Surgical techniques and analysis of results. (See table 1, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which displays requested CPT codes and associated terminology for facial feminization surgery. In addition to following WPATHs SOC format, it is helpful if it is specifically tailored to FGCS. Thus, coverage significantly increases accessibility. 4. Additionally, the timeline for authorization is relatively opaque, thereby causing more uncertainty in patients and surgeons. Unlike California-insured plans, job-based plans which are self-insured, also called Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)-plans, a second-level, patient-initiated appeal is typically required. These investigators reported patient satisfaction following facial feminization surgery, including outcome measurements after forehead slippage and chin re-modeling. The structure of this system sucks, but it's the one in which you find yourself and it is your responsibility to make it work for you. Conveniently Located to Serve Chicago and Illinois. 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. However, its important to be aware that the terms and conditions of many insurance policies do not recognize coverage for the cost of FFS, or may exclude coverage for the services provided to you. Dr. Mangubat is a board-certified cosmetic surgeon in the Seattle area who has been performing transgender surgery procedures for over twenty years. LGBT legal service projects? Furthermore, even in the challenging scenario for insurance authorization reported by Braun and colleagues, Groups B and C also exceed reported estimates. Coordinating presurgical authorization required an average of 7.8 1.5 hours per patient for the administrator and 4.3 0.5 hours per patient for the attending craniofacial surgeon to navigate multi-level appeals. He offers Facial Feminization and Masculinization Surgery as part of the Gender Affirmation Surgery Program at Rush university Medical Center. However, we are not responsible for any insurance documentation, reimbursement, denials, or appeals. Co-insurance past that? For example, a number of state-mandated denial overturns in Group B patients resulted in billing challenges postsurgery. Dr. Crane is one of only a few surgeons in the world who is trained as both a plastic surgeon and urologist and has also completed fellowships in reconstructive urology and gender reassignment surgery. 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. Other costs to consider are: Our practice does NOT contract with any insurance providers to allay the cost of your facial feminization surgery. 12. 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. https://links.lww.com/PRSGO/B648.). Gray R, Nguyen K, Lee JC, et al. Surgeries are performed by our world experts in facial reconstructive surgery, including: Drs. Descriptive statistics were performed for demographic variables. Facial Feminization Surgery: A Guide for the Transgendered Woman. Each patient is different and your expectations and desired results will be discussed fully in your consultation. Dr. Dulin offers transgender women the following surgical services: Breast Augmentation: Get the curves you desire. For patients anticipating insurance coverage for your surgery, we appreciate that you may wish to seek insurance reimbursement for the cost of some or all of your feminization procedures and have outlined some general guidelines below. 50% of transgender women either had or wanted facial feminization (surgery to make a face appear more feminine). JAMA Surg. These procedures are also called Facial Feminization Surgery or FFS, but in agreement with the experts, I've shifted to using FGCS. Copyright TransHealthCare.org & Trans Media Network, 2011-2022. Starbucks health insurance plans include not only gender reassignment surgery (which had been covered since 2012), but now also a . 1). Ann Plast Surg. Surgery will be carried out under general anaesthetic and can typically range from around 4 to 8 hours depending on the procedures. Hormone therapy alone has not sufficiently treated her gender dysphoria, and the next step in her treatment plan is Facial Gender Confirming Surgery." 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%). Schedule surgery document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 360 Post St. Suite 901 https://links.lww.com/PRSGO/B647.). Received for publication February 2, 2021; accepted February 27, 2021. Health insurance might not cover surgical procedures considered cosmetic for the cisgender population people whose gender identity matches the one they were assigned at birth even though these procedures are . From an historical perspective, both private health insurance carriers and government insurance have declined claims for FFS. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. The United States . Dr. Gurjala joined Align Surgical Associates in 2019, after five years of performing gender surgery, microsurgery, and general reconstructive and aesthetic surgery in the Kaiser Permanente healthcare network. Dr. Javad Sajan - Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) in Seattle Insurance - International Center for Transgender Care Facial feminization surgery, or FFS, describes a set of complex procedures designed to "feminize" the face. From the cohort, 3 subgroups were delineated. A number of patients had multiple consultations, some consulted legal assistance, and, particularly patients in Groups B and C, some experienced significant distress over the repetitive denials and lack of clarity in the end result of the process. FGCS is a collection of procedures designed to change the bone structure of the face and reshape features that resulted from testosterone exposure. It can be just as important or even more important than sex reassignment surgery (SRS) in reducing gender dysphoria and helping trans women integrate socially as women. Societal implications of health insurance coverage for medically necessary services in the U.S. Transgender population: a cost-effectiveness analysis. Her surgery was performed by a craniofacial surgical team called the FACIALTEAM. 