| Insurance
and Financing |
|
| Reconstructive Surgery |
Most insurance plans will cover
reconstructive surgery. Our office staff are very experienced
with insurance companies and will gladly assist you in working
with your plan. Dr. Duffy accepts Medicare and participates
in some managed care plans. Because these managed care companies
undergo frequent changes and acquisitions, we recommend you
call your insurance company to confirm whether Dr. Duffy is
on your plan. |
| Predetermination Letters |
If you are uncertain whether your insurance
will cover a procedure, we are more than happy to work with
you on obtaining a predetermination of coverage from the insurance
company or benefit information. This is commonly done for
procedures which are sometimes considered cosmetic and sometimes
considered reconstructive (for example: septoplasty/rhinoplasty,
breast reduction, panniculectomy). Our office writes a letter
to your insurance company, prior to any surgery being done,
detailing the clinical history and the proposed procedure,
with the medical necessity and appropriate insurance coding.
You should be aware it may take as long as 4-6 weeks to hear
from some insurance companies. If your insurance company authorizes
the procedure, you should be aware that this is not a guarantee
of coverage. No insurance plan ever guarantees coverage prior
to a procedure actually taking place. However, for these types
of procedures a predetermination letter is often the closest
you can get to a guarantee. |
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| Cosmetic Surgery - Costs |
The cost of cosmetic surgery involves several
different components. There is the surgeon's fee, the operating
room fee (often called the facility fee), and the anesthesia
fee. In addition, depending on the type of surgery being performed
there may also be the cost of implants. Typically, a cosmetic
procedure is paid in full prior to the surgery taking place.
At the time of your initial consultation, we will provide
you with a written quote of the costs for surgery, including
anesthesia and the surgical facility costs. Many minor procedures
can be performed here in our office surgical suite under local
anesthesia which allows us to pass a cost savings on to our
patients as well as provide a comfortable surrounding.
Dr. Duffy believes it is very important for
patients to obtain as much information as possible before
proceeding with a surgery. Although a procedure may be done
for cosmetic reasons, there are still risks with any surgery
and patients need to be aware of the risks as well as the
benefits. The fee for the initial cosmetic consultation is
$100, but this fee will be applied toward the cost of your
surgery (if it is scheduled within 6 months of the initial
consultation). By applying that fee to the cost of the surgery
we hope to encourage patients in obtaining as many opinions
as they feel they need to choose their surgeon. |
| |
| Financing Cosmetic Sugery |
Cosmetic surgery is typically paid in
full prior to the surgery taking place. Our office does not
offer financing programs through the office directly. It has
always been our policy to focus on the health and well being
of our patients, rather than on financing. While there are
some non-traditional financing programs available, often through
the internet, we do not participate with any of these non-traditional
programs. |
|
Traditional Financing Programs
|
There are a variety of options available
for financing of cosmetic procedures. Some patients finance
utilizing their credit cards or by loans from their own banks.
Our office accepts Mastercard, Visa, and American Express.
The bank in our office complex also does loans for cosmetic
procedures. |
| |
| Questions |
If you have any questions regarding your
insurance or financing for surgery, please feel free to contact
our office at any time. You can speak with the Surgery Coordinator
or Office Administrator at 972-566-3939, or you can reach
us by email at info@duffyplasticsurgery.com.
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