An out-of-area provider sets up a Key West evaluation the same way a local one does: call or text (305) 707-8484, or send the short form on the refer a patient page. Records are shared after contact, the patient is seen while in town, and the consult note comes back to you at home. What the visit can cover is spelled out on the capabilities page, so the case lands inside scope before anyone books a flight.

The completion pattern

The practice's published destination guidance, the patient-facing hub linked at the end of this page, states that most visiting patients complete evaluation and treatment within 2 to 4 days. Treat that as the practice's published pattern, not a guarantee: a case that needs staged injections, additional imaging, or an onward surgical referral can run longer, and a straightforward evaluation can finish sooner. When the timeline drives the travel booking, call before the tickets are bought and say so.

What to have ready before the visit

Records are exchanged after contact, through the practice's standard channels agreed with your office. The visit runs more efficiently when these are ready to send:

Recent imaging reports and, where possible, the images themselves
A brief treatment summary: what was tried and how it went
The current medication list
The patient's activity goals
Travel dates

Scheduling around travel

Key West has a rhythm that referral timing should respect. High season runs roughly December through April and books heavier across the island. Fantasy Fest in late October compresses lodging for about a week. Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 (NOAA), and a named storm can disrupt travel plans on short notice, so summer and fall itineraries deserve a backup plan. Flights arrive at Key West International Airport; the drive from Miami runs roughly four hours down the Overseas Highway.

Follow-up and handback

After the visit, the consult note returns to the home provider with findings, what was done, and the recommended next step. Rehabilitation and ongoing care continue at home with you; the visit is a chapter in your chart, not a transfer of the patient. The practice stays reachable on the same line for questions about the note after everyone is back at their desks. For a traveling patient who is weighing an operation rather than seeking treatment, the second opinions page describes the pre-surgical read.

Something to hand the patient

The practice publishes a patient-facing resource for the trip itself: Why Key West, a readable hub covering the visit plan and the destination side of destination care. For an athlete mid-event, a second patient-facing resource exists at Key West Sports Medicine's visiting athletes page: the finish-or-get-seen framework and the handoff to the home physician, written for the patient.

Starting a case

Send it through the refer a patient page, or call the line and skip the form. Either way, the loop ends with a note back to you.