Out-of-town patients
Traveling to Beverly Hills for surgery with Dr. Cat
About 30 percent of Dr. Cat's patients travel from other states and countries. This guide covers the nine steps from your first call to the day you fly home: the private video consultation through our HIPAA-secure patient portal, what to arrange before you travel, how long to stay, who needs to come with you and how payment works.
Patients from across the US and overseas, one surgery scheduled per day. Read patient reviews
A simple process, wherever you live
Out-of-town patients consult with Dr. Cat by private video consultation through OnPatient, the practice's HIPAA-secure patient portal, where your photos and forms are kept confidential, and complete their medical clearance at home. You travel to Beverly Hills the day before surgery and stay one to two weeks while Dr. Cat follows your recovery.
Our Patient Concierge and Patient Consultant coordinate the rest: your quote, your date, lodging at a partner concierge hotel, and post-operative nursing if you want it. Everything below is the same information our team walks you through on the phone.
The nine steps for out-of-town patients
From your first call to flying home.
-
Step 1
Schedule your consultation
Book online or call the office at (310) 858-8808, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM. A free discovery call with our Patient Concierge answers your first questions and books your consultation with Dr. Cat.
Book a free discovery call -
Step 2
Send your photos through OnPatient
After you schedule, our office emails you an invitation to OnPatient, the practice's secure patient portal. There you complete the patient consent forms and upload clear photos of your front and side views, taken in good lighting and showing the areas that concern you. To protect your privacy, photos go through OnPatient only; please do not email photos or sensitive information before you have signed the Patient Privacy Consent Form.
-
Step 3
Your private video consultation with Dr. Cat
Once your photos and forms are in, we set a time for your video consultation, held through OnPatient, the practice's HIPAA-secure patient portal, so the call and everything you share stay private. Dr. Cat discusses the procedures you are interested in, confirms whether you are a candidate, explains what the surgery involves and answers all your questions. The consultation fee is $500, or $1,500 for a revision consultation, paid by card when you book. Cancel at least 72 hours ahead for a full refund. After your consultation the fee is a credit toward your surgery and never expires.
How the consultation works -
Step 4
Reserve your surgery date
After the consultation, our Patient Consultant sends you your quote and the pre-op requirements for your procedure as one document to sign online, and helps you choose a surgery date. Your date goes on the books once the document is signed and the $2,500 deposit is paid.
-
Step 5
Read and sign your packet
Once your surgery is scheduled, we send you a packet with the pre- and post-operative instructions and the consent forms for your procedure. Read every document carefully, initial each page and sign. Dr. Cat reviews the consents and the instructions with you before surgery, and you can email or call with questions at any point.
-
Step 6
Medical clearance and labs at home
You need a medical clearance from your doctor and routine blood tests before surgery, completed 14 days before your surgery date so the results can be reviewed in time. Book the appointment as soon as your surgery is scheduled. The exact tests depend on your age, health and procedures; we send you the list after reviewing your consultation form. For breast surgery you also need a mammogram done within the previous 12 months, with the report sent to us. Prescriptions for after surgery should be filled at least a day before; you can fill them in Los Angeles after you arrive.
Pre-op instructions -
Step 7
Plan your travel
Arrive at least one full day before your procedure for your final pre-operative visit with the doctor. The pre-op appointment itself takes place about three weeks before surgery, by video through the secure portal, and covers the consents and instructions we email you. After surgery, stay at least a week in Los Angeles, up to two for more extensive procedures, and have an adult with you throughout your stay. If nobody can accompany you, we can help arrange a caretaker.
-
Step 8
Concierge lodging and post-op nursing
We partner with AKA Beverly Hills, a concierge luxury extended-stay hotel, and with post-operative plastic surgery nursing facilities and private nurses. Dr. Cat's patients receive preferred rates, and our Patient Consultant gives you everything you need to reserve.
-
Step 9
Know the cancellation policy
Dr. Cat schedules one larger surgery per surgical day and plans her surgical calendar months ahead, with instruments prepared and sterilized for each procedure and the operating room team and anesthesiologist booked. The cancellation and rescheduling policy below is strictly enforced; any exception must be approved in writing by Dr. Cat's office.
Read the policy
Where you recover, and for how long
You wake up in the recovery bay inside the practice's own QUAD A accredited surgery center on Rodeo Drive. After larger surgeries you spend the first night in a plastic surgery aftercare center with nurses, so the night that matters most is never spent alone. Follow-up visits then continue at the office through your recovery.
