A common 1st stage bilateral breast reconstruction at surgery center facility in California includes
| |
Units |
Avg Cash price |
Provider |
Plastic & reconstructive surgeon visit provider fee
First time visit
Standard
|
1 |
$143 |
Provider fee for breast reconstruction
Standard
Bilateral Procedure
|
1 |
$3,550 |
Facility |
Surgery center fee for breast reconstruction
Standard
Standard
|
1 |
$8,172 |
Imaging |
Radiology fee for x-ray of breast or mammogram of both breasts
Standard
Standard
|
1 |
$239 |
Prescriptions |
HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN
Standard
Standard
|
30 |
$18 |
Anesthesia |
Anesthesiologist fee to be "put under" for procedure
Level 3
Standard
|
1 |
$234 |
Anesthesiologist time to be "put under" for procedure
Per minute
Standard
|
344 |
$798 |
Total average cash price |
|
A common 1st stage bilateral breast reconstruction at outpatient hospital facility in California includes
| |
Units |
Avg Cash price |
Provider |
Plastic & reconstructive surgeon visit provider fee
First time visit
Standard
|
1 |
$143 |
Provider fee for breast reconstruction
Standard
Bilateral Procedure
|
1 |
$3,550 |
Facility |
Outpatient Hospital fee for breast reconstruction
level 4
Standard
|
1 |
$20,089 |
Imaging |
Radiology fee for x-ray of breast or mammogram of both breasts
Standard
Standard
|
1 |
$239 |
Prescriptions |
HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN
Standard
Standard
|
30 |
$18 |
Anesthesia |
Anesthesiologist fee to be "put under" for procedure
Level 3
Standard
|
1 |
$234 |
Anesthesiologist time to be "put under" for procedure
Per minute
Standard
|
344 |
$798 |
Total average cash price |
|
Many surgeons choose to perform two stages for bilateral breast reconstruction. The first stage is usually done during the lumpectomy or mastectomy, while the second stage is completed after the patient has completed their rounds of chemotherapy or radiation treatments.
Stage 1: In this stage, the surgeon inserts tissue expanders to preserve the natural shape of the patient's breasts.
Stage 2: Once the patient has finished additional treatments and the breast tissues have been given time to heal, the surgeon removes the tissue expander and replaces them with permanent breast implants. This stage usually takes place between four to six months after Stage 1.
Immediately following a mastectomy, the surgeon will create a pouch under the chest muscle. Next, a tissue expander made of silicone is placed in the pouch. The chest remains flat, but after two to three weeks, the surgeon will inject a small amount of saline through a valve into the expander. The surgeon will continue to do this every one to two weeks until the expander slowly enlarges the pouch to the correct size to place the implant. After the allotted time, the permanent breast implant is placed.
It takes about 6 to 8 weeks to recover physically after breast reconstruction surgery. After that, most women can start getting back to normal activities. However, breast cancer survivors will often experience a myriad of emotions, and getting back to normal life may trigger those. Feeling anxiety, depression, or even post-traumatic stress is normal. It may be helpful to talk to a counselor or other women who have had breast cancer and breast reconstruction. They can help you walk through those emotions and how these changes to your body have affected you as a woman post-surgery.
Numbness following mastectomy and reconstruction surgery is common. During surgery, nerves that supply feeling to the chest are removed in addition to breast tissue, and although some sensation can return, the numbness is usually permanent. Restoring sensation has not been a focus of breast reconstructive surgery until recently. Fortunately, there are some newer techniques that are available that may help restore that sensation that may be worth discussing with the surgeon.
While many surgeons choose to perform bilateral breast reconstruction in two stages, there are situations that may not require a two-step process. In some cases, the surgeon may forego placing a tissue expander and place a permanent breast implant during the mastectomy. Thus, the entire reconstruction procedure is done in one stage in a single surgery.
About the 1st stage bilateral breast reconstruction Average Cash Prices
This procedure is most commonly performed at either a surgery center or an outpatient hospital.
Surgery centers, also known as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), are independent, licensed medical
facilities that are governed by distinct regulatory requirements compared with a hospital. Procedures
performed at an ASCs are often less expensive than when they are performed at an outpatient hospital,
but they typically offer fewer complimentary services, and may not have the full-range of support
services that a hospital provides.
Outpatient facilities are outpatient departments or clinics that may be within or next to a hospital,
but is owned and run by the affiliated hospital. These facilities can perform surgical treatments and
procedures that do not require an overnight stay. Procedures performed at an outpatient hospital are
often more expensive than when they are performed in an ambulatory surgery center, but outpatient
hospitals may offer more complimentary and support services for patients because they are connected to
the hospital system.
