World-class joint replacement, one flight from Guam & Saipan

When a hip or knee has reached the point of replacement, many patients on Guam and in the CNMI face a choice: wait for limited local options, or travel for surgery. Honolulu offers something no other destination can match — mainland-level American medicine without leaving the US. Your insurance works the way it does at home, your medical records stay in one system, and the standards, licensing, and patient protections are the ones you already know.

Dr. Paul Morton is a board-certified, fellowship-trained hip & knee surgeon who performed Hawai‘i's first robotic hip replacement and the state's first Persona IQ smart knee. He treats traveling patients from across the Pacific as a routine part of his practice — not as an exception.

Because you can't easily come in for a first appointment, the process starts with a telehealth visit from your home on Guam or Saipan. We arrange X-rays locally, review your imaging and history, and confirm whether surgery is actually the right answer — Dr. Morton offers non-surgical options first whenever they make sense. If surgery is the plan, you'll receive a written plan covering your pre-operative testing, surgery date, recovery schedule, and estimated costs before you commit to anything.

The practice accepts TRICARE, and our schedulers work with referral requirements for active-duty family members and retirees regularly. If you've been told the wait for off-island care is long, ask us to check what your plan actually allows — many patients are surprised how quickly an approved referral can move.

Medicare and Medicaid patients from the territories are also welcome; we verify coverage and explain any out-of-pocket costs in writing before you travel. See all accepted insurance plans.

Most joint replacement patients plan 10–14 days in Honolulu: arrive a couple of days early for final testing, have robotic-assisted, muscle-sparing surgery, walk the same day, then complete wound checks and early physical therapy before Dr. Morton clears you to fly. Blood-clot prevention is built into the protocol for the flight home. You book your own flights and lodging — and if you'd rather have that handled, travel and lodging coordination can be arranged through the Rapid Recovery Concierge, at the TotalCare Elite level. Ask your coordinator what fits your route, and you will get the options in writing before anything is booked.

After you're back, follow-ups continue by telehealth — and patients who choose the Persona IQ smart knee have their recovery data transmitted to the care team automatically from the implant itself. It's the closest thing to taking your surgeon home with you.