Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Traveling for Hernia Surgery: What You Need to Know
At Advanced Hernia Specialists, we proudly serve patients from across the United States and around the world. Many people choose to travel to our practice for our specialized surgical expertise, advanced techniques, and transparent all-inclusive pricing—especially those seeking complex repairs or mesh-free options.
Whether you're coming from another state or another country, we’re here to make the experience seamless, supportive, and efficient.
🧳Why Patients Travel to Advanced Hernia Specialists
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Expertise That Matters: Dr. Eric Pinnar is a board-certified general surgeon focused exclusively on hernia repair. He specializes in complex cases, robotic surgery, and non-mesh solutions.
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Flat-Fee, All-Inclusive Pricing: Our self-pay packages include the surgeon’s fee, anesthesia, and facility costs—without hidden charges.
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Telehealth Access: Schedule a video consultation with Dr. Pinnar before your trip to discuss your diagnosis, treatment options, and surgical plan.
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Coordinated Scheduling: We help you minimize time away from home with efficient scheduling tailored to your needs.
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Safe, Fast Recovery: Most patients can safely return home within 24–48 hours after surgery.
🗓️ Planning Your Trip: What to Expect
We’ll assist you every step of the way:
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Personalized timeline based on your travel needs
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Lodging options near our surgical centers
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Transportation advice (including airport access, rental cars, and ride-share services)
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Pre-op and post-op instructions specifically designed for patients traveling alone or with companions
Our primary facility is just 30 minutes from Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), making travel convenient and stress-free.
🌐 International Patients Are Welcome
We’ve worked with patients from across the globe. If you’re traveling internationally, our team can help with:
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Medical documentation needed for your travel
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Coordination with your local healthcare provider before and after surgery
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Translation assistance for records or correspondence (if needed)
Why Jacksonville?
Located in Northeast Florida, Jacksonville offers:
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Multiple direct flights daily into JAX
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Warm weather, coastal views, and world-class hospitality
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A calm, supportive environment for your surgical recovery
Dedicated to Your Peace of Mind
We understand the unique concerns of traveling patients. Our goal is to help you return home safely and confidently—with excellent results and peace of mind.
Don D.
Bucyrus, MO
05/02/2025
Where to begin?
My name is Don, and am 74 years old. I’m old school to say the least. Over the years, through many discouraging episodes with the medical systems, I had lost faith in doctors and the system especially that the humanity had seemingly been lost. The true care and concern for the patient was just not there, it was more about prescribing medications, and keeping the problem on life support, rather than getting to the root cause and resolving the problem once and for all. Not the revolving door of return customers to drop off their hard earned money, and still no resolve of the problem. My problem was more with the treatment of my wife’s issue, there was no push to resolve her problem, just more money, with just dead end streets. So, we gave up on the system. Which brings me up to now. i have always been a self help individual, if i cut myself, or whatever, i fix it, but , i developed this hernia, and I tried with exercise to fix it, to no avail, which brings me up to now.
My children had been after me to get the surgery done to fix it, one in particular , i did some calling around, and all i got was the same system, i removed myself from, need a referral, long waits for appointments , being passed around on the phone, never seeming to get to the person i needed to speak to. Then, one day, my daughter sent me a video link of Dr. Pinnar and Dr Mercola speaking about hernia surgery. In that interview, i saw a different mentality, when it comes to caring for patients, which really got my attention. I looked up Advanced Hernia Specialist , and read, what I would call their mission statement, and was very impressed, so, i decided to find out for myself.
So, I made the phone call, and to my surprise, I got a normal answering machine. Before long, I got a phone call from Lauren , Dr Pinnar's office manager, who was warm, and easy to speak with. In that call we set up a telehealth conference with Dr Pinnar.
When it was time for the conference, I was somewhat anxious , but , from the first hello, the anxiousness went away. It was all uphill from there. Dr Pinnar went through every detail imaginable about hernia surgery, what to expect, and what were the best avenues for long lasting results. We ended the call with me wanting to schedule the surgery as soon as possible. That conference was on a Friday. On Sunday, of all days, he emailed me with a possible date, dependent upon the hospital. That date could not be met, and that was because of my own issue that Dr Pinnar tried desperately to resolve.
Another date was set, and scheduled for surgery. My wife and I drove 15 hours to Jacksonville, that’s how much I was sold on Dr Pinnar.
On the morning of surgery, when in pre-op, my blood pressure spiked to stroke level(mind you, I had not seen been to a Dr in at least 15 years, it was a surprise to me)well, to say the least, I wouldn’t get put to sleep for fear of stroking.
everyone present went above and beyond to get my blood pressure at a level that would make surgery possible. It could not happen on that day, which was Thursday. Very disappointing to say the least. That’s when Dr Pinnar went to work to find me some blood pressure medicine that would drive it down enough to make the surgery possible, before having to drive back home, not having my initial issue resolved, the inguinal hernia. The surgery center made a slot for me on the following Monday, and Dr Pinnar adjusted his schedule to meet mine. Throughout the weekend , Dr Pinnar stayed in contact with me monitoring my pressure to get it to an acceptable level that surgery could be performed . My pressure had dropped enough, according to machines I was using to test it with, so, the surgery was a go for Monday morning.
Monday morning comes, back in pre-op, my blood pressure spikes again,(unbelievable )everyone involved were scrambling, also in unbelief, they were patient, they were kind, and were doing whatever they could .But, by Gods grace, my pressure started to drop, and they were able to give me something to bring my pressure down enough to perform surgery . Dr Pinnar was there, sitting on go. To say the least, surgery happened, and, successfully!
But the story does not end here. Dr Pinnar, to this date , has been in constant contact with me, not just about my hernia surgery , but , about my blood pressure issue , about which I will follow his advice to find a primary care physician to deal with my blood pressure problem. He truly cares.
Dr Pinnar has restored my faith, that are physicians out there that still care. If anyone out has a hernia problem, this is the Doctor for you!!!
Sincerely,
Don Dupre