Question:
Dr. Martin (Louisianna)/self payors

I would like to have any recent info. on Dr. Martin and his self pay policy. I have read in old postings that he uses a hospital that charges according toyour income. Does anyone know about this? Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!    — MICHELLE F. (posted on December 2, 2003)

December 1, 2003
Michelle, Be VERY careful. I am a self-pay patient (I went to Spain for my surgery) and when I was doing my research on where to go and what it would cost, I found out that you have to ask some very thorough questions: 1. What is the surgeon's fee? 2. What is the anesthesiologists fee? 3. What is the fee for the use of the operating room? 4. What is the fee for drugs and labs? 5. What is the fee for hospitalization? While the surgeon may have a sliding scale, chances are nobody else does. One surgeon told me it would cost me $20,000 - well, by the time you added in everything else, it was more like $90,000. Be sure to find out what their policy on the financial end of things is in case of complication. Does the surgeon ever charge you additional fees (mine doesn't, some do, tho)? Is there a cap that they set? Or could you end up paying thousands of dollars extra? I know a guy in my local area who self-paid close to home - he paid $38,000 out of pocket, had post-op complications, and is now paying for an additional $250,000. Be very, very careful. Make sure you get everything in WRITING - or at least know a lot of post-ops who have had the same surgeon and can attest to the policies that are put forth. Please let me know if I can help, okay? Blessings, dina
   — Dina McBride