The 47 checks a clinic passes before we promote it.
Licensing, sterilisation, materials, communication, published fees, aftercare, and what happens afterwards. This is the whole list, in the order we work through it.
Being a featured partner is not a clinical endorsement, and it does not change what you pay. It means the practice passed the checks below.
Why this exists
Standards vary by clinic, not by country.
Treatment abroad is typically 45 to 75 percent cheaper, and that saving is real. What is also real is the gap between a good practice and a poor one in the same city. This checklist is how we tell them apart before a clinic reaches you.
The checklist
All 47 points, in full.
Nothing here is summarised for the website. This is the document an auditor works from.
Credentials and licensing
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1
National medical licence active and in good standing with the host country's regulator (Turkish Ministry of Health, Thai Medical Council, Vietnamese Ministry of Health), checked against the public register.
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2
The operating doctor holds a primary medical degree (MD or equivalent) from an accredited institution, with documents checked against originals.
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3
The clinic states in writing which steps of the procedure the doctor performs and which the technicians perform. A clinic that will not answer this does not get listed.
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4
Technicians carrying out extraction or placement work under the named doctor's supervision, and their role is disclosed to the patient before booking rather than discovered on the day.
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5
No active or unresolved disciplinary action against any principal treating doctor on the national medical register at the time of audit.
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6
Clinic holds valid institutional liability and malpractice insurance with coverage for international patients.
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7
The lead surgeon has a minimum of 5 years of verifiable hair restoration experience, with anonymised case records available on request.
Facility and equipment
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8
Clinic operates from permanently registered medical premises, not a temporary or shared space, with a valid operating licence issued by local health authorities.
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9
A dedicated operating room used for transplant procedures, physically separate from consultation and waiting areas.
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10
Donor density is assessed under trichoscopic or digital magnification before surgery, and the reading is recorded. A visual estimate is not an assessment.
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11
Recipient area planning is documented: the proposed hairline is drawn and agreed with the patient, with photographs taken before the first incision.
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12
Graft storage at controlled temperature, with holding solution and elapsed out-of-body time recorded per batch.
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13
Magnification and lighting adequate for graft dissection and placement, with equipment serviced annually and calibration certificates on file.
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14
Emergency resuscitation equipment (AED, oxygen, emergency medications) present in the clinic, with at least one staff member holding a valid first-aid or BLS certification.
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15
Accessible waiting area and treatment rooms that comply with local disability-access regulations. Elevator or ground-floor access for mobility-impaired patients.
Sterilisation and infection control
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16
Class B autoclave (vacuum autoclave) on-site, serviced and validated to EN 13060 or ISO 17665 standards, with a current validation certificate.
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17
Spore test (biological indicator) results logged at least monthly, records retained for a minimum of 5 years and available for inspection.
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18
Single-use instruments (needles, punches, implanter tips, blades, syringes) disposed of after each patient, checked by direct observation during the site visit.
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19
Documented written infection-control protocol aligned with WHO or local equivalent guidelines, reviewed and updated within the last 12 months.
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20
Clinical staff trained in standard precautions (PPE, hand hygiene, sharps disposal) with training records signed and dated within the past 24 months.
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21
Cross-contamination pathway audit: clear separation between dirty (decontamination) and clean (sterile) zones within the central sterilisation area.
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22
Hepatitis B vaccination offered to, or confirmed for, all clinical staff with direct patient contact.
Graft handling and instrumentation
Approved implant systems
Any other system needs written pre-approval from the Medical Board before a clinic may place it.
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23
Punches, implanter pens and blades are original components from a named manufacturer, not unbranded copies, and the clinic will say on request which system it uses.
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24
Traceability: lot numbers for punches, blades and holding solution are recorded in the patient file, so a component recall can be actioned.
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25
Grafts are held in a named chilled holding solution, and the time each batch spends outside the body is logged. Out-of-body time is the biggest controllable factor in graft survival.
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26
The technique billed is the technique performed. If the quote says DHI, implanter pens are used; if it says sapphire FUE, sapphire blades open the channels.
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27
Grafts are counted at the time of surgery and the count is shown to the patient. A quoted graft count that is never verified is a number nobody can audit.
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28
Any medication prescribed (finasteride, dutasteride, minoxidil) is prescribed by the named doctor, with side effects documented and discussed before the patient leaves.
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29
A written growth guarantee is given to the patient before payment, stating what graft survival the clinic expects, what it will do if growth falls short, and what the patient must do to keep it valid.
Patient care and communication
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30
English-speaking coordinator, or a confirmed interpreter service, available throughout the patient journey: consultation, surgical appointments, discharge, and aftercare calls.
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31
Written treatment plan issued to the patient before any irreversible treatment begins, itemising each procedure, the materials to be used, and the all-inclusive fixed price.
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32
Informed consent obtained in writing in the patient's language, covering risks, alternatives, and the expected recovery timeline, signed and witnessed before the first invasive procedure.
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33
Comprehensive medical history intake including allergy screening, medication review, and cardiovascular risk assessment prior to any sedation or surgical procedure.
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34
Post-operative care instructions provided in writing, with a clinic contact number available for 30 days after the procedure for complications or urgent questions.
