Financing, Is Care Credit a Reliable Option?

Thank you for the question. Care Credit is a helpful tool for patients and works very much like a credit card. In my practice, patients have been very satisfied with their experience. However, as with any financial obligation, it is absolutely crucial that you review the terms with your doctor's office and/or a Care Credit representative. Best of luck!

I have heard positive feedback on Care Credit, but there are other financing options available. Therefore, if you feel uncomfortable with it, then you may want to consider something else.

    Care credit is the largest of the finance companies, so it is probably less likely to have a problem than the smaller ones.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

In our practice, we use Care Credit as well as other companies; they have been used by our patients with no problems. They do have different rates so please make sure you get all of the information you need prior to signing up with any financing company.
Generally speaking, it is always in patients' best interests to achieve a certain degree of financial stability prior to undergoing elective surgery of any type. Patients should also keep in mind that additional surgery may be necessary in the short or long term, following the primary procedure that is being performed; this additional surgery may be associated out-of-pocket expenses. Again, best to achieve a physical, emotional, psychosocial, and financial “stable state” prior to considering elective plastic surgery. Best wishes.

I do not offer cosmetic surgery finance programs in my office.  After careful consideration, and evaluation of the terms and conditions of cosmetic surgery finance programs by my accountant, we do not feel like we can endorse any of these programs. I do realize some people will not consider plastic surgery in a practice that does not offer financing.  The guiding principal I use in all aspects of patient care is the following question "Would I do this for, or recommend this to family member?" If the answer is no, I don't.

We have used care credit in our office for many years and have had no patient complaints that I know of at this point.  The office manager of your plastic surgeon should be familiar with this service and may be able to give your other alternatives.  

 Care Credit is a very  reputable company and not a scam.   We do not use them in our office due to the high interest rates that are charged to the patients  in addition to the high merchant fees surgeons have to pay to be in the program. There are many  financing solutions  available with your local bank, or credit union.

We have never had anyone complain about their Care credit financing selection for over 5 years. Like any financing option, their are risks and benefits, but for many this is a wonderful choice. It's a very well established company with a good track record. Definitely not a scam!

I have used them for over 10 years and have never heard a patient complain about them. Some patients even use them to prepay for insurance covered procedures while waiting for insurance reimbursement. I suspect it's a case of people who don't like them are more vocal and post reviews while those who are happy with them are unlikely to post reviews. That skewers their rating to an inaccurate low rating.

Care Credit is endorsed by our society and is reliable. Like anything, please read the fine print and know what your getting into. Financing can be expensive, so the least you can finance, the better, in my opinion.

Good Luck.

Adrian Lo, MD