Should your doctor charge you if you are too sick for surgery and must reschedule?

Question

I just sheduled a 3 hour liposuction and noticed in the fine print the cancellation policy.If i become ill, and the surgery has to be rescheduled, i will be charged$ 1500.00, if it occurs 2 weeks prior to surgery.If I become ill 72 hours before the surgery, i must pay her, the surgery center, and the anesthesiologist center the entire amount,Is this common?

Afshin Farzadmehr, MD · Answer

There is absolutely no fees for rescheduling in our office.  Normally there is $200 deposit and that is it.

David Hansen, MD · Answer

You have to expect that if you cancel your surgery for whatever reason within 72 hrs of the procedure time that you will lose your deposit or a portion of the deposit (whatever is spelled out in advance in your paperwork). There are NO exceptions in most cases. The doc sets aside a large amount of time to do your procedure and the surgery center has specific costs involved in it as well that they lose out on. Coming up with various excuses from "I'm sick" to a death in the family, etc..... will not sway anyone nor should it so just be upfront with the office and tell them why you are really cancelling the surgery.  Getting cold feet just doesn't cut it or thinking you can get the procedure cheaper elsewhere is no good either. Once you commit to the doc and his staff and the surgery center, then be a big enough person to follow through with it.

Jason Emer, MD · Answer

Fees are common for cancelling even if there is a circumstance.  I suggest you decide if this policy is acceptable to you or not.  Best, Dr. Emer.

Steven Teitelbaum, MD · Answer

This contract says they'd charge you to reschedule because you got sick?  That's either an oversight or the doctor is nuts.  Ask the office about it and the extent to which they enforce it.It often isn't safe to operate on someone who is ill, so i don't want patients to feel pressured to hold back from telling us the truth about whether they have a cough, etc.I don't remember the exact wording of my paperwork, but I do not charge sick people a rescheduling fee.Realize that there are a few people who might wake up the morning of surgery and decide they don't want to go ahead.  By that time the surgeon has set aside his or her day, has paid a fee to the operating room, to nurses, and to an anesthesiologist.  So it is reasonable to charge a fee to recoup those costs.People can always lie and say that they are sick when they are not, but that does not seem to happen very often.  Once people see the cancellation fee in the contract, they tend to only schedule after they are certain they want to go ahead.  I think that clause is in there less to ever be enforced than it is there to be sure that the patient is serious about having the surgery.And once in a while a patient has a sick child or a sick parent.  In those cases we do not charge a rescheduling fee.  There are a lot of nuances to these situations and we are always sympathetic - though we also expect patients to respect the cost of time being set aside for them.

Gerald Minniti, MD, FACS · Answer

Hello,Yes, this is common. how much you have to pay varies, but it is intended to prevent unnecessary cancellations, leaving open slots for both the surgeon and the surgery center where they could have booked another case. If you are sick, they will evaluate you and they will cancel you if necessary.  That is a situation where you are not going to have to pay. Best of luck!

Stuart A. Linder, MD, FACS · Answer

Each surgeon will have their own policies. Rescheduling because of illness in our practice does not require any additional fees. Best of luck

Malcolm A. Lesavoy, MD, FACS · Answer

If you are sick just before or at the time of scheduled surgery, the doctor should not charge you, even though he/she has expenses that will not be met.  It is part of business.

Johnson C. Lee, MD · Answer

Cancellation fees are common when booking for surgery. This is similar to booking some hotel rooms since the space and time available for surgery and both the anesthesiologist and surgeon are being reserved for a particular case. If you are not feeling well, it is important for your safety and for those around you to be aware and to reschedule the surgery until you are feeling better. You should call your plastic surgeon's office and discuss the situation with the coordinator. Although the fine print is there, it is ultimately up to the surgeon and office to decide whether to enforce it or not and many people can be understanding. Best of luck.

Frederic H. Corbin, MD (license restricted) · Answer

Thank you for the question and fees and policies vary from office to office.  In my office there is no "sick" cancellation fee as I would not operate on an ill patientDr Corbin

Jon A. Perlman, MD (retired) · Answer

If a patient is sick (documented) we allow them to reschedule the procedure but do not give a refund.  If within 24 hours of the procedure we are responsible for staffing fees and do deduct them.  Each office has a stated policy that you should be aware of.  Enjoy the video above for some information about the liposuction procedure.Regards and stay healthy!
Jon A Perlman MD FACS
Certified, Am Board of Plastic Surgery
Member, Am. Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)
Beverly Hills, Ca

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Should your doctor charge you if you are too sick for surgery and must reschedule?

Answers (10)

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