Does Combining Breast Reduction and Liposuction Cost Less?

Question

If insurance covers a breast reduction, and should I want to have liposuction done also, will it cost me less to get these all done at the same time?

David Shafer, MD, FACS · Answer

In most cases, there is a small cost-savings to combining procedures. However, insurance companies are not dumb and hospitals are not either. If you are having the procedure which is covered by insurance, they are going to only pay for that portion of the procedure and that portion of the hospital fees and that portion of the anesthesia fees. You would be responsible for the rest. Also, there is a misconception that if the insurance company "covers" a procedure, that they are paying the doctor his usual fees. In most cases the insurance company is paying just pennies on the dollar for what the doctor would charge for a non-insured case. This is why most plastic surgeons do not take insurance - because they actually loose money by doing insurance-covered cases. I hope this is helpful and good luck with your procedure.

Larry S. Nichter, MD, MS, FACS · Answer

The short answer is most likely yes, as there is only one anesthesia and one recovery room  usage, plus it is more time efficient for the surgeon, anesthesiologist and surgery center.

David Stoker, MD · Answer

If you have liposuction performed at the same time as a breast reduction, it is usually somewhat less expensive that if you do the procedures separately in two different operations.  Discuss your options with a plastic surgeon who is an expert in both fields.

Armando Soto, MD, FACS · Answer

Hi there,
Because it is much less expensive to spend a bit more time in the operating room than it is to return to it at a later time (one set of supplies, less general demand on resources...), and because the surgeon's time is also utilized more efficiently, in most practices you would indeed save a fair amount of money by combining two procedures. When you also consider the amount of your own time you will save by having to go through only one recovery period, the financial incentives to combining the procedures can be significant.
Of course, this is only worth doing if combining the procedures is something that would be safe for you, and would therefore depend on your overall health, the procedures in question, and the details of the procedures (type of anesthesia, length of surgery, surgeon's experience combining them, etc...).
Here's a bit more about choosing a surgeon:

David L. Mobley, MD, FACS · Answer

Combining procedures including Breast Reduction and Liposuction saves both money and recovery time.
       1.  The operating room costs are generally less on the second procedure so this saves $400-$500.  
       2.  You recover once instead of twice.  Adding liposuction does not add time to the recovery from breast reduction.  So you save about 10 days of recovery time over separating the procedures into two surgeries.  Since time is money for most of us, this is also very important.
I often perform these procedures together if a patient does not smoke and is in good health.  If the patient has any heart or lung problems I will send them to be thoroughly checked by their medical doctor before going ahead with surgery

Scott C. Lindsay, DO · Answer

Thank you for your question.
 The fee may be a little less combining the two , but this will depend on the surgeon.. Schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon to discuss your options. Best wishes!

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS · Answer

You may be able to have reduced facility fees and anesthesia costs. I would not suggest combining the two procedures. From insurance coverage, it reduces the chances for coverage of a medically necessary procedure or delays payment for the medically necessary procedure as insurance companies tend to suspect combining medically necessary and cosmetic procedures..

Tom J. Pousti, MD · Answer

Thank you for the question.

	Generally speaking,  you may find that combination procedures do cost less than doing the procedures separately.

	Best wishes.

Steven Wallach, MD · Answer

I assume you are talking about having liposuctin on other parts of the body. Many surgeons will discount secondary procedures for patients since they are already in the operating room performing the primary procedure. But, you probably will have an additional facility fee as well.

Lavinia K. Chong, MD · Answer

Insurance will cover procedures which are deemed medically necessary. Liposuction is not one of those. It is possible to combine both procedures in a reconstructive-cosmetic combo case. Obviously it would be a benefit to have one anesthetic and recovery period, however it is important not to loose sight of your objective, namely a lighter more proportionate breast. If patients request liposuction of an adjacent area such as the lateral chest roll or axillary breast, I'll agree. On the other hand, there are potential dangers of having a prolonged anesthetic as well as the fluid shifts involved in high volume liposuction. Moreover, some hospitals do better with reconstruction and charge higher rates for cosmetic procedures. So discus all angles with your physician. Good luck.

Does Combining Breast Reduction and Liposuction Cost Less?

Answers (12)

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