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There are many things to consider when deciding if plastic surgery is for you. Our patients want to make educated decisions so they pepper us with questions, which we so appreciate. On this page we have listed the questions we hear again and again, as well as those questions we wished more of our patients would ask.
If you have a question, PLEASE note it, so that it may be addressed. And as we all learned in school, no question is stupid (especially if it pertains to one's health) and if you are questioning something, most likely others are too.
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Outpatient Surgery |
Q: Does your surgery center offer a 23 hour or longer recovery option?
A: No. If the surgeon feels it necessary for the patient to have 23 hour or longer stay for observation, he/she will most likely recommend that the surgery be performed at the hosptial.
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Q: Is the surgery center a safe place to have surgery?
A: The Center has not only been through the rigorous accredidation process by one of the leading credentialing agencies, the Accredidation Association of Ambulatory Health Centers, or AAAHC, but has also met the very high standards established by Medicare, therefore approved as such.
All of our regualr surgical staff each have over 20 years of hospital and surgery center experience and continue to receive additional training to keep their skills and other competencies current.
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Q: Where will my surgery take place?
A: In most cases, if you are having cosmetic surgery, your procedure will be scheduled in our private, fully-accredited surgery center. If insurance is covering any part if not all of your procedure's cost, surgery will most likely take place in one of the three area hospitals, as most prevelant insurance companies in the area determine where surgery is to take place. In either case, surgery will more than likely be an outpatient situation.
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Recovery |
Q: How long to recover from a breast augmentation?
A: As with any surgery, a patient's recovery can vary from person to person. It depends on what the patient's regular activities entail and if the patient adheres to the post operative instructions. That being said, it is reasonable to say that after breast augmentation, a person could be moving around pretty well after 7-10 days and back to their regular activities after 4-6 weeks.
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Results |
Q: Can a surgeon fix or revise what another surgeon has done?
A: A good surgeon may bring you closer to your original expectation, if indeed there is room for improvement. Patients however need to consider that it is always more difficult to achieve a particular outcome from a secondary surgery if a different surgeon has performed the original procedure.
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Q: What if my results do not meet my expectations?
A: Our surgeon is as much an artist as he is a doctor. He takes great pains in making sure his work is proportional, balanced and aesthetically pleasing. He takes almost as much care making sure his patients have realistic expecations, because if patients aren't made to understand what to actually expect, a patient with otherwise great results may not be satisfied.
If a patient is not satisfied, the surgeon may say he/she can do further surgery (a revision of the first) to bring you closer to what you want or they may say this is the best that can be expected.
Usually revisions come at an additional cost.
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Anesthesia |
Q: Who administers the anesthesia?
A: Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, or CRNAs, administer the anesthesia. CRNAs are regularly used in both hospital and ambulatory surgery centers for this purpose.
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Q: What type of anesthesia is used for outpatient surgery?
A: Most surgical procedures are performed under general anesthesia, where a patient is completely asleep and feels nothing.
When appropriate, the surgeon may use MACC IV sedation or a local anesthesia.
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Insurance Coverage |
Q: How does insurance cover a procedure, if approved?
A: There are 3 areas of cost for each procedure:
- Surgical Fee
- Facility Fee
- Anesthesia
In order for insurance to be applied to these fees, these individual entities each need to be providers of your particular insurance coverage. Because one or two of the three is covered, does not mean all three will be paid.
Also, most insurance coverages have deductibles that need to be met before payment is made. Once the deductibles have been satified, then there is usually a percentage of the cost (a co-pay) that may be covered. The remaining balance (the portion not paid by the insurance coverage) would be be billed to the patient.
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Q: What happens if my insurance plan does not authorize coverage?
A: If pre-authorization is denied, a patient has the option of paying for the procedure out of pocket.
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Q: Will insurance cover my procedure?
A: Insurance coverage is dependent mainly on two things: whether the procedure is considered medically necessary and whether insurance covers that type of procedure. As a courtesy to our patients, the Center will file insurance claims for both pre-authorization as well as for payment upon completion of procedure.
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Implants |
Q: What are implants filled with?
A: Implants are filled with a variety of liquids. Saline is the most common type of implant, but there are also gel and silicone filled implants.
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Q: Do implants have any warranties?
A: Yes, implants have a one year manufacturer's warranty and patients have the option to purchase a 10 year extended warranty.
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