Knee surgery costs?

[Shorty_J]

How would I find out a rough ballpark of how much it costs for knee surgeries in the USA?

I live in Canada so the costs of these sorts of things are off my radar, but I have dual citizenship and just blew my knee and I'm worried I'll spend all my savings waiting for timely service in Canada... so it just occurred to me that maybe I should see what it would cost to fast-track the process in the US instead.

Any recommendations for surgeons close to Calgary Canada and how I'd find out prices?

I don't know the extent of the damage yet but I know there's some damage to MCL and ACL, and I'm pretty sure the MCL is quite bad... if that helps with the estimates.

[neufox47]

You will need a consultation with the doc before they can give you anything specific. However, I'd recommend calling around to find the doc who is willing to work with you on price before you go to the consult. After the consult, you want an EOB, or explanation of benefits, that will explain the costs. Tell the docs your story, that you are canadian, and paying cash. Tell them you will pay cash up front before the procedure.

My brother had a friend who was a wizard at getting medical services without insurance for cheap. One time he needed an MRI, he received quotes from two hospitals next to each other, one said $2k, the other $400, but he had to bring a check the week before the MRI. When the same dude crashed hard and was taken to a hospital and he wasnt able to negotiate upfront, he got screwed on costs like everyone else.

[AlpiNord]

Bummer.

I just went through a simple meniscus trim and it was around $5,000 for 30 minutes of a procedure. The MRI alone was around $1,200. 6 years ago, an ACL repair was over $15,000, IIRC. It's probably a lot more now.

Finding 'prices' sounds impossible. When I asked relative to my recent incident, I got one price for me to pay direct and another that gets billed to insurance. Afterwards, the billed costs were different, so it seems like a moving target.

[Shredhead]

Fuck the US, you'll get reamed. Check out India.

[uglymoney]

I've heard in the US they charge a shit ton if you do a cadaver allograft because of the cost of buying the ligament. Like 10-15k extra. This is worth asking about.

My doctor told me that MCL can generally heal themselves. Mine was sore but not torn. He didn't touch it.

That being said, I did the acl patellar autograft last year and I think it was 6k or something with insurance discounts. MRI was just under a grand. $700 for original evaluation at a far away clinic. Way cheaper than I thought it would be. I read 50k somewhere but it wasn't even close to that. Then PT on top of that which I think was $180 a pop twice a week for a few months. Without insurance I'd have been screwed because you double those prices without the negotiated insurance discount. Yeah USA! I'm still not sure I got all the bills. We have very good insurance so take my estimate for what it is worth which isn't much.

I'm in the midwest in an area with super good doctors and hospitals. Close to the U of Iowa although I didn't go there. Probably cheaper here than a lot of places.

[Shorty_J]

Thanks for all the input.

I too have read that an MCL can heal itself... but I've also been reading that if there's damage to more than one ligament, than surgery is usually performed. I know I have damage to both ACL and MCL but don't know how bad yet.

I got a referral to a Surgeon in Banff (I live in Calgary, a 1.5 hour drive away), but that surgeon is sending me to a triage appointment in Canmore (1 hour drive) before they will see me. That appointment is set for Feb 2nd... apparently the swelling needs to go down before they can assess it properly?

I still don't know the prognosis or what the wait times are for surgery once it's been decided that I need it because nobody will answer those questions for me right now. I do know that a friend of mine waited almost a year from the time of injury until he got surgery, and it was 9 months from the surgical consult until getting the actual surgery. I also know that for some reason, certain people get fast-tracked here, and it might just be based on age. My buddy was 34 at the time, and I'm 40... it seems likely I'm going to be on the longer wait side of the spectrum.

[Shorty_J]

[grinch]

Sorry to hear this J. It might not be as long as you think and worth the wait for the surgeon in Banff . Can't remember her name but she's good and that's worth a lot, obviously. Not sure Heard or Butchco are possibilities. I usually hear her name lately. They really are some of the best and I've also heard in can be quicker to get in there as opposed to the city. Best of luck with it

[BCMtnHound]

Sorry to hear about the knee. I have no idea the costs or conditions, but these guys were advertised on every chair I rode at SunPeaks the other day: http://www.kamloopssurgicalcentre.ca/

[XXX-er]

http://www.banffsportmed.ca/our-team

I heard that Mark Heard is the man

[Shorty_J]

^^^ I'm at that clinic but have a different surgeon consult.

[PNWbrit]

but I have dual citizenship

What's that got to do with it?

[Shorty_J]

What's that got to do with it?

