Unlike what is typically seen with the costs of medical procedures performed at a hospital, the Atlanta Fibroid Center® is very sensitive to patients’ out-of-pocket expenses, as well as, being as transparent as possible to precisely what those costs are.
The Approximate Cost of Undergoing UFE for the Treatment of Symptomatic Fibroids
| Treatment Components | Average Out-of-Pocket Cost |
|---|---|
| Pelvic MRI for Fibroids | $500-600 |
| Initial Consultation | $200 |
| UFE Procedure | $9,795 |
| Anesthesia | $200 |
| 3-Month Follow-Up with MRI (optional) | $500-600 + fee for the MRI intravenous contrast |
| Total Approximate Cost | $11,000-12,000 |
If you have insurance coverage, your out-of-pocket cost will depend on your plan and other individual factors. At the Atlanta Fibroid Center, we take most insurances, including government-sponsored plans. Keep reading to understand the uterine fibroid embolization cost in detail.
Do I Need to Pay for Pre-Op Consultation?
There are 2 types of consultations available to prospective patients.
- Virtual telephone consultation with a non-clinical member of our Staff. She will answer all of your questions, but cannot give any specific medical advice. These consults are entirely free and can be requested from the website;
- In-office or teleconsultation with one of our Physicians. These consultations are with Dr. Lipman or Dr. Ermentrout and occur after the patient has undergone a pelvic MRI exam. This consultation is covered by insurance, but since everyone’s insurance plan will be different, the amount of out-of-pocket expenses will vary. Typically, this is $100 or less.
How Much Does a Pelvic MRI for Fibroids Cost?
The MRI cost also varies, but our office will find you the most convenient and least expensive facility to perform your MRI. We do not routinely use hospital or hospital-owned outpatient imaging centers because the MRI scans at these centers are routinely 2-3 times as expensive as the centers we use which are independently owned. The typical cost for the pelvic MRI exam at these independent centers is about $500-600.
Is UFE Covered by Insurance?
Keep in mind that at the Atlanta Fibroid Center® the procedure is not performed at a hospital where the costs (like the MRI mentioned above) are significantly higher for patients. In addition, some centers that perform UFE at a hospital also keep their patients overnight. This adds significant cost to the patient and is avoided completely when having the procedure done at the Atlanta Fibroid Center.
As is seen with the consultation, the out-of-pocket expense for the UFE procedure will be dictated by the insurance plan. The patient is responsible to pay the insurance deductible before the actual insurance “kicks in” to pay a certain percentage of the procedure. Some insurance plans pay 100% which means that once the deductible is met, the entire cost of the UFE procedure is covered. Other plans will pay a percentage of the cost of the procedure usually ranging from 80 to 100%.
What Is the UFE Procedure Cost?
Once a patient has undergone a consultation with one of our doctors, and it is determined that they are a candidate for uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), and she wants to proceed, she will meet with a member of our staff who will let her know what her out-of-pocket expense will be.
If the amount is a difficult one for the patient to afford all at once, a payment plan can be arranged with a member of our staff. This would require an upfront payment of a portion of this amount, with the rest of the payment broken up into multiple, zero-interest monthly payments spread out over 6-12 months. We also use a third-party healthcare financing company that provides an interest-bearing credit card that can be used to pay for a patient’s deductible, as well as, paying for the UFE procedure.
For patients coming to our Center from another country or who prefer to pay for the procedure in cash, there is a cash payment option that can be discussed with one of our Staff administrators. This can be set up in the same manner as listed above using a percentage up front and the rest broken up into zero-interest payments or with the use of a third-party healthcare financing company that we use.
How Much to Pay for Clinical Follow-Up After UFE?
Patients will receive a daily phone call from a member of our Nursing staff to insure that their recovery is progressing uneventfully. This will conclude when the patient is no longer having any significant clinical issues. This follow-up is included in the cost of the procedure. If the patient needs to return to the Center prior to completing their post-procedural recovery, this is also covered by the cost of the procedure.
While not mandatory, every patient is encouraged to return for a 3-month post-procedure follow-up MRI and office consultation. The cost of this is similar to the cost of the original consultation with a small increase in the cost of the intravenous contrast used on the follow-up MRI which is not used on the initial scan.
One additional point to keep in mind is that because the recovery after UFE is typically around 5-7 days instead of 6-8 weeks for surgery, the UFE patient returns to work much sooner than the fibroid surgery patient. This is therefore yet another cost savings for the patient and their employer.
