The Answer to Rising Healthcare Costs
Introduction
Q:Why is healthcare so expensive?
A: Healthcare prices are kept a secret. Price and quality information is lacking, so free market competition can’t occur.Once prices are known, people can shop based on price and value( Eg. Look at the price of flat screen TV’s. Free market competition has decreased price and improved quality).
The Rogue Clinic at Graham Plastic Surgery follows free market principles. By applying transparent pricing to hand, cyst, lipoma, and skin surgeries we are able to provide honest, simple, and affordable cash pricing for basic surgical procedures. Over 80% of people never meet their insurance deductible, so most people are paying cash for care anyway. You might as well pay less out of pocket for higher quality. You can even use your HSA and FSA money. These procedures are all safely performed in our state-of-the-art surgical suites by our highly trained Plastic Surgeon, Dr. David Graham. Located in Rochester, NY, we serve patients who travel from as far as Florida and Chicago for our high value services.
Check out our Rogue Clinic Cyst Removal Video on Youtube.
Rogue Clinic Pricing
**Pricing only available for cash pay. HSA/FSA can be used. Administrative fees apply with any requests for paperwork as all pricing is based on MD’s time.
- Lipoma, cyst, and any lump or bump on body/scalp <2 inches-$500, >2 inches-$750. Flat rate of $1000 per hour if multiple cysts/lipomas.
- Cysts on the face $600
- Cysts on fingers $750
- Facial skin lesion removal with cosmetic closure $600 for first lesion, $300 each additional
- Skin Cancer Removal $1000 (additional pathology fees may apply)
- Emergency Laceration Closure $2000
- Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release $1500
- Cubital Tunnel Release $1500
- Wrist Cyst Removal $1200
- Trigger Finger Release $600
- Hand Tendon Repair $1500
These are significant savings when one considers multiple office visits, preoperative testing, and surgery center fees charged by hospitals. As an aside, just posting these prices controls the cost of healthcare.
Why the Rogue Clinic Works
The Rogue Clinic works by maximizing clinical efficiency. By optimizing our workflow we are able to increase the number of procedures per hour, which reduces prices. By also offering cash pricing we are able to cut out the administrative overhead involved with coding and billing insurance. This allows us to further lower our price to patients. Patients spend less money while we remain profitable. Lastly, because we are not going through insurance we don’t need a separate visit before we can get insurance approval. We can do everything in just one visit.
Advantages of The Rogue Clinic
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More Convenient
- Single Visit Surgery. Most practices often require at least 2 visits: One visit to establish care and request surgical approval, and a second visit for the actual surgery. We only need one visit. No need to complicate things.
- Drive Yourself. As there is no general anesthesia, patients can drive themselves to and from the appointment.
- No Starving. No need to limit eating or drinking after midnight, as there is no general anesthesia. Eat a full breakfast and have your coffee.
- No Follow Up Required. We use absorbable sutures so there is no need for follow up. We will always be glad to see you, but extra visits are not required.
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Lower Price
- Greater Than 50% Savings. Remember, with an insurance deductible you are paying out of pocket for this care anyway; you might as well save the money. You will typically pay at least 50% more for the same procedures if you go through your insurance.
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Less Pain
- Smaller Needles. Office Based Surgery is actually less painful than that performed at a surgery center. The needle we use to numb the surgical area is much smaller than the large one they use to start an IV at the hospital or surgery center. As a result, you have much less overall pain. Every patient comments that our surgery is “less painful than going to the dentist”.
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Less Risk
- “The Safest Anesthesia is No Anesthesia”. No need to go to sleep means there is no risk of anesthesia complication. We only use local anesthesia, like that used in ER’s and Dentists offices.
- Lower Infection Risk. Multiple studies have shown that office-based surgeries have lower infection risks than both hospitals and surgery centers. Our office is 100% COVID-19 free. Can you say the same of the hospital or surgery center?
- No Need for Preop Testing. Because office-based surgery is so low risk patients do not need any preoperative labs or EKG’s.
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Better for the Planet
- 90% Less Medical Waste. Studies have shown that office-based surgery creates 1/10th the medical waste as hospital or surgery center based surgery. You get to save the planet at the same time as saving money.
Is Office Based Surgery as Safe as a Surgery Center or Hospital?
Office Based Surgery at Graham Plastic Surgery is much safer. All surgeries are performed by Dr. David Graham, a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, who has over 15 years of surgical experience, and has performed over 20,000 procedures. He is triple residency trained in General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, and Hand Surgery.
We perform our surgeries in our state of the art surgical suites. Our office is located in the Rochester, NY area, which meets the highest standards in equipment and sterility. Studies even show that office-based surgery has lower infection rates than both surgery center and hospital-based surgery. This is because at our surgical suite you don’t expose yourself to the super bacteria found at hospitals.
All surgeries are performed using local anesthesia, which is less painful than hospital or surgery center based surgery, gets rid of the need for fasting, and allows patients to drive to and from their appointment. Local anesthesia is also safer. “ The safest anesthesia is no anesthesia.”
Will my Mass Be Sent to a Pathologist?
Most often the masses will be clearly identified as harmless, and will be disposed of without further investigation. However, if Dr. Graham is suspicious of the mass based on physical exam, or if he is suspicious once it is removed, he will send it to a pathologist for evaluation. Patients will also be given the freedom of choice of sending their tissue to a pathologist for evaluation. However, this may incur additional charges.
If the mass represents a cancer Dr. Graham will be able to either treat the cancer himself or refer you to the appropriate doctor.
Who Are the Best Candidates for Self Pay Surgery?
The best candidates are those individuals with high deductibles, those with HSA/FSA accounts, those without insurance, and those who simply value freedom and want more autonomy when it comes to their healthcare. Other great candidates would be businesses who self fund their health insurance plans. Talk to your employer and they may even reimburse you. We ultimately all pay for our healthcare; we might as well pay a lower price.
Can I use my HSA/FSA for self pay surgery?
Yes, according to IRS rules you may use your HSA/FSA account to pay for these services.
How much does lipoma removal cost? How much does cyst removal cost?
According to the Kaiser Health Foundation the average cyst removal price or lipoma removal price in the US often exceeds $1000. Our Rogue Clinic prices are much less. You can see Dr. Graham’s pricing here.
