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Why Would Botox Therapy Treatment Cost $4090.00 for a Single Treatment That Took 15 Minutes?
My wife recently had Botox treatment for persistent migraines. We were then charge a total of $4090.00 for a treatment regimen that took less than 15 minutes. We initially expected an amount of $100-$200, and ended being billed over $800 after the medical insurance paid out the balance (I believe the insurance negotiated for a lower amount), but our copay amount was not reduced accordingly. I will be fighting this as part of a broader fight against Scamerican medical services gone crazy.
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10 Doctor Answers |
Asked by
Gary San
in San Diego, California
+3
The cost of Botox for migraines
I am a dermatologist and my husband is a headache specialist so I think that I can answer this fairly reasonably. Dermatologists use lower doses of Botox when using it for cosmetic purposes. The average that I use for a woman's face is 40-50 units. Botox prices range from $10-$15 a unit ,varying in areas of the USA. When headaches are treated most neurologist use about 150 units. Insurance reimburses the cost of most of the Botox(some pay less per unit than it costs the doctor to buy)...
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+2
Cost of Botox treatment for migraine headaches
I am sorry to hear about your experience and I understand your frustration with the complex and seemingly illogical costs associated with insurance covered medical treatment. My family member had similar experience like this so even physicians are not immune. The best thing to do it get an itemized bill so you can clearly see where the charges are coming from. This give you something to work with and hopefully can get your charge down to a more reasonable level. With my private pay patients,...
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Cost of Botox injections for migraines
I have several patients who stopped going to neurologists for their migraine injections and started coming to see me, for the reason you are stating (though $4090 is grossly over the amount I've ever seen unless additional tests were also done that day?). Most cosmetic physicians don't deal with insurance for Botox anymore because it's such a fight to get any type of reimbursement, and usually after all is said and done, you end up recouping less than the cost you put out, so it's a tough...
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+2
Insurance bills are murky
There are many factors that determine the fee that physicians bill to insurance, including location of the procedure (surgery center, outpatient office, hospital), expected reimbursement from the insurance company, the physician's fee for performing the procedure, and the medication cost (which can be significant in the doses that are required for migraines). The only way to sort through these numbers is to have the physician's office give a breakdown of their charges. I would ask how other...
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Botox for migraines - cost
The cost paid indeed seems excessive. Botox can be a very effective treatment for many migraine sufferers, reducing the intensity or frequency of migraines, and reducing hospital visits. Most people receiving migraine treatments will receive 100-150 units of Botox, and the cost is typically between $10-$15 per unit.
+2
Botox billed to insurance
We never do it. We found that billing insurance for Botox barely covers the cost of the Botox plus a low level office visit. After all of the machinations to get the insurance company to pay, it, regrettably, is a losing proposition in Northern California. The billing physician probably billed very high to get fair compensation after the fee was reduced by the insurance company. Now he looks bad to the patient.
Walnut Creek Dermatologic Surgeon
+2
Botox for migraines is not a scam; but outrageous pricing is!
Dear Gary,
I sympathizes with your frustrations about the high cost of this treatment. You definitely need to discuss this bill with your wife's doctor and/or insurance. As you may know, Botox is purchased by doctors and typically sold based on the quantity (in this case "units") of the product. Depending on the complexity of the problem being treated and other local market/industry factors, the cost can range between $10 to $20 per unit. I treat many patients who...
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+2
Botox Cost
Botox is generally charged by the unit. The cost to the Physician is about $6 per unit, and sold to the patient at $10-15 per unit. Since I do not perform Botox for insurance purposes, I cannot comment on your Phyician's charges. $4090 for a Botox treatment does seem excessive.
+1
Botox and cost
Without knowing what your itemized charges were, it's very difficult to answer your questions. While the treatment doesn't take very long, cost is not dependent upon time, but number of units. In your case, it sounds like there may be an issue with medical versus cosmetic use and what they're willing to pay for.
+1
Botox for Migraines
Some doctors who inject Botox for migraines lose money on the injections, and there are very few who inject with payment from insurance. I would suspect that the insurance barely covered the cost of the Botox no matter what the initial bill appeared to be.
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