Most patients stay a week in Los Angeles; more extensive procedures can mean up to two. Dr. Cat tells you your exact timeline at the consultation, and you need an adult with you for the whole stay. Our partner hotel and nursing options are arranged through our Patient Consultant, who also keeps a list of recommended hotels nearby.
See the office and the surgical suiteCancellation and rescheduling policy
For office procedures and for surgery. Strictly enforced; changes only in writing from Dr. Cat's office.
Non-surgical procedures
Thermi and Venus Viva treatments are paid in full when you schedule. Botox and filler appointments are held with a $500 reservation fee that is credited to your treatment.
- Reschedule or cancel at least four weeks ahead: no charge.
- Inside four weeks: 50 percent of the treatment is charged.
- On the day of the treatment: 100 percent.
Surgical procedures
The $2,500 surgery deposit is non-refundable and is collected when your surgical date is reserved. Only one deposit is applied toward the surgical fee.
- Cancelling or rescheduling at any time forfeits the deposit. A new date requires another $2,500, which is not applied to the surgical fee.
- Within four weeks of your date: 50 percent of the surgical fee, plus the deposit.
- Within two weeks of your date: 100 percent of the surgical fee, plus the deposit.
When and how to pay
When fees are due
- Consultation fee: by card when you book the consultation.
- Surgery deposit of $2,500: when you reserve your date.
- Surgeon's fee and surgical supplies (garments, implants and other items on your quote): in full four weeks before surgery.
- Operating room and anesthesia: two weeks before surgery.
Ways to pay
- Wire, Zelle or cashier's check: what most patients choose for surgical payments, and the simplest way to pay from abroad.
- Debit or credit card, on the secure invoice page or in the office; internationally issued American Express cards carry a 3% processing fee.
- Cash.
- Refunds go back to the original payment method; when a card payment is refunded, the card processing fee the practice was charged on it is deducted from the refund.
Financing
The surgeon's fee can be financed through Cherry, CareCredit or Alphaeon. Financing does not cover the consultation fee or the surgery deposit. Medical insurance does not cover cosmetic surgery, although it may cover some associated costs such as lab work.
Financing optionsOut-of-town patient questions
Answers reviewed by Dr. Cat Begovic, MD, FACS. Updated September 2026.
After you schedule, our office emails you an invitation to OnPatient, the practice's secure patient portal, where you complete the consent forms and upload front and side photos. Once they are in, we set a time for your private video consultation with Dr. Cat, held through the same HIPAA-secure portal. The fee is $500, or $1,500 for a revision, credited toward your surgery.
Plan on at least a week in Los Angeles after surgery, and up to two weeks for more extensive procedures. The exact time depends on your procedure and how far you are traveling. Dr. Cat goes over your recovery timeline at the consultation so you can book your return with confidence.
Arrive at least one full day before your procedure for your final pre-operative visit with the doctor. The pre-op appointment itself happens about three weeks earlier, by video through the secure portal, when Dr. Cat reviews the consent forms and instructions we emailed you.
Yes. You need an adult with you throughout your stay, including the trip from surgery to where you are staying. If nobody can accompany you, the office can help you arrange a caretaker, and the practice partners with post-operative nursing facilities and private nurses.
The practice partners with AKA Beverly Hills, a concierge luxury extended-stay hotel, as well as post-operative plastic surgery nursing facilities and private nurses, with preferred rates for Dr. Cat's patients. Our Patient Consultant also keeps a list of recommended hotels nearby and helps you reserve.
You need a medical clearance from your doctor and routine blood tests, completed 14 days before surgery. The exact tests depend on your age, health and procedures, and we send you the list after your consultation. Breast surgery patients also need a mammogram from within the previous 12 months, with the report sent to us.
No. The $2,500 surgery deposit is non-refundable and is collected when you reserve your date. Cancelling or rescheduling forfeits it, and a new date requires another $2,500 that is not applied to the surgical fee. Within four weeks of surgery, 50 percent of the surgical fee is also charged; within two weeks, 100 percent.
The surgeon's fee and your surgical supplies are due four weeks before surgery, and the operating room and anesthesia fees two weeks before. You can pay by wire, Zelle or cashier's check, by debit or credit card (internationally issued American Express cards carry a 3% processing fee), or in cash. The surgeon's fee can also be financed through Cherry, CareCredit or Alphaeon.
Plan your trip with our Patient Concierge
Start with a free 15-minute discovery call. She answers your questions about traveling for surgery and books your video consultation with Dr. Cat.
Book a free discovery call