International Patients | Appointments & Referrals

Houston Methodist Global Patient Services team members are happy to help you on your health care journey. For INTERNATIONAL PATIENTS ONLY please contact us at +1.713.441.2340 or complete this form to request an appointment.

How to Prepare for Your Appointment Request

Once we receive your request for an appointment at Houston Methodist, a member of our medical referral team will contact you to gather information about your condition and the type of health care you need. This lets our medical staff members determine the best path forward for your care, including whether our remote second opinion ;is right for you.

We will need two key types of information from you: your medical records and your essential information.

International Medical Records

We must have copies of your medical records from your doctor in your home country so we can understand more about your diagnosis and determine which of our specialists is best able to treat you. These records must be in English. If your medical records are not already in English, you must have them translated by a certified medical translator and sent to us before we can provide services to you. In the event you do not have medical records or are unable to get them translated, our team will work with you on the best approach to scheduling an appointment for you at our hospital.

Some medical specialties have specific requirements for the medical records they need before they can treat you. For example, if you need to see one of our neurosurgeons, you must provide a recent MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan that was taken within the past six months. All required diagnostic and imaging tests must be performed within your home country and provided to Houston Methodist before you arrive in the United States. Your medical referral representative will let you know what specific requirements apply for the specialist you need to see.

Essential Information

Our medical referrals team will contact you to collect your essential information — that is, identifying information about you, where you are from and more. You will need to provide the following information:

• A copy of your passport.
• Emergency contact information.
• Home address (and U.S. address if applicable, such as if you will be staying with a family member or friend while in the U.S.).
• Insurance information, if applicable.
• Language preferences and whether you need an interpreter.
• Preferred communication method, either phone or email. Please note: Information provided in an unsecured email may be at risk of being read or accessed by someone else.
• Whether you have experienced any symptoms of COVID-19 within the last month.
• Whether you prefer to see a particular Houston Methodist doctor (learn more about our doctors).

Having this information available in advance of your phone call with our medical referral specialist will make the process smoother and faster. Once we receive your information and schedule your appointments, we will help you coordinate your visit with your patient liaison. Learn more about our support services.