Should I Pay for Blepharoplasty Surgery Upfront?

Question

My physician is asking me to pay the full sum of a blepharoplasty 'up front', two weeks before the surgery.  Is that legit?

Steven H. Williams, MD · Answer

Thanks for the question -
Typically payment for cosmetic procedures is required prior to surgery.  Most practices have cancellation policies to deal with the need to reschedule, postpone or cancel surgery.
Be sure to ask prior to deciding on surgery.
I hope this helps.

Jerome Edelstein, MD · Answer

It all depends on the practice, but this is very common. You should review full payment policies before paying, though.

James M. Pearson, MD, FACS · Answer

Thank you for your question. It is standard practice to request payment a couple of weeks in advance for cosmetic procedures including blepharoplasty. As others have pointed out, it is always a good idea to understand your surgeon's cancellation and other policies prior to finalizing payment. Good luck.

John M. Hilinski, MD · Answer

It is quite the norm for plastic surgery patients to pay the full amount in advance of the procedure date. As the other surgeons here have pointed out this is common practice for nearly every office. We have a policy of having patients place a 20% deposit at the time of booking. This essentially reserves that time slot for their scheduled case. Two weeks prior to the surgery we then request the remaining balance to be paid in full.

By that point the surgery schedule has been established for the coming weeks. The anesthesiologist has reserved that date and time for the case and the facility has booked sufficient staff to be present. This requires a high level of commitment by many involved parties just for that case. If payment was not required in advance and a patient decides to cancel the surgery last minute (barring a legitimate emergency), all of the involved parties (surgeon, anesthesiologist and facility staff) would have insufficient time to salvage the day by booking another surgical case.

Adam Rubinstein, MD · Answer

Paying for surgery in advance is the rule of thumb. It may seem questionable asking for payment two weeks in advance, but it really makes sense when you think about the preparations involved. The operating room needs to be reserved and so does anesthesia. 
That sets three or four people's schedules in motion and also requires their payment in advance. The surgeon is reserving his/her time for your procedure, which takes it away from other patients who might want the same date. Your surgeon might miss out on caring for another patient who wants the same date because of your reservation of that date. That is why procedures are paid for in advance of surgery.
Also be aware that most offices will take a non-refundable deposit to hold a date (this can be part of your payment in full if you never left a deposit). Be sure to know the policy when paying. The deposit helps off-set the costs of a last minute cancellation. In most cases, you can apply everything you have paid to another date in the event that you need to cancel and reschedule. If you need to completely cancel the procedure, more than likely you will forfeit some portion of your payment.
I hope this info helps!

Stephen Prendiville, MD · Answer

I agree with other posters. Business issues, negotiations, etc. need to be cleared up well in advance of surgery. Why? Key personnel such as an Anesthesiologist, or CRNA, surgical techs, RN's etc need to be coordinated for the day of your surgery. In addition, OR time must be secured and at times additional supplies ordered. Most practices adhere to this standard.

Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS · Answer

Payment in advance for cosmetic procedures is the norm. Two weeks is appropriate to allow time for the payment to process properly.

Robert L. Kraft, MD, FACS · Answer

Cosmetic surgery requires a deposit and full payment prior to the scheduled surgery date, subject to cancellation and refund policies.  Your surgeon should provide all such policies to you at the time of scheduling so there will be no misunderstanding.  The surgeon is not only committing his time to you but also retaining the services of other medical professionals, including the anesthesiologist.   I do not apply a cancellation fee if the reason is legitimate and the surgery is rescheduled but otherwise retain a portion of the deposit, on a sliding scale, to cover the lost time and compensate the anesthesiologist appropriately.

Lawrence Kass, MD · Answer

IMHO, this is the standard paractice of most good physicians who do this kind of work.

Chris Thiagarajah, MD · Answer

This is absolutely legit. The surgeon is reserving a spot in your name with the facility and anesthesiology service, not to mention his or her time where they can be doing surgery on someone else. Unfortunately some patients in the past do things such as not paying their bill or cancelled the day of surgery for minor reasons and left the surgeon out on the limb. Thus the payment is done to reserve the spot. There is variation between surgeons as to how much and how early but almost everyone does so.

Should I Pay for Blepharoplasty Surgery Upfront?

Answers (17)

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