A conversation with Dr. Gabriel Pérez Villarreal of Medicina Interna San Miguel de Allende (MISMA)
A medical appointment during a temporary stay needs more planning than finding an available time. Your existing records, departure date and arrangements for reviewing results all matter. Dr. Gabriel Pérez Villarreal explains how MISMA prepares adult patients for an internal-medicine consultation and helps organize information for the next clinician. MISMA is an adult healthcare practice centered on internal medicine, preventive care, and the integration of medical history and follow-up over time.
Translated from Spanish and edited for clarity. The answers describe MISMA’s approach and services, as supplied by its director. They are general planning information, not individual medical advice. Confirm current arrangements directly before booking.
1. What should someone share when requesting a first appointment?
Explain the main reason for the visit, relevant medical history and previous hospitalizations or operations. Our team also asks for the patient’s name as shown on identification and date of birth. Tell us how long you will be in San Miguel, your departure date, the language you need and any mobility or accompaniment needs.
Mention new symptoms or significant deterioration at the first contact, rather than assuming it is appropriate to wait for a scheduled appointment. Clarify who will review results and continue care after you return home.
At MISMA, clinical assessment and follow-up are in person. We do not offer video consultations or remote review of results. Our institutional WhatsApp is for coordinating care; it does not replace a consultation or an emergency service.
2. How can patients organize records without ordering extra tests themselves?
Prepare a brief list of known diagnoses, important operations and hospitalizations; current medications with generic names, doses and frequency; allergies and the reactions they caused; and the main questions you want to address. Include supplements, vitamins, herbal products and medicines bought without a prescription. Photographs of packaging and supplement labels can help identify what you take.
Bring recent test results, imaging reports and specialist notes with their dates. Existing documents help us understand what information is already available. Repeating tests just to arrive prepared can be unnecessary; first we review the clinical question and decide whether more information is needed.
When available through the patient’s institution, MISMA can also consult information shared from MyChart using Share Everywhere. The patient authorizes access through a temporary code. Coordinate its use with our team because the code expires, and never share your password. The available information depends on what the originating institution makes accessible, so keep relevant documents available as well.
Before sending anything, confirm the institutional channel and instructions with reception. Do not send medical records or access codes to editors, public directories or social-media groups. Collecting documents prepares the visit; clinical interpretation takes place during the in-person assessment.
3. What should people confirm before booking, and what is specific to MISMA?
At any practice, confirm who will assess you, the language available, the exact location and access arrangements, how much time to reserve, and what the service includes.
I consult in Spanish and English. Our reception team supports routine coordination in English; nursing and operational management have basic English. Tell us about language needs when booking. The practice has wheelchair access and an elevator, according to our current arrangements; discuss your particular access needs with us in advance.
Reserve 60 minutes for a first visit. Our usual allocation is 10 minutes for registration, five for vital signs and the initial nursing questions, 30 for the medical assessment, and 15 to explain test instructions and organize subsequent appointments.
Fees are communicated in writing when scheduling. We accept cash and debit or credit cards, including American Express. We also offer electrocardiography, spirometry and clinical nutrition with InBody body-composition assessment. Whether a service is appropriate, when it is scheduled and what it costs are confirmed for the individual case.
These arrangements describe MISMA. Confirm the conditions of other practices, laboratories, specialists and hospitals directly with them.
4. How do you coordinate tests, specialist referrals and results?
First establish why each test or assessment is needed and its priority. The schedule must take account of both the clinical situation and the length of the patient’s stay.
Written instructions explain the tests or referrals, preparation where relevant, the recommended timing and when results will be reviewed. A referral should make clear why another specialist is needed and what information they require.
At MISMA, results are reviewed in an in-person consultation. Sending documents to add to the record does not amount to remote medical review. Reports from other professionals help us bring findings, treatments and recommendations together and identify discrepancies between instructions.
Before leaving the appointment, the patient should understand the next steps, the return date and which changes require attention sooner. External providers must confirm their own availability, charges and turnaround times.
5. What should be arranged before the patient leaves Mexico?
Plan continuity before departure, particularly when tests are outstanding, treatment has changed or a condition needs monitoring.
MISMA prepares a medical summary on request. Depending on the case, it includes relevant clinical problems, findings, current treatment, completed tests and outstanding matters for the clinician who continues care. It can be provided in English if requested.
Ask in advance and keep prescriptions, original results and reports as well. If you travel before all results are available, agree who will receive and review them at the next place of care. Our service does not include video consultations or remote results review. The summary and organized records help preserve continuity between professionals.
6. Which planning mistakes are especially worth avoiding?
Do not leave the first consultation until the last few days of a stay. Other recurring problems include not knowing medication names or doses, bringing undated or incomplete reports, repeating tests without an indication, and assuming a message has already been reviewed by the doctor.
It also matters that different professionals know what the others have prescribed. A scheduled consultation can help a stable patient review their history and organize follow-up, but it must not delay emergency care. Do not wait for a WhatsApp response or the next available appointment in an emergency. Mexico’s emergency number is 911.
About Dr. Gabriel Pérez Villarreal
Dr. Gabriel Pérez Villarreal is an internal medicine physician and the founder and director of Medicina Interna San Miguel de Allende (MISMA). He holds Mexican specialty registration number 11501057 and is a member of the Colegio Mexicano de Medicina Interna and the American College of Physicians.
Professional details were supplied by the interviewee and have not been independently verified by MexPat Guide.
Professional website: https://www.internistasma.com.mx/
Institutional WhatsApp for coordination: https://wa.me/524152111234
Editor’s planning sources
MyChart’s explanation of medical-record sharing: https://www.mychart.org/l/en-us/features/share/
Mexico’s official emergency-number information: https://www.gob.mx/911/articulos/que-es-el-911emergencias?idiom=es
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About the Author
Ken Gardner develops and curates MexPat Guide from Vancouver, Canada. He focuses on Mexico relocation research and practical comparison questions. This is educational planning information, not a claim of local residence or individual immigration advice.
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