Consultation fee

I am not in Arizona, so I have no financial incentive to answer one way or another. As a surgeon who once did not charge a consultation fee, and now does, I believe it is appropriate for a surgeon to charge a reasonable fee for his or her time, just as any other consultant would do. Many patients shop surgeons for the lowest rate or seek free consults and this is not fair to the surgeon, who has expenses to run their office. For your fee, you should have face time with the surgeon, you should be examined, and you should receive enough information about the procedure(s) you are considering to make an informed decision if this is for you. For a typical new patient consultation, for something like a breast augmentation, I allow 45 minutes and every bit of that is face to face time with the patient. If you want to discuss multiple procedures, expect to spend more time and be charged more accordingly. Each surgeon decides for themselves what to their time is worth and what to charge.

I'm going to answer this because I'm not in Arizona. Most surgeons have adopted the model of a consultation fee because it is a consultation, not a sales pitch. Most of the fees are less than the cost of running the office ranging from 100 to $200. A few doctors charge more based on their demand. Compared to the cost of the surgery that's a small fee. It's also much smaller than what other health professionals charge for a consultation.

Your question is contradictory. You state your health is very important to you but yet you're reluctant to spend a little bit more to ensure you pick the surgeon you like. A few consultations that you spend money for, is still very little compared to the cost of the procedure. If your health is important to you then spending a small amount more should make you feel comfortable about proceeding.

You have 2 excellent answers to your questions from Drs. Bosshart and Van Raalte