A Plastic Surgeon’s Clash With an Insurance Company Touches a Nerve
“This is one reason some surgeons may decide to operate out of network. Melissa Doft, MD, a double board-certified plastic surgeon in New York, says that while much of her work is cosmetic, she does occasionally do “medically necessary” procedures, including breast reconstruction, breast reduction, skin cancer reconstruction, septoplasty for deviated septum, and ear molding. When she started her practice, she says, she was in network with two insurance companies, but has since gone out of network with all insurance. “The payment was too unpredictable, and they continued to reduce the rate that they were willing to pay year after year,” she tells Allure, “despite the fact that life was becoming more and more expensive with each year.””