Health insurance Medical Policies - Trans Health Project This may influence the decision-making of surgeons with respect to the complexity of procedures to perform. During Your FFS Procedure How long it takes: This depends on what you are having done. Dr. Schnitt is a board certified cosmetic, plastic, reconstructive and craniofacial surgeon who has been practicing in South Florida since 2002. Only patients with insurance authorization decisions were included in this study (n = 40). Dr. Ley has joined Dr. Scott Mossers Gender Confirmation Center in San Francisco, where she will begin seeing patients in March 2022. Regardless, I recommend that you fight everything out in the preauthorization/pre service review process, and not after you have already paid and might be left holding the bill. Administrative costs have been estimated to account for 31% of health care expenditures in the United States.13 At the level of individual academic surgical practices, contemporary estimations of processing time and total costs for billing and insurance-related activities were 100 minutes and $215.10 for an inpatient surgical procedure in 2017.14 Time and costs for activities carried out by physicians were estimated at a median of 15 minutes or $51.20 for an inpatient surgical procedure.14 In plastic surgery, Braun and colleagues have performed a similar study evaluating the time and cost burden of insurance denials for pediatric patients with congenital breast anomalies.15 Their work estimated that the average pre-surgery insurance process to cost $445.36 and require 7.4 hours of institutional time. I cannot tell you what insurance plan to get that covers FGCS, there are too many variables. Plastic surgeons at Michigan Medicine are proud to provide Facial Feminization Surgery. Surgery will be carried out under general anaesthetic and can typically range from around 4 to 8 hours depending on the procedures. Listings for surgeons outside of the New York area are compiled only for surgeons who perform some combination of genital surgery or FGCS, . Dr. Ellie Zara Ley, MD is an accomplished board-certified plastic surgeon who had more than 15 years of specialized training in plastic, craniofacial and micro surgery before learning the art of Gender Confirmation Surgery. We recommend you take at least two weeks off from work to recover, but expect up to six to eight weeks of decreased activity. There is also a great deal of discussion on various internet forums and also on social media in terms of how to reduce the cost of your facial feminization surgery by claiming the procedure on your health insurance. Furthermore, even in the challenging scenario for insurance authorization reported by Braun and colleagues, Groups B and C also exceed reported estimates. P < 0.05 was considered significant. Facial Feminization Surgery: FFS Surgery in Thailand For example, some may be reluctant to perform an osteotomy of the anterior table of the frontal bone for setback in an outpatient surgery center and, thus, default to a less aggressive method of frontal bone recontouring, which may be an undercorrection for certain patients. Also known as facial feminization surgery or FFS, this is a general term for a group of procedures designed to change the bone structure . Similarly, while Medicare does not require an authorization process to move forward with surgery, we have experienced significant billing challenges postsurgery. We are looking forward to meeting you in person, hearing your aspirations, and tailoring a Surgical plan especially for you. Frequently Asked Questions | Facial Feminization Surgery | Dr Keojampa Our team will help you set up a MyChart account where you will have the ability to fill this out online. Facial Feminisation Surgery | Nuffield Health From an historical perspective, both private health insurance carriers and government insurance have declined claims for FFS. Data is temporarily unavailable. According to the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, facial feminization surgery is particularly inaccessible because almost all insurance companies deem it a cosmetic procedure . As gender dysphoria is highly individual, such procedures will vary by anatomical areas associated with dysphoria for each individual patient as well as decision-making from the treating surgeon. The Plastic Surgery Clinic of Chicago personalizes each and every treatment we perform by completing a full facial evaluation and discussing all possible options with you. Dr. Mangubats excellent surgical skills, experience and dedication to transgender health have made him the most sought after surgeon for transgender surgery in the Pacific Northwest. Each letter should state "this procedure is medically necessary treatment. With all letters, I advise providers to be as authoritative in their tone as possible, and to explicitly claim an expert status if appropriate. What's your out of pocket max? You should be able to have easy access to this document through your insurance provider. P. Daniel Knott, MD, and Andrea Park, MD from the UCSF Facial Plastic Surgery practice in the Division of Head & Neck Surgery. To filter results, enter information and 'click search icon' and/or select from the dropdown lists. This document is a general guide to national resources, but because of the state-specific nature of most insurance regulation, I highly suggest you attempt to reach out to local experts who are better able to advise you to your situation. Gray R, Nguyen K, Lee JC, et al. Dr. Rodriguez is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco who is dedicated full time to providing surgical care for transgender patients. Dr. Salgado is a board-certified plastic surgeon with deep expertise in gender-affirming procedures. N Engl J Med. Insurance Requirements for Gender Confirmation Surgery - Verywell Health Facial