Are surgical fees negotiable?

Q. Are surgical fees negotiable?

A: Fees vary depending upon the procedure contemplated, the area of the country and market place, particularly as it relates to a specific surgeon's practice. Some doctors through good P.R. or time in the community clearly have more patients then they can operate on so therefore they raise their fees because the market place will allow it. "Do not think however, that just because a doctor charges more for a procedure, that he is necessarily the better doctor, it may be more an indication of his notoriety then his expertise". At the same time one should be wary of the physician whose fees are significantly lower than the market and offer cheap deals on breast augmentation. The surgeon may be doing this because he or she has just learned the procedure and wishes to gain greater experience or they lack some of the formal plastic surgery training or ASPS board certification and is thereby using lower fees to attract patients. With a surgical procedure I always say price should not be the most important issue. The most important issues when considering surgery is safety, an experienced and skilled board certified plastic surgeon, a board certified medical doctor to administer anesthesia, having the surgery performed in a safe facility that is accredited. Price can sometimes be negotiated, but plastic surgeons and anesthesiologists skills are not negotiable.