When you have rhinoplasty on your schedule, you might consider negotiating with your surgeon. If you are getting a rhinoplasty for a medical reason, your surgery could be covered by insurance. But, if plastic surgery is deemed unnecessary, then you will have to cover the costs. When you get rhinoplasty from one of the best surgeons around, your bill for surgery will be high.
It might seem odd to negotiate for rhinoplasty, but it is done frequently. There are fixed costs associated with surgeries, like facility fees, equipment, and nurse salaries. But, there are other costs that have flexibility. They usually cost like photos, anesthesiology, and office visit fees.
1. Ask for a friends-and-family or professional deal
Many surgeons will offer discounted rates to their friends and family members. They also offer discounts to celebrities, other physicians, or media professionals. If physicians can offer discounts to specific groups of people, they can offer it to other people, too. They also often offer discounts to people who get two or more procedures. When you mix procedures, the surgeon only has to reserve the operating room once and pay fewer hours to their assistants and nurses. If you are asking for a professional discount, be prepared to offer something of value in exchange for discounted services. Office cleaning, blogging, babysitting – think of what your surgeon needs that you can provide.
2. Offer to pay cash
If your health insurance will not cover your rhinoplasty, one way to get a possible discount is to offer to pay for the procedure in cash. This helps the surgeon avoid credit card processing fees. It also can reduce other expenses. If you cannot pay everything up-front, ask your surgeon for a layaway program where you start to pay early and finish before the date of your surgery. You might be able to get a small percentage off of your price.
3. Choose the slowest time of the year
Another way to possibly reduce the cost of your rhinoplasty is to choose surgery during a slow time. This is usually the summer. But, each surgeon has different slow seasons, so ask when it is. When you offer to give your surgeon some business in the off-season, you could get a seriously lower rate – possibly up to 25 percent lower than the in-season.
Most people choose to have surgery during the fall or winter when children are at school and the house is empty. So, if you have your surgery during the summer when everyone is home, it is important that you find a way to relax and heal out of the sun in a cool, air-conditioned space.
Along with choosing the slow time of the year, you can also offer to have your surgery when it is most convenient for your surgeon. Since surgeons have to book their operating rooms in set blocks of time, they might have a room, but only half of the time is scheduled. If you offer to be on call, your surgeon can add you to the schedule when it is convenient for the surgeon. In some cases, you might get up to two weeks of notification, but your surgery might be seriously discounted.
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