Not a day goes by that I don’t receive in the mail or by way of the internet advertisements for plastic surgery. It appears to me that many plastic surgery providers have been forced to dramatically increased their marketing expenditures in this sluggish economy. In addition, many different “institutes of plastic surgery” and “specialty surgery centers” have emerged and have begun to advertise deeply discounted surgery prices. It is somewhat alarming to me how prices for some procedures have been reduced to nearly 50% of the fees back in 2006 prior to the economic slowdown. I know that anesthesiologists have not reduced their fees to the same degree, surgery center expenses have not decreased, and the cost of breast implants has not dropped in this same time.

I have watched this occur over the last several months with interest wondering what corners are being cut in order to offset this fee reduction. Recently I received an e-mail from a patient whose experience confirmed what I have been fearing. I would like to share her story with you briefly.

I met Darla (patient’s name has been changed to protect privacy) in March of this year when she came for a consultation for a tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation. She was referred by her personal physician. After our visit, I gave her a global surgical fee quote that included implants, surgery center charges, anesthesiology charges, and the surgeon’s fee. Darla sought other consultations and I didn’t hear back from her for nearly 6 weeks. She wrote me an e-mail saying she had found a surgeon who would perform her requested procedures for nearly $2,500 less than what I had quoted her and asked if I would match the new quote. I told Darla that I could not maintain the standards of care that I do for that type of fee structure and I wished her well.

I received another e-mail from Darla the day after her scheduled surgery. She was called the night before with news that her scheduled time had been moved back several hours. When she arrived at the surgical facility for her procedure, she was pushed into a corner bed and waited for nearly 4 hours before seeing the physician. Apparently, there was not enough staff to perform the surgery, the anesthesiologist had not shown up, and the physician was in his office seeing scheduled consultation patients. After this experience, she wanted to leave but no one would remove her I.V. She ended up removing it herself and walking out.

Darla’s experience underscores the importance of a surgical practice that puts patients first. In my practice, you are our top priority and your safety and comfort are paramount. We have not chosen to pursue the low-cost, used car approach to elective surgery and, consequently, our prices may be slightly higher than those who have. I have retained each important member of my surgical and office staff and I do not try do do more with less. My office staff and location are a stable and consistent resource for you during all phases of your surgical experience. This caliber of service and support may cost a few more dollars but is certainly worth the investment.

In addition, our standards and quality of care have not been sacrificed to offset fee reductions. We have offered special pricing on our surgical procedures in order to make them more affordable in these challenging times and we will continue to offer our experience and expertise to all patients through complimentary consultations and complimentary skin care services.

Thank you for entrusting your surgical care to me and to my staff. We are the Inland Empire’s Premier Breast and Body practice for a reason and we appreciate our relationship with you and those you refer to us.

Sincerely,
Troy J. Andreasen, M.D.