Vetting checklist · For US patients

How to vet a bariatric surgeon in Mexico: a US patient's checklist.

You vet a bariatric surgeon in Mexico with five checks: confirm the specialty license in the federal public registry, ask for the board certificate by number, check society memberships (ASMBS, IFSO), ask who operates and who answers afterward, and treat any price-first pitch as a warning sign. Every check takes minutes.

Run it on me first. I'm Dr. David Lomelí Reyes, a bariatric and metabolic surgeon in Cancún, Mexico (CMCOEM CB240071 · Cédula CE 14247260 · ASMBS · IFSO (MX102) · ACS). This checklist works on any surgeon in Mexico — including me. A surgeon who can't pass it shouldn't operate on you.

Key fact: in Mexico, a specialist's license (cédula) is verifiable in the federal public registry, and bariatric board certification is issued by the Colegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la Obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas (CMCOEM) jointly with the Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General. Dr. David Lomelí Reyes (Cancún, Mexico) publishes his verifiable numbers — cédula de especialidad CE 14247260 and CMCOEM certificate CB240071 — and has performed 2,000+ bariatric procedures.

Written and reviewed by Dr. David Lomelí Reyes · Bariatric & metabolic surgeon CMCOEM CB240071 · Cédula CE 14247260 · ASMBS · IFSO · ACS Updated 28/07/2026

01 · Verify it yourself

How do you verify a Mexican surgeon's credentials?

You verify a Mexican surgeon in two steps: look up the specialty license (cédula) in the federal public registry, and ask for the board certificate by number. Here's each one:

The cédula (specialty license) — check it right now. Every legitimate specialist in Mexico holds a government-issued specialty license, searchable by name in the federal registry at cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx. The form is in Spanish, but all you type is the surgeon's name. Mine is CE 14247260.
Board certification — CMCOEM. Bariatric certification in Mexico is issued by the Colegio Mexicano de Cirugía para la Obesidad y Enfermedades Metabólicas (CMCOEM), jointly with the Consejo Mexicano de Cirugía General. Ask any surgeon for their certificate number and to show you the certificate — mine is CB240071, and I'll show it to you without being asked twice. If a practice hesitates on this question, that tells you what you need to know.

Then check the society memberships the surgeon claims. The ASMBS (American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) and IFSO (International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity) let you confirm the claim is real — membership isn't a competency credential, but a fake membership is a very real red flag. If a site says "internationally certified" without naming which body and which number, that's not a credential — it's a font.

02 · The right questions

What questions should you ask before booking?

Ask five questions before booking: who operates, who answers afterward, which hospital, what's included in writing, and what the follow-up plan is. Ask them on the first call — and pay attention to who answers:

"Who performs my surgery — you, or someone on the team?" You want a named surgeon, not a rotating roster.
"Who answers my messages after surgery?" In my practice the answer is: I do, on WhatsApp, directly. Wherever you ask, the answer should be a person with a name — not "our patient care team."
"Which hospital, exactly?" A real answer names the hospital before you pay anything. I operate in established private hospitals in Cancún (Joya, Amerimed, Galenia). Then look the hospital up yourself.
"What's included, in writing?" Surgeon, anesthesiology, hospital nights, pre-op evaluation, post-op follow-up — itemized before any deposit.
"What happens if I need you in six months?" Bariatric surgery is a long-term relationship, not an event. If there's no follow-up plan, there's no plan.

03 · Red flags

What are the red flags?

The biggest red flags: a price-first pitch, no named surgeon, and coordinator-only contact. None of these alone proves a bad surgeon — but each one should slow you down:

The price is the headline. When a number is the first thing you see, the surgery is being sold as a commodity. As I tell my patients: cheap surgery is the most expensive thing you can buy.
No named surgeon anywhere on the site. You're booking an operation, not a package tour.
You can only reach a coordinator. If you can't talk to the surgeon before you book, you won't talk to them after.
Pressure to pay a deposit today — legitimate practices give you time to run exactly the checks on this page.
No candidacy evaluation. If nobody asks your weight, height, and medical history before quoting, they're not evaluating you — they're invoicing you.
Reviews that only exist on the clinic's own site. Look for reviews on platforms the clinic doesn't control.

04 · The hospital

Does the hospital matter as much as the surgeon?

Yes — and the good news is you can verify it the same way. Ask for the hospital's name up front, then check it independently: is it an established private hospital with an ICU, or an office-based operating room? I operate in established private hospitals in Cancún — Joya, Amerimed, and Galenia — and you get a written quote that names the hospital before you commit. Any surgeon should be willing to do the same.

05 · Aftercare from the US

How does follow-up work when you're back in the US?

In my practice, follow-up runs on WhatsApp: you stay 3 extra days in Cancún before I clear you to fly — book a hotel near the hospital — and from the moment you wake up, I answer you personally, usually within the hour. That doesn't stop when you land back home: your check-ins at months 1, 3, 6, and 12 run virtually. This is the question that separates surgery tourism from surgery with a doctor who happens to be in Mexico.

Whoever you choose, get the aftercare plan in writing before surgery. "Message us if anything comes up" is not a plan.

06 · The checklist

The 7-point checklist for vetting a bariatric surgeon in Mexico.

Specialty cédula verified in the federal registry.
Board certificate (CMCOEM) shown to you, by number — not just claimed on the site.
ASMBS and/or IFSO membership, by name and number.
Named surgeon who talks to you before you book — and answers you after.
Hospital named up front; you verified it independently.
Itemized written quote after a real candidacy evaluation — never a price-first pitch.
Aftercare plan in writing, including how follow-up works from the US.

If a surgeon passes all seven, Mexico can be a serious, safe option — I've written an honest guide on that question too: Is bariatric surgery in Mexico safe? And if you want to compare procedures while you're at it: weight loss surgery in Cancún for US patients.

07 · Straight answers

Ask me anything. Straight answers.

Who is the best bariatric surgeon in Mexico?

“Best” isn’t a ranking anyone can honestly award — it’s a verification you run yourself: a specialty cédula you can look up in the federal registry, a CMCOEM board certificate shown to you by number, ASMBS/IFSO membership, a named hospital, direct surgeon access, and a written aftercare plan. Any surgeon who passes all of those checks is a serious candidate; anyone who fails them isn’t, no matter what their ads say.

How do I verify a Mexican surgeon's credentials from the US?

Start with the federal cédula registry (cedulaprofesional.sep.gob.mx): search the surgeon’s name and match the specialty license number they publish — the form is in Spanish, but the surgeon’s name is all you type. Then ask the surgeon for their CMCOEM board certificate by number; a legitimate practice shows it without hesitation.

What's the biggest red flag when choosing bariatric surgery in Mexico?

A price-first pitch with no named surgeon. When the number is the headline and you can only reach a coordinator, the operation is being sold as a commodity — and a quote issued before anyone asks your weight, height, or medical history isn’t an evaluation, it’s an invoice.

Is bariatric surgery in Mexico safe?

It can be — with a board-certified surgeon, an established private hospital, and a real aftercare plan, which is exactly what this checklist verifies. The full, honest answer — including when Mexico is not the right choice — is in my guide: Is bariatric surgery in Mexico safe?

How much does bariatric surgery in Mexico cost?

I don’t publish exact prices — every case is quoted individually — and I’d be cautious of any site where the price is the headline. Surgery is quoted case by case — your evaluation, the procedure, the hospital, and follow-up. Message me your weight, height, and medical conditions on WhatsApp and I’ll answer personally, normally within 24 hours; your itemized cost comes at your evaluation.