One of the areas of interest for many as they age is the health of their joints – hips, knees, shoulders – as well as issues such as arthritis that may affect the bones. My wife has the joints in both of her thumbs rebuilt and recently had bone spurs removed from her elbow due to arthritis.
One of the doctors recommended by many of our neighbors in Zacatitos is Dr. Luis Cardenas of CIFO Traumatología en Plaza del Cabo on the frontage road to Walmart. Dr. Cardenas came to Los Cabos in 2005 and formed a relationship with a physical therapist. Over the years the practice has grown to include locations in Cabo San Lucas, Los Barriles and at H+ Hospital on the corridor. The tagline of CIFO is “Stay Active.” Dr. Cardenas indicated that most of his patients are residents – either expats or locals – who are aging but still very active. Because of their level of activity – hiking, golfing, surfing, pickleball, jogging – the deterioration of their joints can become a major issue. As such work on knees, hips and shoulders is a major part of the practice of CIFO. Another core group of patients are athletes, who may have a traumatic injury for their participation in their sports. Recently, however, medical tourism has been growing in Los Cabos and with the facilities at H+ Hospital and the availability of Hampton Inn & Suites next door, it is a popular choice. Now with eight surgeons and several physical therapists as part of the team, CIFO has the ability to address both the surgery and the follow up care that is necessary to keep his patients staying active.
With the use of the facilities at H+ and all of the equipment necessary, Dr. Cardenas described their very high success level at reasonable costs compared to the same treatments in the United States and Canada. He indicated that the only innovation in the United States that they did not match here was the availability of robotic surgery. However, with the reduction in the bureaucracy and the number of different intermediaries (e.g., insurance companies and brokers), CIFO is able to provide treatment at a fraction of the cost in the United States. For example, the maximum cost of a knee replacement in Los Cabos is $14,000, while it is about $45,000 in the United States.
Most of the patients in Los Cabos pay cash and are treated as if they are Mexicans (we have found that using our permanent resident card results in significant discounts in medical treatments). When U.S. insurance is involved, CIFO must have an intermediary in San Diego to issue the invoices to the insurance companies for both the surgery and the hospital costs (as they will not accept a Mexican factura). This results in both higher costs and payments taking on average six months to be processed.
My wife, Beth, has been seeing Dr. Cardenas for a torn ligament in her elbow. When the pain increased, an examination revealed an unusual bump. As she had also been having some knee pain, Dr. Cardenas sent her to H+ to have two MRIs – one on her elbows and the other on her knees. The total cost of the two MRIs was about $400. This is less than the deductible would have been in the United States. The result was that a bone spur due to arthritis was found in her elbow. Dr. Cardenas said her knees were in great shape but it was the meniscus that was causing the pain in her knee.
Arthroscopic surgery was immediately scheduled for her elbow. Prior to the surgery, she was required to get blood tests, a chest x-ray and an EKG to make sure that everything was fine for the surgery. The surgery involved only a nerve block on the arm and local anesthetic and was about one hour in length performed at H+. The nurses, anesthesiologist and customer service staff were great. Cost and processing were also reduced as everything was paid and done in advance with CIFO. Now, a few days after the surgery, she is healing very well. The total cost of the procedure, everything included, was only $4,250, again approximating the cost of the deductible in the United States.
Dr. Cardenas’ commitment to the community and to his patients goes way beyond these treatments. During the pandemic, with lots of time on his hands and a recommendation that he did something that would be relaxing, he took up painting with watercolors. I asked him if he had ever had any training or done any art when he was younger. He commented that he used to do anatomical sketches in his notebooks in classes in medical school while learning (e.g., the brain, kidneys) but that was it. He took some online classes and now his patients often leave after their first visit with him with a small watercolor as a gift.
But the pandemic left lots of local people without the ability to afford surgery that was needed. He asked his staff how they could raise money to help these people in need. They said that he needed to be able to provide an incentive for them to donate. As a result, he founded Operarte.com.mx with the goal of raising money to perform the surgery. On the website, there are over 300 of his watercolors. Each sells for $50 with $12 for shipping and all of the proceeds go to fund surgery. This was initially set up early in 2022 and it takes the sale of 60 pieces of art to fund one surgery. They recently performed their first operation. The art is great and this is a terrific way to help with much needed surgery for local people who can not afford it. So check it out. I have included photos of a number of his works of art that adorn the walls of CIFO’s office in San Jose del Cabo.
For more information about Dr. Cardenas and CIFO visit their website at
http://www.cifo.com.mx/ or visit them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CIFOStayActive or his personal Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=904815654
