I backed out of Breast Augmentation The day of Surgery. The doctor's office will not give me any of my money back. What do I do?

I am sorry to hear about your situation. There may be nothing you can do.  There is a big difference between cancelling a procedure two weeks out and the day of surgery.  The OR staff and anesthesiologist are counting on the income for your procedure and someone has to pay them even if they will be twiddling their thumbs.  Your surgeon also needs the income from his fee to pay his overhead expenses (which are not minimal).  You probably signed some sort of financial policy that spells out your rights and obligations in the event of cancellation or rescheduling.  The only thing you might be able to get back would be the cost of the implants that were not used.  Unfortunately, this may end up being an expensive lesson on the importance of making sure you are truly ready for the consequences of a decision to undergo surgery.

Thank you for the question.There are policies that have to be read before surgery, mostly there is a cancellation policy and a percentage that they charge for this. They can keep 100% of your money for same day cancellation. A lot of things have to be ready for a surgery in a Hospital and even the time of each member of the staff to actually make your surgery happen, where there might of been someone else programed in that day that would go through with the surgery.Dr. Campos

I am sorry to hear of your dilemma; certainly that was a difficult situation for you.  I would assume that your surgery quote says someting about the cancellation fees.  As you can imagine the operating room was set aside for you and the staff very likely was paid by the surgeon despite your cancellation.  Certainly the implants were not used so you should receive at least that money back.  Discuss with your surgeon's office is a calm manner and I suspect that you and the surgeon will come to a reasonable solution.

So sorry to hear about your dilemma.  I would suggest that you look at the cancellation policies and procedures that you most likely received at the time of your consultation or surgery scheduling.  Unfortunately by scheduling surgery, an operating room, anesthesiologist, and OR staff (all in addition to the plastic surgeon) had be be arranged for.  Each of these individuals and entities will still get paid for at least a portion of their time if you cancel surgery on the day of surgery.  Think of it this way, if you went into work tomorrow, but your boss didn't have the supplies or equipment needed for you to do your assigned task, would you still expect to get paid for your day?  You may be able to receive a small portion of the money that you paid, but will likely not get all of it; and this would be completely dependent on the policies and generosity of your plastic surgeon's office.  Good luck!

You should read the terms of the patient contract.  Notwithstanding your psychological issues, remember that, on the date of surgery, the anesthesiologist and support staff are already present (and must be paid for at least part of the time that they have set aside).  It is also unfair to expect the surgeon to have committed his time as well without some remuneration. My first question would be whether you reached out to the surgeon over the weekend to report your anxiety and to discuss cancellation of the case.  In my practice, there is a major difference between cancelling on the date of surgery and earlier.  Perhaps the doctor will refund the cost of the implants as these can be returned to the manufacturer but anything beyond that is completely in his discretion. 

I am sorry that you had a bad experience and that you were not ready for a procedure that you initially wanted. Most offices have very clear scheduling and cancellation policies because the time reserved for you for an operation utilizes a significant amount of resources - between the operating room, the technicians, nurses and anesthesiologists, not to mention the surgeon and the staff that prepared everything for you. The only cost the your surgeon can potentially recover would be the cost of implants - but even this is not a guarantee. You should review the paperwork work you signed when scheduling. Many offices do not provide a refund even if there is a cancellation within 2 weeks of the date of surgery. Many offices have a non refundable deposit at the time of scheduling even if it is months away. All of these policies are designed to ensure that only patients who are really sure about going through with the procedure actually schedule. Best of luck discussing things with your plastic surgeon.

Tough question to answer. In my practice there is a full loss of funds if canceling day of surgery for non medical reasons, i.e. panic attacks. There is a signed form the patient is required to sign and is witnessed on the pre op consent day. Thus that is a binding contract. If you signed one than lesson learned by you. If not than you can "try" to obtain some refund but do not expect more than a $1,000. 

I am sorry to hear of your situation but the final solution is in the paper work you signed and generosity of your surgeonDr Corbin

The doctors paperwork probably specifies their refund policy which seems to be the same for all of the plastic surgeons answering (as it is is my practice). Many professionals arrived and were committed to your care and their time is of great value.  If you do find the peace of mind to reconsider and decide that breast augmentation is right for you, it is possible that your doctor might credit some amount of your lost money to a rescheduled procedure. I think that the vast majority of physicians are understanding and fair, but also deserve to be treated fairly in return. That time (which is all physicians have to "sell") was lost forever yet the staff showed up and I can assure, were all paid for their time. If you do reconsider and decide you want to proceed, ask your doctor first if there might be a way to apply some of the forfeited payment; it's certainly worth asking. The old adage "you catch more bees with honey" is a good way to approach things. Best of luck.

I think they will give you back any money you paid for breast implants because they were not used, but you owe the surgeon and the facility for the time reserved, even if you didn't use it.You undoubtedly signed paperwork preoperatively indicating their policy on refunds.