Cosmetic procedures such as implants and facelifts are generally not covered by insurance and must be paid through your pocket. Dr Byrne said this “may affect patient decisions and limit access to selective care for people who want aesthetic improvements but are constrained by cost,” and liability “ensures that surgeons have a full understanding of the financial commitments involved” to “provide thorough counseling.”
Dr Byrne said, “While insurance helps to promote access to necessary reconstructive surgeries, it also introduces challenges related to management complexity and delayed treatment. In the case of cosmetic surgery, the lack of coverage means that both patient selection and economic considerations play a greater role in the decision-making process.”
Theda KontisMD, a Baltimore double-board certified facial plastic surgeon and former president of AAFPRS, says her staff is now “overwhelming” by insurance requirements and is considering outsourcing some of their work.
Dr. Hollenbeck adds. “There is often a special effort to have to be made as a surgeon to complete pre-approval. It takes a lot of time and frustrating.” “Need, pleading… so it’s not really easy.” It means “Patients are angry not only with the insurance company, but also with the doctors, and you’re just trying to help them.” He continues. “It’s really frustrating [when] You really don’t understand what it is [the insurance company is] What you’re looking for is whether it drives denial, or it’s what you’re saying, or what you’re supposed to tell them. It’s a little opaque. ”
Dr. Kontis explains, “People will tell me, and will they decide whether to cover it or not?” But now, many people don’t even tell them if they’ll cover it until they have surgery.
Dr. Kontis also said, “Most of what I do reconstruct is like skin cancer, and in general they don’t disapprove of it. If you cut cancer, you have to close it. [up]. ”
“It’s really a problem,” Dr. Holenbeck said when the procedure was denied after the surgery. “There’s no real way to get it back at that point,” he pointed out, adding that in such cases, the costs are often absorbed by doctors and hospitals. “It’s very rare for people to chase patients in such situations.”
