Your Injury Deserves the Most Qualified Surgeon — Not Just the Most Convenient One.
The best orthopedic surgeon for your condition may not be in your city. For patients with complex shoulder, elbow, or knee injuries — especially those requiring procedures that few surgeons in the country have mastered — traveling to Los Angeles for the right care is often the most important decision you can make.
A virtual consultation with Dr. Mirzayan makes that decision easier. Before you book a flight, invest in time off work, or uproot your family, you can meet Dr. Mirzayan face to face on video, review your imaging and records together, and determine whether making the trip to Los Angeles is the right next step for you.
Many of Dr. Mirzayan's most successful outcomes began with a simple video call.
Out-of-Network Does Not Mean Out of Reach
Dr. Mirzayan is an out-of-network provider — but for most patients with commercial insurance, that matters far less than you might think.
Patients from Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, and across the country who carry commercial insurance — Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO, Aetna, Cigna, United Healthcare, and similar plans — frequently have strong out-of-network benefits. In many cases, after your deductible, your plan reimburses a substantial portion of the cost of surgery. The out-of-pocket difference between seeing Dr. Mirzayan and seeing a local in-network surgeon can be surprisingly small — and in some cases, equivalent.
Dr. Mirzayan's office will help you understand your benefits before you commit to anything. We will verify your out-of-network coverage, walk you through what to expect, and make sure you have a clear picture of costs before you make any decisions.
Don't assume you can't afford the best care. Call us first: (310) 746-5918.
Who Travels to See Dr. Mirzayan?
Dr. Mirzayan regularly treats patients from across the country, including:
Young baseball players and overhead athletes with OCD of the capitellum, UCL tears requiring Tommy John surgery, or other elbow conditions that demand a surgeon with deep subspecialty experience and a published track record. Baseball is played year-round in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Georgia — and the travel ball and showcase circuit already has families accustomed to traveling for the sport. Traveling for the right surgeon is no different.
Patients with massive rotator cuff tears who have been told they need a reverse shoulder replacement and are looking for an alternative. Dr. Mirzayan invented Biologic Tuberoplasty™ — a 30-minute arthroscopic procedure that can restore function without a metal and plastic implant. Patients travel from across the country specifically for this procedure.
Patients with patellofemoral joint disease who want to avoid a knee replacement. Dr. Mirzayan invented BioPFJ™ — a biologic knee preservation procedure using fresh donor tissue — with outcomes unmatched anywhere else in the country.
Second-opinion patients who have received a diagnosis or treatment recommendation they are uncertain about and want to hear from one of the most experienced sports medicine surgeons in the United States before proceeding.
What to Expect from Your Virtual Consultation
A virtual visit with Dr. Mirzayan is not an impersonal experience. It is a genuine conversation — a chance for you to meet him, share your story, ask questions, and review your imaging and records together.
Before your appointment, you will be asked to submit:
- Any relevant MRI, X-ray, or CT imaging
- Prior operative reports if you have had previous surgery
- A brief summary of your symptoms and history
During the visit, Dr. Mirzayan will review everything with you, give you his honest assessment, and discuss whether surgery is indicated, what procedure he would recommend, and what recovery would look like. If an in-person evaluation is needed before he can make a definitive recommendation, he will tell you that directly.
Dr. Mirzayan believes that a thorough in-person examination is the gold standard of orthopedic care. He will never recommend a treatment plan without truly understanding your injury and your goals. The virtual visit is designed to make sure that when you do come to Los Angeles, you already know it's the right decision — and you already know your surgeon.
Ready to Take the First Step?
Call (310) 746-5918 or contact us online to schedule your virtual consultation. Our team will confirm your appointment, help you submit your records, and verify your out-of-network insurance benefits before your visit.
Los Angeles is closer than you think — and the right care is worth the trip.
About Dr. Raffy Mirzayan
Dr. Raffy Mirzayan is a world-renowned, double-board certified orthopedic sports medicine surgeon with 25 years of experience and more than 10,000 surgeries performed. He practices at DOCS Health in Los Angeles and serves as a Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at USC.
A nationally recognized innovator, Dr. Mirzayan has pioneered several techniques now adopted by orthopedic surgeons worldwide — including Biologic Tuberoplasty™, a minimally invasive alternative to reverse shoulder replacement for massive rotator cuff tears; Double Button Tommy John surgery for overhead athletes; and BioPFJ™, a biologic knee preservation procedure. He was also the first surgeon in the world to use fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation to treat OCD of the capitellum, beginning in 2006.
Dr. Mirzayan has authored more than 150 publications including peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, and abstracts — with 88 peer-reviewed publications in journals including the American Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, JBJS, and JSES. He is the editor of 4 textbooks and has delivered more than 200 invited lectures globally.
As Co-Founder and Co-Director of Shoulder360™ — one of the largest shoulder surgery courses in the United States, training more than 350 surgeons annually — Dr. Mirzayan is constantly learning from and teaching alongside the world's leading orthopedic surgeons. That ongoing commitment to excellence directly benefits every patient he treats.
Recognized as a Castle Connolly Top Doctor every year from 2016 through 2026 and as one of America's Top Doctors from 2009 through 2023, Dr. Mirzayan brings world-class expertise with a genuinely personal touch. He is the surgeon other surgeons refer their most difficult cases to.
When you come to Dr. Mirzayan, you are not just getting a surgeon. You are getting a partner in your recovery.
DOCS Health | 8436 W 3rd St #800, Los Angeles, CA 90048 | (310) 746-5918 | raffymirzayan.com
