Dr. Ipiña: providing a great medical experience in La Cruz.
It’s about time I wrote about the good works of Dr. Ipiña! I’d been pondering an article on this but it wasn’t until I had first-hand experience (via others) that I felt compelled to ‘get it done’.
Recently our friend and ‘half-a-year’ local, Ian Brindle, was in need of a doctor. My recommendation is always Dr. Ipiña! Ian said:
“I had occasion to have a minor procedure done in the hospital a few days ago. I am writing to sing the praises and highly recommend Dr. Rafael Ipiña. He was the general practitioner I saw at his clinic in Bucerias . Cindy recommended him to me. He is absolutely amazing. Knowledgeable, compassionate, patient, thorough and kind. He went above and beyond anything you would ever expect a doctor to do anywhere else. He followed up with emails each day. Came to the operation that I had in the hospital. Was there when I woke up. Came back when I was being discharged. Followed up on everything. He also spent about half an hour helping us organize the reports that we have received so we might present them to our insurer in a way that made sense to them.
Dr Ipiña operates the Travel Medical Assistance. It is in the strip mall on the left side of the highway at the first traffic light as you enter Bucerias from La Cruz. His number at the clinic is 329 298 3226. He has a cell phone for emergencies which he always answers. It is 322 135 0449.”
Local La Cruz’er Priscilla Sulham shared this:
A few years back, ex-pat Lisa Van Thillo also needed immediate medical attention; her Doctor/hospital experience as explained by Lisa.
“I was going to see Dr. Ipiña because I wanted him to look at some bites on my arm. My husband and I then went to lunch and were going to the car directly in front of his office. It is the only spot where there is a short step, and it was the same color as the ground. I walked as if there was no step and I fell, spraining my left ankle and breaking my right.
My husband, Wim, went to get Dr. Ipiña, who was busy in a consult. He came out and called the ambulance. They took me into his office in a wheel chair and I waited for the EMTs. Dr. Ipiña told me he would be with me for the long haul and not to worry.
The ambulance was a CMQ team and they had just recently opened the new hospital. They took me to the hospital and into emergency. I was met by the ER doctor and their team. They immediately took X-rays and two more doctors came to see me – Dr. Oscar Villa, traumatologist (who has his office next to Dr. Ipiña) and Dr. Salvador Torres, anesthesiologist. The phlebotomist listened to me when I said they couldn’t put an IV in my hand. After that, they were very attentive to what I told them. The doctors also asked about allergies and previous conditions. It was very professional.
The Billing Department of Foreigners Department; I don’t know who, came and asked for my credit card. They put a large hold on it. I had trip insurance that I purchased with our plane tickets. Wim went back to the house to get all the documents – passport, insurance, etc. After that, the hospital and the insurance company handled the paperwork, leaving me to recover.
The following afternoon, I went down for the surgery. The first face I saw in recovery was Dr. Ipiña. He was smiling at me. I was taken upstairs and spent another night in the hospital. Later that afternoon, Dr. Villa checked on the new x-rays and felt I was good to go home.
My two days in the hospital were as good as they could have been, considering my situation. I had been given a private room. The nurses were wonderful, helping me throughout the night. The kitchen staff prepared a wonderful chicken soup and a fruit plate.
I grew up in a family of physicians and medical personnel. I think my care was excellent. The hospital was brand new at the time, so, some things were new to the staff but they were very organized.
Dr. Ipiña works with many of the hospitals, in the area. He makes sure his patients are well cared for.
I would suggest everyone have an emergency plan with phone numbers posted – either on their refrigerator or somewhere accessible.
Years ago, I had set up a plan with Dr. Ipiña to call him in an emergency and he would get the ambulance and take care of everything. When a friend fell and broke her hip late on a Sunday night, I called Dr. Ipiña and he took care of everything – calling the ambulance, meeting the EMTs at her house, and being there for her at the hospital in Puerto Vallarta.
If you visit his office and speak with him, you will learn that Dr. Ipiña is a learner and a teacher. He explains procedures carefully and really listens to his patients. He’s been our doctor now for many years. And, he is a wonderful person as well.
What was the condition of the hospital? The hospital was brand new. So, some things were new to them but they were organized.
How was Wim treated thru all of the above? Very well. I think he was nervous. He didn’t stay with me because he took care of the dog and I don’t think he likes hospitals.
How much did all of the above cost? So, this was the weird part. I had insurance and I called them. They said they had paid their part $10K but my bill was $19K. So, I started to get nervous. Also, when Wim had talked with Billing, they had given him a very high rate for the ambulance. So, I posted on Facebook and 3 hospital officials came to see me. They had seen the Facebook posting and were concerned. I’ll get back to this point.
