DIEP Cost and Insurance Coverage

Cost for any surgery is an important concern for patients. This may be even more so for patients who are considering a breast reconstructive procedure following removal of one or both breasts due to injury or illness, such as cancer. A patient may already be feeling anxious or upset about the circumstances surrounding the need for breast reconstructive surgery, and dealing with how to pay for the surgery adds to those concerns. At Crawford Plastic Surgery, patients are offered a variety of payment options to cover either all or part of the cost of their breast reconstruction surgery.

Insurance Coverage

One of the most commonly performed types of breast reconstructive surgery is the Deep Inferior Epigastric Artery Perforator (DIEP) flap. In this procedure, excess skin, tissue, fat, and blood vessels are taken from the abdominal area and used to reconstruct the breast. One advantage to this procedure is that the reconstructed breast looks and feels more natural than those using implants. There is also less chance of the body rejecting its own tissue.

One of the other advantages to the DIEP procedure, in terms of cost, is that there is a very good chance the treatment will be completely or partially covered by medical insurance. Because the removal of excess skin, tissue, and fat from the abdominal area is used to reconstruct the breast following an injury or illness, rather than just for cosmetic purposes (as in a tummy tuck procedure), insurance companies are more likely to cover payment for the procedures.

The staff at our office have many years of experience in dealing with insurance paperwork. Patients can ask questions and get help on how to submit their insurance claims for payment.

Other Payment Options

Some patients may not have coverage for a DIEP procedure or they may only be partially covered; for these patients, there are other payment methods available. One of the most popular is the use of a special low-interest payment plan that allows patients to stretch out payments anywhere from a few months to several years.

CareCredit and SurgeryLoans.com are two of the most popular plans. The former is a low-interest credit card that works similar to any major credit card. The latter offers loans at reasonable APR rates and repayment timeframes. Both have been in the business of health care financing for a number of years and have an excellent reputation for helping patients finance their cosmetic surgical procedures.

Qualifying for health care financing is quick and easy. Our office staff can help patients fill out the forms and apply for the credit or loan to cover any out-of-pocket expenses.

Undergoing surgical procedures can be stressful. There is no reason for payment to be a part of that stress. Let our surgeons help you find the best possible financing plan to cover the cost of the DIEP flap surgical procedure. Our surgeons and staff have many years of experience in helping relieve patients’ worries over how to pay for reconstructive breast procedures.