2014; 134:609619. For more information, please refer to our Privacy Policy. Total Staff: 34. 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. Some error has occurred while processing your request. Dr. Crane is a board-certified plastic surgeon who performs Gender Affirming Surgery procedures in Austin, Texas. One of the major issues among surgeons and patients with regard to insurance coverage for FFS is the lack of understanding of the process as coverage for gender healthcare is highly variable depending on state law and plan variabilities (Table 3). Lastly, the time consumption, costs, and difficulties to the patient were not assessed. These are difficult to quantify as our institutional billing activities are centralized and carried out by multiple administrators. Before getting into the nitty gritty details, let me be real with you, and let me be hopeful. Although your FFS may not be covered by your insurance company its definitely worth doing the research. Health insurance is unnecessarily difficult when it comes to gender affirming surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. He currently performs approximately 200 genital reconstruction surgery cases per year in Scottsdale, Arizona and Portland, Oregon. Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) - University of Utah Dr. Sajan performs the following Facial Feminization Surgery procedures at his state-of-the-art facility in Seattle, Washington. Listings for surgeons outside of the New York area are compiled only for surgeons who perform some combination of genital surgery or FGCS, . Specific surgical procedures were requested based on patient desires and clinical assessment, with the goal of completing FFS in a one-stage surgery. Get a bossy friend to make phone calls with you while you are dealing with the process. Though WPATH has released the new SOC, it will take insurance companies time to evolve. Highly Distinguished Facial Surgeon In Chicago Dr. Amir Dorafshar, MD is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with fellowship training in craniofacial surgery who specializes in gender-affirming facial surgery. Dr. Freet accepts both insurance and Medicare. Group B (extended approval) primarily encompassed all patients who were initially denied but, after undergoing a multi-level appeal process, was ultimately approved. Location: Bangkok, Thailand. Administering cosmetic fillers may take an hour or less, while complex facial surgery may take several hours. Health Insurance Utilizing coverage under a health insurance plan is often the most affordable way to pay for FFS. These procedures may include: Tummy tuck, called abdominoplasty. The doctor said very encouraging. Facial Feminization Surgery Cost - American Society of Plastic Surgeons Post Surgery Recovery. 7. Facial Feminization Surgery (FFS) | Gender Affirming Health Program Read your cover in detail and find out the following: Second, find out if yourCertificate of Coveragehas any inclusions (or exclusions) around transgender care. 2020; 8:e2618. The pre-surgical authorization process for patients in Groups B and C, constituting 60.8% of all private insurance patients in our cohort, is highly time-consuming due to the individual review periods required for each level. 2003; 349:768775. After a person pays the deductible, Medicare pays 80% of the allowable costs . Error bars denote standard error. Any reimbursement from the insurance company (if any) would be paid directly to the patient. These patients underwent a standard approval process no different from other reconstructive procedures (Group A). No. Arch Intern Med. FFS: paying and picking a surgeon. Freaking out and need advice. Some will result in eventual approval (Group B) and others will result in eventual denial (Group C). 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. Subsequently, the process typically follows one of three paths: Group A (standard approval), Group B (extended approval), and Group C (denial). 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. A Systematic Review of Tranexamic Acid in Plastic Surgery: Whats New? Male-to-female (MTF) facial feminization. Best FFS Surgeons: What to Know and Where to Go Facialteam Gender-Affirmation Surgery | Transgender Surgery | The University of Patients seeking services from our practice are personally and fully responsible for payment of all fees and costs related to your FFS surgery and medical care. Despite these reports, coverage continues to be variable from state to state, physician to physician, as well as depending on anatomical region. Policy Issued By: Anthem. Our team will help you set up a MyChart account where you will have the ability to fill this out online. How NOT To Choose Your Facial Feminization Surgeon 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. Finally, you should have an idea of your local resources. It's hard for any person to find their voice to self-advocate when such deeply personal needs are up for debate and judgement as "cosmetic" among random insurance company reviewers.
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