Dr. Agullo: “Cost varies with the doctor’s experience. Surgeons in high demand consistently deliver good results in a safe environment with top-quality products, and that increases cost. I allow sufficient operating room time to work in a paced fashion, for safety. Low-cost surgeries get compressed to cut anesthesia and operating room fees.”
His rule for when the money comes up, “never start the second one while the patient is still in a gown,” ran in Doctors Magazine in September under the heading “Publish Fees and Use Coordinators.” Here is the order at Southwest Plastic Surgery.
Step One: The Fees Page, Before You Call
The prices are on the fees page.
Are those the final numbers?
Dr. Agullo: “Those prices are minimums, and they include anesthesia, the surgical facility, medical tests, garments, and recovery products. Because pricing does change, please confirm current pricing at agulloplasticsurgery.com/fees, which is the page we keep updated.”
Step Two: The Exam, With No Money in the Room
Anatomy, goals and the plan. Cost waits.
Step Three: The Coordinator, After You Are Dressed
The quote and the financing, with a patient coordinator, in a separate office.
When does the quote match the website?
Dr. Agullo: “Baseline: if nothing else is added and the surgery is not expected to take longer than the standard time, the quote matches the website.”
“A final quote is only given after a consultation, and it will include everything.”
The practice’s cost posts on breast augmentation, tummy tuck and liposuction with a tummy tuck explain what moves each quote above the starting number.
The Financing Options the Coordinator Walks Through
What financing options do you offer?
Dr. Agullo: “Patients can finance through PatientFi, AlphaEon, Cherry, or CareCredit. We also offer direct financing through the practice, where you make payments directly to us ahead of your surgery. That lets you schedule the procedure out for the time you need, and make the payments periodically at your convenience.”
“Beyond that, patients can pay by credit card or cash, or arrange financing through their own bank or another institution.”
Dr. Agullo: “We do not work with insurance companies at the moment.”
Why the Numbers Differ Between Surgeons
What about a much cheaper quote?
Dr. Agullo: “I always feel like when things are too good to be true, they usually are. If a price seems far below what everyone else is charging, you have to ask what’s being cut, the surgeon’s experience, the accreditation of the facility, the type of anesthesia, or the follow-up care.”
The full version of this post is on agulloplasticsurgery.com.
Why Dr. Agullo
Dr. Agullo is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery, completed his plastic surgery fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, and serves as Clinical Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. He has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor for thirteen consecutive years. He publishes his prices, and Doctors Magazine has twice asked him to explain the approach to other physicians.
Schedule a Consultation
Read the fees page, then call Southwest Plastic Surgery at (915) 590-7900, text 1-866-814-0038, or book at https://www.swplasticsurgery.com/contact/. An exact quote can only be provided after a consultation. #StayBeautiful
Find Dr. Agullo at @RealDrWorldWide on Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, @Agullo on X, or @AgulloPlasticSurgery on Facebook.
