Cost of Gastric Sleeve Surgery in Houston Cypress Texas

The cost of a sleeve gastrectomy surgery in Houston or Cypress, Texas area can range a good bit depending on the hospital and surgeon fee. The average cash pay cost of a sleeve gastrectomy for most hospitals ranges between $10 to $20 thousand. Some facilities offer lower prices depending on what procedures are being done with the sleeve gastrectomy. Sleeve surgery prices outside of Texas and other countries may be cheaper, but be careful.

The reason it cost so much is because the hospital has to recover the cost of the operating room time, pay for the anesthesiologist, the medications the patient will be getting, the nursing staff that will take care of you, and the two night you stay in the hospital receiving the care. The operating room cost are the most significant. Staplers, reloads, glue, and single use equipment (like trocars) are rather expensive. In my opinion, even though our health care cost is high in this country, I would not have it any other way. I have a very high confidence on the surgical equipment we use, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The hospital cost to the patient is about $8 thousand, and another $1 thousand goes to the anesthesiologist.

Mexico Sleeve Gastrectomy? Let me take a minute to discuss medical tourism. Trying to cut cost in the operating room is a bad idea. Medical tourism (like going to Mexico to get a cheap sleeve surgery) is a bad idea for this very reason. It is a cheep operation outside of this country because they cut cost in the operating room. It may not always be the case. Many U.S. travel to other countries to operate, and they do a good job; however, the facility and equipment is generally inferior to what we have in the states; furthermore, the health care standard and patient rights are vastly different in other countries.

The next most expensive item on the bill is the surgeon's fees. This is where the cost of a cash pay sleeve gastrectomy Houston Cypress Texas can really vary because it can be set at what ever the surgeon want to charge for it. This will vary between $2 to $8 thousand. Most surgeons try to be competitive in their particular area where they operate. This free market keeps the prices lower; in cases where there is only one surgeon in the area, he or she can charge whatever they want. This may increase the cost of the sleeve surgery. Most of the time, the surgeon and the hospital get together and agree on their prices together to come up with a package for the patient that is reasonable and doable in that particular community.

Finally, there are way to decrease the cost of the surgery. Most people are paying cash for their sleeve gastrectomy surgery Houston Cypress Texas because their insurance does not cover that specific operation. However, if the patient has another surgical condition that the insurance company will pay for, then some hospitals will use their insurance to off set the cost of the operating room, anesthesia, and hospital stay. This allows them to decrease their price of the sleeve significantly. Surgeons will also lower their fee since they will be reimbursed more for the insured operation. All together, this combination of surgeries can reduce the overall price to an average of approximately $8 thousand. I must add, however, that surgeons, hospitals, and patients must have integrity and honesty when it comes to these combination procedures. Insurance fraud and fudging findings to "help the patient out" is not only illegal and unprofessional but is also the reason insurance premiums and copays are sky rocketing.

I hope this was helpful, and if I can ever be at your service do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail or make an appointment to consult with me.