Feminization Surgery - A Complete Guide to FFS - DESCHAMPS-BRALY 8. Staying in the hospital: Your procedure may be performed in a hospital or outpatient center. Your insurance might have a requirement about length of time in care with them, or degree level. Dr. Satterwhite works exclusively with trans women, trans men and non-binary patients seeking Gender Confirmation procedures such as Vaginoplasty, Facial Feminization, and FTM Top Surgery. This procedure can alter both soft tissues as well as the facial bone to achieve more feminine-looking facial features. Unlike California plans, self-insured plans are not under the CA DMHC and, thus, the final outcome is more variable. The lady on the phone told me the surgery usually ranges from $60-100,000 dollars. Transgender women may choose FFS as part of their male-to-female transition process. Dr. Meltzer is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon who has been performing Gender Reassignment Surgery since the early 90s. Our practice does NOT contract with any insurance providers to allay the cost of your facial feminization surgery. She believes in a shared vision and works closely with her patients to deliver the best quality care that is in line with their needs. Facial Feminization Surgery | Michigan Medicine - U of M Health There are a few limitations in this study that deserve mention. Values: "At Kamol Hospital we provide a complete spectrum of fine cosmetic surgical procedures, performed by elite plastic surgeons setting new technological achievements. These procedures may include: Tummy tuck, called abdominoplasty. The differences between male and female facial features vary with age, ethnicity, and how early hormonal therapy began. Facial feminization surgery (FFS) is undertaken to reconstruct masculine facial features to present a feminine form. 816-305-0943 Insurance Note:Utilizing insurance for Facial Feminization and Breast Augmentation procedures - Our office is experiencing reimbursement issues (claims NOT being paid by insurance companies) when filing facial feminization procedures and breast augmentation to insurance. Based in Beverly Hills, California, Dr. Lee is as well-known for her surgical precision as she is for the compassion, care and understanding that she has for all of her patients. Dr. Rodriguez had 14 years of craniofacial, aesthetic and pediatric plastic surgery experience before becoming a Gender Surgeon. I always advise people to try with the insurance they have before they switch to another plan. Before getting into the nitty gritty details, let me be real with you, and let me be hopeful. Despite these reports, coverage continues to be variable from state to state, physician to physician, as well as depending on anatomical region. information about insurance coverage: video.transcendlegal.org 2. . Administrative time in this cohort included obtaining initial authorizations, which resulted in an average of 1.4 0.4 hours spent per patient at an estimated cost of $38.18 10.18 per patient (Fig. insurance appeals for pediatric reconstructive surgery: a micro cost analysis and how-to guide. Thirdly, it is likely that the current work underestimated the total cost of the insurance approval process, as we could not quantify the cost of surgery cancelations, additional clinic visits, and unquantifiable administrative time. I can't guarantee that you'll achieve coverage, but depending on how your insurance benefits are regulated and the support resources you have access to, it's definitely worth trying. We will commonly prescribe you with medications for common post-surgical side effects such as pain, nausea, and constipation. Dr. Available at: 2. 2018 Physician Compensation Report. The Ins & Outs of Traveling Abroad for FFS Surgery For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Prior to meeting with the social worker, patients should complete this assessment document. (See table 1, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which displays requested CPT codes and associated terminology for facial feminization surgery. It is important to be aware of the side effects that will certainly occur, like swelling, bruising, and incisional scars. This might be the hardest part- no one should have to compromise quality, and the big names in FGCS have historically not taken insurance, though its my observation that this is rapidly changing. Furthermore, revisions may be indicated in some patients over time. Does Medicare cover gender reassignment surgery? - Medical News Today 50% of transgender women either had or wanted facial feminization (surgery to make a face appear more feminine). Available at: 9. Rhinoplasty. Thus, specifying any one procedure as medically necessary while excluding other facial procedures reflects a lack of understanding of the nature of the diagnosis. Plast Reconstr Surg. If you work for an employer who supports your gender confirmation surgery your first point of contact should be your in-house health insurance liaison. The generalizability of the findings presented here is limited by state laws. Secondly, the current study does not take into account the postsurgical administrative and billing time consumption and costs. PDF Gender Confirming/Grs Surgeon List and Resources for Preparing for Surgery This means that the surgeon is either already in network with your insurance and is willing to send a prior authorization, or has an office willing to do the legwork of doing a letter of agreement with your insurance. I tell everyone to plan for an initial denial- even if FGCS is covered in your plan clearly, its likely that portions of the procedure will be denied as cosmetic. Bottom surgery, or changing the genitalia, costs an estimated $25,600 for male-to-female patients and about $24,900 for female-to-male, according to The Philadelphia Center for Transgender. Only if your insurance provider authorizes a Letter of Agreement. He has been performing gender surgery since 2005. Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) Preparation Guide. In the standard approval process (Group A), patients were under both public and certain private insurance plans (39% of all privately insured patients in the cohort). LGBT legal service projects? Dr. Facque is a board-certified plastic surgeon in San Francisco, California who started providing gender-affirming care in 2012 and has worked exclusively with transgender and non-binary patients since 2020. School-Based Dental Sealants; Licensed Rhode Island Dentists. FFS consults (n = 40) at the University of California, Los Angeles (20182020) were reviewed for time and cost to definitive insurance authorization decision. Days, whose birth name was Douglas, came out as transgender in January, 2015. Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) in Thailand - MyMediTravel Facial Feminization Surgery under Insurance: The University - LWW A report last year from the Center for American Progress found that 40 percent of transgender respondents and 56 percent of trans respondents of color said their health insurance companies. Estimated costs of obtaining insurance approval for FFS (B). In most cases, it is still extremely difficult to get your FFS surgery reimbursed by your insurance. HB2084 (2016) bans gender identity discrimination in health insurance and HB2405 (2022) bans categorical exclusions for gender-affirming care under any health plan, though the law does not . If performed all at once, FFS usually takes between 4- 8 hours. Facial feminization surgery: the forehead. Mallory C, Tentindo W. Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care. The concept and treatments were developed with transfeminine patients in mind in the 1980s, led by a San Francisco-based surgeon who devised measurements for a "normal" female appearance by surveying anthropological skeletal records. During his plastic surgery residency, Dr. Esmonde worked in the Transgender Health Program at OHSU. She has the skill and artistry to help produce the aesthetic goals that transgender and non-binary patients seek with Top Surgery, Breast Augmentation and Facial Gender Confirmation Surgery. 2014; 134:609619. Facial Feminization Surgery - Need FFS? Find the Best FFS Surgeons The total time from initial consultation to definitive authorization decision for Group A was 1.1 0.2 months (Fig. However, this has been a persuasive strategy in some cases. It is of great importance to note that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for facial gender affirmation with respect to determining medical necessity of procedures. If not, remember youre never alone and there are a range of transgender support agencies that you can tap into. Dr. Charles Shih. ENQUIRE NOW. Facial Feminization Surgery: Everything You Need to Know - Verywell Health Facial feminization surgery (FFS) includes a series of plastic and craniofacial surgical procedures designed to feminize the face. Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) in Mexico - MyMediTravel Dr. Meltzer is widely recognized as one of the leading surgeons in the field of Gender Surgery, having completed over 4000 gender affirming surgeries. However, the cost can range from $1,847 to $62,000, depending on a few key factors. Private insurances included health maintenance organizations and preferred provider organization. From the *Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, Calif. UCLA Gender Health Program, University of California, Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, Calif. Look here for licensed dentists practicing in the state. Dr. Facque joined the Gender Confirmation Centers team in September 2020 as a full-time Associate Surgeon specializing in Facial Gender Confirmation Surgery, Top Surgery and Body Contouring. Doximity. Doctors and surgeons trained in facial feminization surgery are working to improve care for people living with gender dysphoria. In addition to legislative changes, the rationale for increasing coverage may be related to calculations on the cost-effectiveness of coverage. Surgeries are performed by our world experts in facial reconstructive surgery, including: Drs. 1). The format for an appeals process and regulations/law/policy to cite within it vary widely depending on the mix of state and local regulations that apply to your specific plan. Average months spent from initial facial feminization consultation to final insurance authorization decision. Facial Feminization Surgery Before & After Pictures - RealSelf ), You will also need to factor in the costs of airfare, transportation, and accommodation if youre not from the San Francisco Bay Area. Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) - University of Utah Care Credit approval amounts can vary from person to person. The time spent on the presurgical authorization process for Groups B and C translated to an over 20-fold increase in cost ($855.00 and $988.38, respectively) compared with Group A. Navigation of the insurance process for FFS is challenging and time-consuming; however, coverage is a reality in California provided that multi-level appeals are exhausted. Gender-Affirmation Surgery | Transgender Surgery | The University of surgical techniques and analysis of results. Osseous transformation with facial feminization surgery: improved anatomical accuracy with virtual planning. 12. Dr. Andrew Kleinberger. Tate, who has been with Starbucks for 15 years and now manages a store in Austin, Texas, is one of a growing number of Starbucks partners who have used the company's leading-edge benefits for transgender partners. Among the total cohort, most patients had private insurance (n = 23, 57.5%), followed by Medi-Cal (n = 13, 32.5%), and Medicare (n = 4, 10.0%).