Did you have medical insurance? If so, what company? I used Allianz. My understanding is that it is only available for USA citizens and not Canadians. It comes up on the web site when you book your plane ticket. It was only about $49 for both of us. It does not cover pre-existing conditions, but this was an accident. By the way, the insurance company was calling me in my room about documents. I had to tell her to stop because I was about to go into surgery.
So, I was worried about the 19K and I called the hospital. She (Carmen) said they would work with me and I fell apart. I just didn’t want to have a fight. Then she offered me an appointment with Maestro Jorge Villanueva who handles all the foreign accounts. I met with him and he was great. He is completely bilingual, comes from a medical family – his sister is Paty Villanueva the foot doctor in PV, and he studied in North Carolina. Anyway, it turns out that the billing is what goes to the insurance company. The hospital absorbs any other costs. So, it was completely paid for and I was not billed.
I then went to see Dr. Villa every other day for a month, then once a week until he released me at 7 weeks.
Dr. Ipiña and Dr. Villa’s bills were included, so I never saw them. I did purchase a knee walker and a commode. Amigos de Bucerias kindly lent me a wheel chair. Marlene Denckla loaned me her walker. A group of women in La Cruz brought me dinner each night for a week.
Since then, I have been going to physical therapy in Bucerias at Fixio. It opened the week I started, so it saved me from having to go to Puerto Vallarta. Dr. Villa recommended them as he felt they are the best. It is two doctors and a therapist. I went three times a week and it made a huge difference.
As a very independent person, this was incredibly humbling. I was not able to move on my own and I was completely dependent. Chava, our wonderful cleaning woman, helped me through the worst of it. She came by after her other work and helped me, she cooked, she helped me bathe, and she kept me company.
AND if there is an emergency Lisa says “It’s a good idea to have an emergency plan. If you have a doctor that answers the call, that’s best. They can direct an ambulance and meet you. We call Dr. Rafael Ipiña. He came when a friend fell and broke her hip- and directed the ambulance to the hospital.”
A temporarily urgent experience with one of our hotel guests proved to me that all is well in the medical world in Mexico.
One of the most-asked questions about living in Mexico is “What if something serious happened medically?” We always reported that the various doctor’s visits we’ve had have been super affordable and attentive but until recently, nothing traumatic has happened to any of our guests or to us.
Last week, a regular guest, who is confident in Mexico in general, woke up with a “heavy” ache in her lower back. Having a history of UTI and kidney issues, she was concerned it was her kidney. Hoping it was instead just a sore muscle; she took a hot shower thinking that might help.
Then she asked if I could pick up an antibiotic that had worked for her before. The poor gal, the rest of that day was hell. The pain reached a 10+ and came in waves. In her words: “I was up all night; my entire urinary system was stalled. We called Cindy who, thank God, introduced us to Dr Ipiña. I was concerned I had kidney stones.
Dr. Ipiña wasn’t convinced. After a thorough consultation, tests, and observation he suggested a CT scan of my abdomen, blood work, and a urinalysis to rule it out (or confirm it). The tests were done in Vallarta, then Dr. Ipiña met us back in La Cruz at 7:00 pm. Dr Ipiña became extremely concerned by the results; the scan ruled out kidney stones, but tests showed that my white blood count was extremely high; two to four and a half times the normal range. As I hadn’t eaten for two days, and was nauseous and throwing up, he felt strongly that oral antibiotics were not best for this infection and recommended I be admitted to the CMQ Bucerias hospital for IV antibiotics, including nausea and pain medication. There we met Dr. Matilla who alongside Dr Ipiña stayed with me until 10:00 PM. I’ve never had such personalized care from a physician as from these two. Dr. Ipiña’s English is wonderful and he made a great effort to explain things to us.”
Vicki told me, “All the lab processes were done in compliance with Blood Bourne Pathogen Standards… (I am certified annually and saw only best practices throughout my experience). The hospital was new and close by and Dr Ipiña transported me to Emergency! I was cared for above and beyond normal standards. All doctors and staff were attentive, and caring; I never felt anything but complete confidence in the professionals caring for me. I kept saying I felt like I was staying at the Ritz! My husband Tim commented, “Well, we’ve never been in a hospital with marble floors before.” There was a beautiful couch that Tim spent the night on.
All fees including Dr. Ipiña’s care, lab work, hospital stay and prescriptions were approximately $50,625 Pesos or $2800.00 USD. We believe the charges were more than reasonable for the care and service I received.
This experience assures our return visits to La Cruz. From the response of our hosts at Villa Amor del Mar when I first became ill, right up to the moment we were discharged from the hospital, we received first class quality medical and “friend” care; our sincere thanks to all involved.”
