Hey bandster sisters and brothers,

I heard from my friend who is having her band done at the surgicenter on main that their price of $12,900 includes up to 2 years of aftercare. She had a free consultation and labs/ekg. I don't know about you guys but the band was priced two years ago when I had mine at 15,500. Now since I have the band I participate in their referral program where you get $100 american express check. Real good for X-mas!

My other friend was banded 4 months ago had to stay overnight at UGH due to her sleep apnea (more money she paid)...I never had to stay over night I had sleep apnea? I love Dr.Spiegel but these prices get me all raddled up :-):eek::ranger:

Hey bandster sisters and brothers,

I heard from my friend who is having her band done at the surgicenter on main that their price of $12,900 includes up to 2 years of aftercare. She had a free consultation and labs/ekg. I don't know about you guys but the band was priced two years ago when I had mine at 15,500. Now since I have the band I participate in their referral program where you get $100 american express check. Real good for X-mas!

My other friend was banded 4 months ago had to stay overnight at UGH due to her sleep apnea (more money she paid)...I never had to stay over night I had sleep apnea? I love Dr.Spiegel but these prices get me all raddled up :-):eek::ranger:

See also Dr. Kirshenbaum, his web site is in my signature, $9950 total for band, $15 fills for life, a lot of happy patients of his on this site (but general aftercare for only about 3 months as I recall, not 2 years).

It seems every surgeon has set their own prices.

I have BC/BS of MI and my Dr. charged $18,500, that included a required overnight stay at the hospital and 3 months aftercare. The Pre-op tests: EKG, Pulmonary tests, blood tests, Psych exam, nutritionist were all extra. My insurance is really good. Ded $500. Copay $1000, so I met some of that with my tests before the surgery.

Now that my 3 mos is over, I pay a $10.00 office visit co-pay. My fills are covered by BC/BS.

According to what I've read on this forum, my Dr. charges a bit more than others.

Marjon.......Are you serious? 10 grand??? My Dr. obviously way overcharges his patients.

I guess I wasn't too concerned since he's only a 45 minute drive and BC/BS paid. If I was self pay, I probably wouldn't have had this band placed.

Hi.. i also paid $15,600 in dec. 2006. now i hear that university general hospital is offering a cash price of $11,900.. even better than the surgery center. also, free consultation.. they apparently opened this bariatric program called sos (my friend is a nurse there)superior obesity solutions after they got thier center of excellence hospital for bariatirics and are offering this rate for 3 months. Dr. Spiegel did my band, he's the best, and he is part of that sos program.

I just don't understand why he can offer that at the surgicenter.

For instance, I can get everything I need at the surgicenter but someone else (newbie ,my friend UGH can't for 2 yrs) needs a great deal of aftercare especially the first year. Again Dr. Spiegel is a very skilled doctor. I can imagine it now ...the band going for 4,000 by 2011.

I asked my friend, the one that works at the hospital, and she told me that it's not the surgeon that is making the offer but the hospital as a promotional thing. ugh got thier center of excellence designation and opened thier bariatric program with a 3 month discounted price. It's up to the facility not the surgeon. I'm sure dr. spiegel had to agree to it as well becuase he is probably going to get less for his portion..

i tried to go to the surgery center for a free fill/follow up but it is done by a tech that has no idea what she is doing. i want my surgeon to follow me.. He is not only skilled in the procedure but i noticed a huge difference in my results when i started going to dr. spiegel for my fills. and now he is doing his own support groups every month.. i went to one and it was amazing... empowering.. he really gave us a pep talk... i don't care what anyone says.. there is nothing like being followed by your surgeon, especially one that is so experienced and cares enough to do everything himself. i feel like i have to lose weight becuase he will see me and get dissapointed if i don't.. lol

i just got off the phone with my nurse friend at ugh and she said that they will be giving $2000 credit for plastic surgery in the hospital with one of thier surgeons 2 years after your surgery.. this is just hearsay for now... she siad that they will anounce it at thier seminars or something..

I am just now researching the cost. I will have go self pay if I go through with the surgery. I've only got one quote so far from one of the two I'm researching. I was quoted $16,100 and that includes the hospital stay, surgical fee, anesthesia and one year of follow ups to include fills. After that all readjustments cost $125.

Melinda

Wow, mine was last December, $7800. That was including everything; the band, surgeon, anesthesiologist, internal medicine doc, asst. surgeon, chest xray, labs, EKG, barium swallow, surgery, two full nights in the hospital, the works.

I can't imagine spending more.

I would think it would be less expensive in Mexico. Do you have to pay for all your follow up, such as fills and things? Oh well, I'm still researching and we'll see what happens. I'm sure it would also be less expensive if I went to some sort of weight loss center instead of a hospital to have the surgery done.

I'll keep you posted.

Melinda

I would think it would be less expensive in Mexico. Do you have to pay for all your follow up, such as fills and things? Oh well, I'm still researching and we'll see what happens. I'm sure it would also be less expensive if I went to some sort of weight loss center instead of a hospital to have the surgery done.

I'll keep you posted.

Melinda

Yes, follow up care is free for life and fills are free BUT the hospital charges for the radiologist/xray equipment. But my doc never charges me for anything he does at this point.

However, I live in AZ, easy driving distance to Mexico. That makes a huge difference.

You really can't shop by price, you have to shop by skill and your own comfort level. I think going to a clinic is a bad idea in Mexico vs. a hospital but in the US? I think it's totally doable. In that particular case Mexico and the US... well, you can't compare the two. Hospitals compare but not clinics.

An out patient surgi-center in the US is totally doable.

That's cool. I LOVE AZ. I lived there for a while and had my AIT at Ft. Huachua and went to Mexico a couple of times. Well, we'll see what happens. Here is the link to the one doctor I'm looking at and he's been doing alot in the WLS area here in the Nashville area for quite sometime. SpawMD.com

Melinda

If you look into it, many surgeries the price comes down, after it is not as experimental (for lack of a better word.) My friend had laser eye surgery several years ago when it was new, and she paid cash insurance was not covering it yet. Last year, her DH had it done, and now insurance covered it, but she ask out of curiosity, and it was over $3K less!!!

My Aunt was just saying last week that she now pays less for a full set of dentures than she used to pay for uppers alone.

Look how our prescription costs vary, some go up, some actually come down! Part of the reason for that is when the equivalent for a patent on the drug goes off, and generics can be made, the overall cost comes down.

I have read several posts lately about another brand of bands....when competition comes along, prices go down.

With that in mind, many of the original band Dr.'s have likely lowered their costs, to compete. They know patients can go to MX and get it cheaper, and now they see where they can go to Colorado or any number of other US cities and cut the cost, so they have to adapt.

I too was self pay, and it seems unfair that the cost is going down!!! But, would I change it...postpone it? Not a chance!!!

Kat