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35
Documented protocol for emergency referral to the nearest accredited hospital, including after-hours emergency numbers given to each patient on discharge.
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36
Patient medical records and X-rays supplied in full to the patient, or their home surgeon, on request within 7 business days at no additional charge.
Financial transparency
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37
Published price list for the clinic's ten most common procedures, with clear notation of what is and is not included (anaesthesia, X-rays, temporary restorations, follow-up).
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38
No post-consultation price increases beyond what is clinically justified by a change in scope found during the procedure. Any additional cost must be explained and agreed in writing first.
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39
Deposit and payment schedule stated in advance. Cancellation and refund policy written in plain English and given to the patient before they book flights.
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40
Itemised tax invoice issued within 48 hours of completing treatment, showing each procedure, material, and fee individually, suitable for a health insurance claim.
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41
No referral kickbacks: the clinic agrees in writing that no commission is paid to third parties, such as travel agents or hotel concierges, in exchange for referrals that inflate what the patient pays.
Ongoing monitoring
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42
Full 47 point re-audit every 12 months. A clinic that declines or fails to schedule a re-audit is suspended within 30 days of the audit due date.
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43
Patient satisfaction survey sent to every Tressari-referred patient at 7 days and 6 months after treatment. A sustained score below 4.2 out of 5.0 triggers an unannounced audit.
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44
Complaint escalation: any Tressari patient complaint is acknowledged within 24 hours and formally resolved within 14 business days. Two consecutive failures and the clinic is removed.
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45
Significant adverse events (failed implant, serious post-op infection, nerve injury) reported to Tressari within 72 hours, with a root-cause analysis submitted within 30 days.
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46
Tressari may conduct an unannounced spot inspection at any time. Refusal of entry is grounds for immediate suspension.
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47
Annual review of regulatory changes in the clinic's home country. Clinics must update their compliance documentation whenever a new law or guideline affects practice standards.
AI audit and review integrity
On top of the human checklist, every clinic profile carries a Tressari AI Audit Score. The algorithm forms an automated, opinion-based assessment from publicly available information, including aggregated third-party reviews, clinic-published content, marketing claims, and independent open-source signals. It scores across authenticity, treatment quality, cleanliness, team, price value, and how well the clinic suits a travelling patient.
Patients deserve to know not just what a clinic claims, but how those claims hold up against independent signals. The AI audit exists to surface that gap.
What the algorithm penalises
Score adjustments, not allegations against any specific clinic.
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Review-pattern anomalies. Clusters, timing, language, or sentiment patterns the model flags as inconsistent with organic patient behaviour, including signals consistent with incentivised, solicited, or coordinated reviews.
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Credentials it cannot corroborate. Claims about a surgeon's experience, qualifications, specialist registration, fellowships, or training that the algorithm cannot check against independent public sources.
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Misleading marketing language. Material discrepancies between published claims about materials, brands, technology, outcomes, or pricing, and the signals available in independent sources.
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Patterns suggestive of unethical conduct. Recurring independent signals consistent with bait-and-switch pricing, undisclosed material substitutions, suppressed negative feedback, or other behaviours that may mislead patients.
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Limited independent corroboration. Clinics with thin, single-source, or one-sided public footprints get a lower confidence rating, and the score is weighted accordingly.
Opinion, not verdict.
The score is generated by software. It is not a verified statement of fact, a professional medical opinion, or an accusation of wrongdoing against any clinic or practitioner. Individual patient experiences may differ from it.
Clinic right of reply.
Any clinic may ask us to review its score by sending supporting documentation. Where new verifiable evidence arrives, the algorithm re-runs the relevant signals and the score is updated.
When a point fails
Three steps, and a deadline.
There is no discretionary grace period. The clock starts the day the point is logged.
Flagged the same day.
The failed point is logged and the clinic's profile is marked "audit under review", visible to anyone considering it.
Thirty days to fix it.
The clinic gets a written notice naming exactly what must change. For sterilisation or licensing failures, we stop referring patients immediately.
Re-checked or removed.
Fixed and confirmed by re-inspection, the flag comes off. Not fixed inside 30 days, the clinic comes off the site.
What we do for you
The audit is one layer. Here is the rest.
Your coordinator stays reachable from the day you land until 30 days after you fly home, for questions, emergencies, or translating post-op notes for your surgeon.
- Featured partner means the checks above, not a clinical endorsement.
- Reviews are aggregated from public sources and screened, not visit-verified.
- Every price we publish traces back to a fee a clinic published.
Ask us what a clinic scored.
Send the name of any clinic you are considering, here or anywhere else, and we will tell you what our checks found. It costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
Or save the number: +61 468 261 317
The audit framework is a due-diligence process, not a guarantee of clinical outcomes. The AI Audit Score is an automated, opinion-based assessment generated by software from publicly available information; it is not a verified statement of fact, a professional medical opinion, or an accusation of wrongdoing against any clinic or practitioner. Tressari is an information service, not a healthcare provider. Talk to your own surgeon before committing to treatment abroad. The criteria and the scoring method are reviewed periodically and change without notice.