Traveling to Dallas
Patients come to Dr. Haddock from across Texas, from other states and from abroad. This page is the practical side of that trip.
Traveling for your consultation
Telehealth visits
If you are outside Texas, your consultation has to be in person. Dr. Haddock offers telehealth visits to patients who are physically in Texas at the time of the visit. He is not licensed to practice in other states, so a video consultation is not available to patients elsewhere in the country or abroad.
What matters is where you are at the time of the visit, not where you live. If you live in Texas but are out of state on the day of your appointment, a video visit is not an option. Conversely, if you live out of state and are in Texas on the day of your visit, then a telehealth appointment can be completed. This is not typical, however, given that we usually see traveling patients in person.
How long to allow
If you are traveling in for a new consult with Dr. Haddock, then you should expect to be in the office for a couple of hours.
The typical consult involves time with one of Dr. Haddock’s nurses to check you in. You will have time with Dr. Haddock where he will discuss your situation, examine you, present you with options, and answer any questions. You will also get photos and meet with Dr. Haddock’s administrative assistant. She will discuss the schedule and give you a packet with more detailed information about your planned procedure. She will take time to walk you through this packet. All of this is important and can take time. For a morning appointment, you should not plan return travel until the afternoon or evening, depending on your appointment time.
If you are coming for a flap breast reconstruction with your own tissue, then please read the imaging section below.
What to bring
Please send any pertinent records via MyChart or have your other healthcare provider send them via fax. If you have them yourself, then you can bring physical copies to your visit.
If you have previous breast implants, then the details (brand, style, size) are very helpful. You should have been given a card that has all of these details.
Imaging for flap patients
If you are considering a flap reconstruction, Dr. Haddock will want imaging prior to scheduling your operation. This is an important part of the planning process and often helps with the selection of the appropriate donor site. It is preferred that imaging is done at our center. We find this much more reliable, and images done elsewhere often have to be repeated anyway. Ideally this can be arranged before traveling to Dallas and coordinated with your visit to avoid multiple trips.
While it is preferred that imaging is done at our center, if you already have a CT angiogram (a CT scan that maps your blood vessels) done for perforator flaps, Dr. Haddock will be happy to review it. If this is the case, then let us know and bring your CT Angiogram on a CD with you to your appointment.
If imaging is not pre‑planned and the decision is made at your consultation, it can sometimes be done on the same day as your visit — if you think this might be a possibility, then you should plan for extra time prior to traveling home. In some situations, our out‑of‑town patients are able to be added to the schedule the same day or the next day. While we can help with arranging imaging, we cannot guarantee that there will be availability when not pre‑planned.
A CT angiogram is a requirement to schedule an autologous (your own tissue) breast reconstruction with Dr. Haddock.
Traveling for surgery
Bringing someone with you
Plan on bringing someone with you. Hospital policy is that when you are discharged, someone must be there to drive you home or to your hotel. You will need to arrange your own transportation, so if you are traveling from out of town, this is the first thing to plan.
Where the operation happens
Operations are performed at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, the academic medical center at UT Southwestern in Dallas — 6201 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, TX 75390.
We also have an outpatient surgery center at the same location as Dr. Haddock’s clinic, 1801 Inwood Rd.
Arriving before the operation
If you are traveling from out of state, your pre‑operative testing is done the day before your operation, at 7:30 am. Patients who live locally are usually scheduled for testing about a week beforehand. If there is any question about health and suitability from an anesthesia standpoint, then an earlier visit can be prudent.
If the pre‑surgery testing team requires further tests, the day before surgery rarely leaves enough time to complete them. In this event the operation has to be canceled and rescheduled to the next available date. Seeing your primary care provider for a pre‑operative visit and clearance can help decrease this risk. If you decide to do this, then please send us any available information so it can be placed in your chart.
The hospital stay
How long you are in the hospital depends on which operation you have. Each operation’s page states its own length of stay:
After discharge, before flying home
All flap patients must be seen in the office before traveling home. This visit is usually 7 to 14 days after your operation and should be arranged when your surgery is scheduled. This means you will need to arrange your own place to stay locally after you are discharged from the hospital.
We always encourage patients to wear compression when traveling. If you are flying or have a long drive, you should get up periodically to help limit potential complications.
Follow-up from home
Please read all instructions and follow these as best you can. Many of the questions and concerns after surgery can be answered in the patient instructions. If you have questions, you can send them via MyChart. You can also send photos via MyChart (do not email these). There are stated signs of concern in the patient instructions for each individual procedure. If you have any of these signs, then you should be seen at your nearest emergency room.
If you are out of state and would like direct medical care (prescriptions), then you will need to return to Dallas to be seen. Some patients have an established local plastic surgeon who will help them with post‑operative care. We are happy to communicate with them if that is helpful.
Hotels with UT Southwestern rates
UT Southwestern contracts discounted rates with hotels across Dallas, and those rates are available to patients and their guests, not only to staff. UT Southwestern’s own guidance is simply to mention the UT Southwestern rate when you book.
On Harry Hines Boulevard — the hospital’s own street
Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center and Home2 Suites by Hilton. Home2 Suites is an extended‑stay property, so its rooms have kitchens.
Market Center and along Stemmons Freeway
Courtyard by Marriott Dallas Medical/Market, Fairfield Inn & Suites Dallas Medical/Market, Marriott Dallas Medical/Market Center, Sheraton Suites Market Center, Renaissance Dallas Hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Market Center, Hilton Garden Inn, Crowne Plaza Dallas Love Field/Medical District, Spark by Hilton Dallas District Love Field, and Candlewood Suites Market Center.
Extended stays
Candlewood Suites Market Center, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Sonesta Simply Suites Dallas Galleria are all suite properties with kitchens, and the contracted rate on some of them steps down the longer you stay.
If you would prefer something finer
The contracted list also includes Hotel Crescent Court, the Warwick Melrose, Hotel ZaZa, Fairmont Dallas, Virgin Hotels Dallas, the Hilton Anatole and the Magnolia Hotel Downtown. The Warwick Melrose is the one hotel on the list whose complimentary shuttle names UT Southwestern as a destination — worth confirming when you book, as shuttle services change.
Rates change through the year, so it is best to get the current list straight from the hospital:
Airports and getting around
Dallas has two airports. Dallas Love Field (DAL) is about 1.8 miles from the hospital — closer than most of the contracted hotels — and several of those hotels run a complimentary shuttle to it. Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) is about 12.6 miles away and is the airport with international service.
Several of the contracted hotels run a complimentary shuttle — to Love Field, and in the Warwick Melrose’s case to UT Southwestern itself — so it is worth asking what a hotel offers when you book. Beyond that, you will need to arrange your own transportation around Dallas. A hotel shuttle does not cover the drive home from the hospital — for that, someone must be with you.
Where everything is
Straight-line distances from the hospital, not drive times.
Planning a trip to Dallas?
Tell us where you are coming from and Dr. Haddock’s office will help you plan the visit.
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