When you’re facing a health concern that requires surgery, it can feel stressful—especially when you’re concerned about the cost of your surgery. You want to know you’re choosing an option that is manageable for your budget, keeping the cost as affordable as possible without sacrificing the quality of medical care you receive.
The good news is, you have choices when it comes to getting the healthcare you need, which can help you manage the costs of your care. So, here are some factors to consider that play into the cost of common medical procedures.
There are several elements that influence what you will pay for surgery in Oklahoma, including:
Different procedures have different prices, so the specific surgery you have performed will influence its overall cost. Some surgeries require more time, care, medicine and other resources to be performed. In general, you can expect that if a surgery is more complex and involves more steps or more specialized equipment, that will be reflected in what you pay.
A simple procedure with just a couple of steps on a healthy individual (such as the quick removal of a skin tag) is likely to cost less than a complex procedure with many steps on an individual who has complicating factors (such as a heart bypass surgery). So, a good portion of your medical procedure will be related simply to what is involved in giving you, personally, the care you require.
You and your surgeon will discuss these factors before any surgery is performed, so you can better understand what is involved in giving you the healthcare that is most appropriate for you. During this discussion, you can always inquire about costs and other aspects of your medical care that you would like to know more about.
Surgery pricing is also affected by factors such as whether you are using a general surgeon or a specialist, whether you are having general anesthesia or local anesthesia, and whether it is performed in the office or in a hospital or ambulatory surgery center. More complex surgical procedures typically require specialized equipment that can command a higher price in the healthcare marketplace.
If biopsies or other tests are required to analyze your condition, the added fees will increase the overall expense of your surgery. And as you might expect, the common, everyday tests such as a routine blood test are likely to be lower in cost than a highly specialized, complex test.
Your health insurance company and its policies play an important role in determining how the cost of a surgical procedure is handled. Your overall deductible as well as what you currently owe on that deductible weigh in too. So do any coinsurance rates you might have. To get the best sense of what your insurance may expect you to be responsible for, it’s best to review your policy and contact the insurance company directly.
Gone are the days of going only to the hospital for healthcare. These days, many surgical procedures can be performed in a variety of settings, such as in the doctor’s office, at a surgical center, in a specialty hospital or in a general hospital.
An in-patient procedure in a hospital will likely be more costly and involved than an outpatient procedure performed in a surgery center. This is because hospitals normally have larger overheads to account for, and you may have several medical professionals involved in your care. This can increase the overall expense of any procedure performed in a hospital setting.
For this reason, many patients opt to receive treatment in their doctor’s office if at all possible.
One of the most common types of hernia is the inguinal hernia, which occurs when a portion of the intestine or other tissue bulges through a weak spot in the lower abdomen. That feeling of pain that occurs when you cough, bend over, or lift a heavy object can be a sign of this type of hernia. If serious enough, inguinal hernia surgery may be recommended.
Inguinal hernia repair is typically performed as an outpatient procedure under general anesthesia. There are several factors your doctor will consider in planning for your personal needs, including:
A doctor may recommend having your gallbladder removed if you have painful, symptomatic gallstones or other gallbladder conditions. Surgical removal is often the best option for treating these symptoms. In days past, open gallbladder surgery was the normal approach, but today, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most common approach.
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is performed under general anesthesia. Several small incisions are made in the abdomen, and the organ is carefully removed through one of the incisions. The procedure is usually completed in about an hour.
Whether you need open surgery or a laparoscopic procedure will factor into your overall cost, as well as if it can be done at an ambulatory surgery center.
Skin cancer is a common occurrence in sunny Oklahoma, but its prognosis is generally very good if it is caught and treated early. Most often, patients will receive an in-office biopsy to sample a portion of the lesion for potential cancer.. Small moles, skin tags and marks that are suspected of being cancerous or have been confirmed to be a skin cancer can all be removed by an in-office surgical procedure under local anesthetic that is normally quick and straightforward. Lymph nodes may also be tested and removed for sampling.
The cost of this procedure will therefore depend on how many lesions are removed, whether lymph nodes must also be removed, where the procedure is performed, and how many tests will be performed.
The risk of colon problems increases as we age, and colon cancer is a problem for many people. Yet it can be detected and treated early through regular colonoscopies, which allows the colon to be checked for health and polyps to be completely removed and tested. In addition, other issues that may be related to the colon can be diagnosed at the same time..
Colonoscopies and sigmoidoscopies are performed as outpatient procedures. If there is a need for further surgery, such as a colon resection, the patient might require inpatient care or a hospital stay. All these factors will be part of the overall cost determination.
Many surgical procedures can be performed safely and smoothly in a doctor’s office like ours. In-office procedures can provide numerous advantages to patients who want to ensure they are getting quality care while managing their costs:
It’s often faster, easier, and more pleasant to have a procedure performed in the caring atmosphere of a doctor’s office than to go to a large complex hospital system..
Because doctors’ offices are typically able to focus on just a few patients at a time, patients enjoy customized state-of-the-art treatment and personal, one-on-one care that provides peace of mind. Almost all of the technological advances available in the hospital are also available in the doctors’ office.
And by keeping the number of patients in and out of our offices lower than a hospital, and performing appropriate sanitizing techniques, we also minimize your exposure to COVID-19, MRSA and other dangerous bacteria and health conditions.
At Midtown Surgical & Skin Institute, our in-office procedures are more affordable because there is no additional cost for the surgery center or hospital—only our physician charges. These physician charges are the same whether performed in the office, hospital, or ambulatory surgery center. There are also no surprise costs such as radiology, pathology, anesthesiology, etc.
Don’t let uncertainty and worry keep you from receiving the health care you deserve.
At Midtown Surgical & Skin Institute, we work closely with our patients to give you straightforward answers and compassionate personalized medical care so you receive the healthcare you need while saving on the costs of higher-priced hospital care.
We listen closely to your concerns and walk you through your options so you can select the approach to care that fits your needs. We help you eliminate stress and have the confidence you deserve in your medical care.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and get the medical solutions that bring you back to health.