Come to Houston for a CustomFit

If you would like to come to Houston for a CustomFit knee, you need to be aware of several special circumstances.  When you call or email for an appointment, make sure my staff knows you are coming from out of town.  If that is the case, we will make you an appointment for the CustomFit MRI the same day you are seen. This MRI cannot be done in your home town, and is only done on a very few machines in Houston.  If we don’t reserve an MRI time on the day of your appointment, you may not be able to get this MRI while you are in town, You would then have to stay overnight or make a separate trip just for the MRI.   Most patients return to Houston three weeks after being seen in my office for the surgery.  Under special circumstances we can get the surgery set up in
four or five days after the MRI, while you hang around Houston and get surgery the next week. This requires major pre-arranging by our office, so please let us know if your require this.
 
Most patients spend two or three nights in the hospital.  All rooms are private, so a spouse can stay with the patient without worrying about requesting a private room.  Dr. Likover performs CustomFit replacement Monday thru Thursday.  This is not an outpatient procedure. You will be offered the opportunity to have a femoral nerve block in the holding area before surgery. Please take advantage of this opportunity to have little or no pain following the surgery.  All patients are treated with a continuous passive motion machine in the hospital and afterwards for two weeks.  The machine in rented you by Therapeutic Solutions(281 317 8227), a Houston medical equipment rental company. Insurance and Medicare covers most of the cost of this rental.  Patients are also given home physical therapy and home nursing if required; this is also usually covered by insurance and is by Medicare.  All patients go home with pain pills, either hydrocodone or propoxyphene and a blood thinner to prevent blood clots in the legs, either Arixtra or Lovenox.

The patient’s responsibility is to obtain full flexion (bending) and full extension (getting your knee all the way straight) after surgery in the hospital and when the patient goes home.  You will be furnished a brace to wear at night to keep the knee locked out straight, and to allow full bending during the daytime. The patient may discontinue crutches as fast as possible and may drive when capable. Most patients are pretty limited the first two weeks, after that rapid improvement occurs in the ability to perform most tasks.

Insurance Issues:  Medicare and all insurance companies cover CustomFit total knee replacement, the special MRI and all additional costs associated with it. Doctor Likover is also happy to treat patients for whom Dr. Likover is not in their network. Special arrangements will need to be made for these cases.  If you are not Medicare and would like to come to Houston, make sure we have your insurance information before you come so we can pre-certify your office visit, x-rays, and special MRI.  Please do not come to Houston for the actual surgery until you are sure it has been approved by your insurance company. You may fax or email a scanned copy of your insurance or Medicare card to Kathy, Glenda or Marsha at the office, call 713 465-0696 to reach any of them and obtain fax or email information.

Hotels and Motels

Closest to the Hospital and Office (Four Miles)

Omni Hotel                   281 558-8338
Courtyard by Marriott   281 496-9090

Further, but maybe less expensive (Nine Miles)

La Quinta Inn                        713 932-0808
Quality Inn                            713 675-2711
Red Roof Inn                         281 579-7200
Hyatt Summer Field Suites   281 646-9990
Extended Stay Delux             281 398-6500
Super 8                                   281 646-7800
Drury Inn                               281 558-7007
Holiday Inn                            800 470-3431

All Hotels and Motels are along I-10 the Katy Freeway.  The Hospital
(Memorial Hermann Memorial City) and the outpatient surgery center
(Special Surgery of Houston), and Dr. Likover’s office are all along the
Katy Freeway.