With regards to the safety of Baltimore, one really does not need to spend much time in Baltimore. I flew in and out of BWI. But otherwise, I stayed in Owings Mills (a reasonably nice, seemingly safe suburb of Baltimore). I had my follow-up appointments at the lifebridge health office in Owings Mills which is located in a suburban shopping center (with a Wegmans!). I did have one appointment at the Sinai hospital office due to scheduling issues and while the office itself seemed fine, my uber to get there did go through a sketchy area that didn't feel safe. For my other appointments and getting to and from the hospital, office in owings mills, hotel, and airport I had no concerns about safety. You can get from BWI to Owings Mills via uber without going through any questionable areas. I didn't have surgery at Sinai, mine was at Northwest hospital which felt like your typical small suburban hospital. If you were willing to stay in a hotel or airbnb instead of the hackerman patz house you could probably completely avoid spending any time in actual Baltimore. That said, I live in a city with a reputation very similar to Baltimore ("dangerous," "crime-ridden") and I can't imagine anyone deciding not to come here for medical care because of the reputation of the city.