I guess nothing... other than that I could go to the US any time I need.

I'm unemployed and usually they don't like letting unemployed foreigners into the country.

And I guess I was just pointing out that I have the free option in Canada... in case people might suggest I just save my money.

[billyk]

I suspect it would be more than you'd care to pay, unless by strange reason you actually have health insurance that is valid in the US. Or, if despite being unemployed you are independently wealthy to the point that $15K to $20K is just chump change.

[yeahman]

I had John Michelotti do my ACL two years ago and IMO he did a great job. He is located in Helena, Montana, so straight down I-15 from the border crossing south of Lethbridge. 6-8 hour drive from Calgary.

It is impossible in the U.S. to find out what anything costs. It largely depends on whether you have insurance, are in the network, blah blah blah. I suggest you call his office and try to talk to him directly. He owns the clinic. Tell him the situation, tell him it's a cash deal, and see what he says. (BTW it does require some follow-up appointments too, so being a long distance away might make that difficult, although not impossible.)

[gregorys]

I have no idea about the cost for your procedure, but my tib-fib nail was $35K+ after the fairly typical 30% discount for an in-network provider. Now mind you, I didn't pay that - I paid up to my stop-loss [which still was a pretty brisk wake-up call.]

Just the cost for the surgical suite for less than 120m of time was above $25K, IIRC.

I know someone who had a rotator-cuff done recently, and it seems like for a bit more than 2.5h of surgical suite time, and whole procedure was $45K plus.

Thus, I'd be completely shocked if the cost wasn't $20K plus. And that's if you've got a negotiated rate between your insurance and the provider/hospital. If not, expect double that amount, easily. [Hospitals make it up on those that can pay and are out of network. So, without a negotiated rate, expect to get financially pillaged. Seriously! They'll make the Vikings, Vandals and Mongols look like well mannered friends in comparison.]

TLDR; Expect $20-50K for a negotiated rate. Out of network? Don't even think of it.

[Shorty_J]

Sounds like it's too expensive for me to consider.

[AlpiNord]

Without a good cash flow, it'd tough pill to swallow unless you could somehow refi or something and needed to get 'er done vs waiting a real long time. What's the soonest you could possibly get surgery in Canada?

[homebrewd]

Have you considered the whole medical tourism in Bangkok option? Patient care is amazing apparently, pricing is an up front fee and you will save thousands if insurance doesn't cover it. Plus it's more or less a vacation.

It honestly seems a lot more legit when you research it.

Edit: Check out Bumrungrad International Hospital, cost estimates range from $8,800-11,700 USD.

[XXX-er]

its almost feb so isnt your 16-17 ski season pretty much done anyhow?

but if they cut on you soon enough you should be good to go for next season?

FREE is pretty hard to beat but also I think that clinic knows their ski injuries

[Benny Profane]

My meniscus repair was 12,000 total two years ago including the MRI. Insurance covered all but 2500.

That's in Fairfield county, Ct., a pricey place to live, and the MRI was done in Vail, Co..

[Shorty_J]

Without a good cash flow, it'd tough pill to swallow unless you could somehow refi or something and needed to get 'er done vs waiting a real long time. What's the soonest you could possibly get surgery in Canada?

No idea. Nobody will give me an estimate as of yet. I have a triage and assessment appointment on Thursday. That's when I should know if I even need surgery but I don't think I'll get a date by then.

[Shorty_J]

its almost feb so isnt your 16-17 ski season pretty much done anyhow?

but if they cut on you soon enough you should be good to go for next season?

FREE is pretty hard to beat but also I think that clinic knows their ski injuries

I've been mostly out of work since July 2015. I did find a bit of seasonal work for 2.5 months ending in November but I can't go back to that this spring now. And nobody else is giving me interviews because I have a degree in geophysics and had a career in oil and gas.

I'm very worried about cash flow and was thinking if I was going to spend my entire savings waiting to get back to working shape anyway, that I might as well spend it speeding up the process and get back working faster.

But I'm thinking I don't have enough.

[XXX-er]

I think you should try and be optimistic that the pro's can help you pretty quick

In spite of all the long wait horror stories you hear about in the news my dad had brain and cancer surgeries pretty quick in the Canadian system and I think the key was that his general practitioner seemed to know the right people who could get him in

and the fact you are not working means you could be available any time they have a spot come open

[uglymoney]

Fwiw after surgery I was back to work 2 months to the day. And my job is hard and physical. I still can't ski worth a shit but functionally my knee was back making me money. Good luck shorty.