighing the trip, call us before you book anything: (617) 716-7000.