I was referred to PSS by my dermatologist following Moh's surgery to remove skin cancer from my face that left a sizeable hole in the side of my nose. The plastic surgery went well and Dr. Buhrer was nothing but professional. He explained in great detail what he was going to do to repair my nose which I much appreciated, and his lighthearted bedside manner and keen sense of humor put me at ease.
My recovery went well, as predicted by Dr. Buhrer, with no complications. When I returned for a follow-up visit 8 weeks after the surgery, I was told I could have a "revision" done to remove the excess fatty tissue that had to be put in the cancer spot during the surgery to facilitate healing and re-growth of blood vessels and which consequently was creating a slight, round bulge in the skin on the side of my nose. The "revision" would allow the skin to lay flat and flush with the rest of my face and not bulge anymore. I was told I could come back at any time in the future to have this "revision" done. I chose to wait till after the Christmas holidays to return and further discuss with Dr. Buhrer the "revision" procedure. When I made my 2016 appt. while checking out in Sept., I specifically asked what the cost would be to have the revision done. I was told with absolute certainty by the desk clerk that because it was a "revision" of the original surgery, the charge for the original surgery INCLUDED the cost of a revision, so it would cost me absolutely NOTHING! "How wonderful!", I thought, and it made perfect sense that a subsequent procedure to fine-tune the area that couldn't be done until the "skin flap" successfully attached to the underlying tissues and healed successfully would be part of the "total package" of service being provided with no additional charge -- a "no-brainer" in my mind. Well, nothing could be farther from the truth! That response was merely a ploy to get me to come back and put more money in their pockets. When I returned in February and met with Dr. Buhrer I told him I had decided to have the revision done and I asked him for confirmation that there would be no additional cost for the revision. His response was a vague one about how the revision would be "coded a certain way" when the insurance claim is filed but most times the ins. co. recognizes it as part of the first procedure, so yeah, it "shouldn't" cost you anything. That was my first clue that I had been grossly misinformed by the admin. staff back in September. When I made the appt. for the revision on the way out, I asked again -- will this cost me anything? This time I was told "well, it depends on your insurance company but it shouldn't end up costing you anything." I asked that they have their billing clerk call me and confirm the financial details for the procedure. After an entire week went by and no one called, I called them and was told "you will be charged for the doctor's time and use of the surgical suite and you haven't met your 2016 deductible so it will cost you $554 out of pocket for the revision." With that very disappointing and infuriating news I canceled the appt. for the revision. I should not have to pay for them to "finish the job" properly. In a nutshell, the doctors' surgical skills are topnotch but I'm not confident that they have their patients' best interests foremost in their minds -- it appears to me that profit is the true driving force of the practice and they'll say whatever it takes to get you to keep coming back for more costly procedures. The admin. staff is in dire need of training and education about how to provide accurate answers to patients' questions regarding fees, insurance claims, and out-of-pocket costs for scheduled procedures. BUYER BEWARE -- before you let them cut into you, be sure you have all the billing details IN WRITING well in advance of your procedure, or you just might be presented with a large bill that you weren't expecting!!! read more