Cost of Septoplasty?

Having just had a septoplasty 3 weeks ago, I can speak a bit about this matter from the patient's perspective as well as the doctor's. First of all, many of the very best surgeons don't take medical insurance anymore because of the paltry reimbursement paid to the doctor. You must realize, though many patients don't, that your surgeon is usually only paid a small fraction of the bill by the insurance and the amount is getting smaller all the time as costs rise to do the surgery and run an... more

A septoplasty is a procedure that helps improve nasal breathing. While it is typically billed to your insurance company and is a covered service under most plans, some surgeons don't accept insurance and bill the patient directly. (To bill an insurance company AND the patient simulataneously for a septoplasty is not allowed.) If we consider a self-pay septoplasty, the fee is variable and up to your surgeon to determine. Some people have already had a septoplasty and need further... more

Assuming you are having a septoplasty and not a complex nasal valve reconstruction, then $14000 for just the surgeon's fee is quite expensive for a septoplasty.  Septoplasty  is a relatively basic surgery performed routinely by primary level nasal surgeons and can be done in 30-60 minutes. It is usually so simple that revision rhinoplasty specialists like myself rarely see virgin septoplasties in their practice, and when they do, then the case is... more

Cost for a septoplasty including the operating room, anesthesia, and the surgeon’s fee is in the $3,000 to $4,000 range, not $14,000 to $20,000 range.

Hi Nosey, That's a lot of septum! A reasonable fee for septoplasty alone including operating room and anesthesia (1 1/2 hour) should be less than half of your surgeon's fee, without including the operating room and anesthesiologist. If you have a large septal perforation then the price may be high, but within range of reasonable. For the price that you were quoted, you can choose a great surgeon, say in Los Angeles, stay in a four star hotel suite in Beverly Hills, and fly onto to... more

If the surgery is relatively straight forward, without some special problem like a large hole in your septum, it is probably too high. Get 1-2 other opinions.

If your insurance covers this procedure and is billed, the doctor is not allowed to bill you separately. The doctors can bill you separately for your deductible, co-pay, etc. If your doctor does not accept your insurance plan, he will charge you his fee, and then he cannot bill insurance at all. The same goes for facility and anesthesia. If your procedure is covered by insurance, as septoplasty usually is, they have to accept insurance coverage. Septoplasty is a routine procedure in many... more

You can go to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons' website to see what is reasonable and customary for any procedure. Your doctor may be the top rated doctor and that may come with a premium cost. The septoplasty is a routine procedure for many of us.

If the quoted surgeon's fee reflects septoplasty only, then this is certainly on the upper end of the range. In nasal plastic surgery, septoplasty is commonly performed in conjunction with rhinoplasty. For an isolated septoplasty, most US surgeons would charge between $2000 and $6000. Prices for plastic procedures are surely an important consideration for many patients. They often reflect the experience and overhead of the surgeon and the complexity of the problem.