Dr. Stefano Sinicropi, M.D.

Healthcare in America can get expensive in a hurry, and while Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute do everything in their power to keep costs down for patients, the reality is that spine surgery can end up being a fairly large expense. If you don’t take steps to prepare for the expense of your operation, you can find yourself dealing with an uncomfortable financial situation in the months that follow. In today’s blog, we share some tips for becoming financially prepared for your upcoming spine surgery.

Preparing For The Cost Of Surgery

Surgery can be a significant expense for many, but if you take some steps to prepare for the financial side of things, you can work to reduce the burden it puts on your wallet. Here are some smart financial moves to make before your operation.

1. Start Setting Money Aside – Most spinal procedures are elective in nature, meaning you will have weeks or months to prepare for the upcoming operation and expense. As soon as you know that surgery is a possibility, start putting some money to the side. Don’t wait until after you have the bill in your hands to start saving money.
2. Talk With Your Care Team – Your doctor and your care team should be able to give you a pretty good estimate of what you can expect in terms of total cost, but they will not know the ins and outs of your healthcare coverage, so it’s also helpful to ask for any billing codes or specifics that can help you when talking with your insurance company. Your care team can give you a general idea of what your insurance will be billed for based on your operation and rehabilitation plan.
3. Talk With Your Insurance Company – After you’ve written down those billing codes, pick up the phone and reach out to your insurance company. They should be able to tell you what percentage of the expense they will cover and an estimate of what you will likely owe on your end with out of pocket costs. Don’t expect these numbers to be perfect, but they should help you get a ballpark estimate for what you might be on the hook for, and that can help you budget before and after your operation.
4. Get On A Payment Plan – You won’t have to pay the entire medical bill in one installment. In fact, most health insurance companies allow you to get on a zero interest repayment plan, so you can break up the cost of surgery over 12 or 24 months or longer based on your needs. Many insurance companies will be more than willing to set you up with a repayment plan that suits your needs so long as it makes it easier for them to collect what’s owed.
5. Get It Your All During Conservative Treatment – Finally, you can help to significantly cut down on your medical costs by really committing to a conservative care plan. If you give full effort during your physical therapy sessions and work to change your diet and get more exercise to help provide a healthier environment for your spine, there’s a decent chance that you can avoid the need for surgery altogether. Surgery is a major undertaking and a major expense, so do everything in your power to avoid an operation if at all possible.

If you have any questions about the financial side of your spine care, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at The Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.

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