Aftercare and ASC insurance

So it's getting very close to my op now, and as to be expected I'm a bag of nerves and excitement. I was randomly looking through posts on here earlier and came across one from a lady who had surgery with my surgeon (who she did praise very highly) but unfortunately experienced 'bottoming out' just two years after surgery. I know this can happen and we have to accept the level of risks and complications involved, but it's got me all worked up.

As my surgeons aftercare is only one year, this lady had to pay for a consultation then revision surgery. It got me thinking about my own aftercare so I got in touch with the nurse at the clinic to double check what I was entitled to and whether I can opt in for the ASC insurance scheme.  Link here for anyone interested

This is her reply.

Yes you are covered for the first year after surgery. You would not be required to pay for a consultation within the first year, for consultations over a year post surgery are charged at £50. You would not pay for any revision surgery within the first year after surgery but after a year you would be required to pay.
 
Yes Mrs Kat is part of the ASC insurance scheme, but I must warn you that not all complications are covered. Infection, grade 3 and 4 capsular contractures, necrosis, seroma and extrusion of implant are all that are covered. Depending on the amount of cover required depends on the costs which is anything from £50 to £300. Even with the insurance you may have to pay towards the cost of revision surgery as the cover is for specific amounts.To be honest most complications such as infections, seroma etc happen within the first few months of surgery. The majority of capsular contractures happen over two years after surgery, but at the end of the day it is entirely un to yourself if you wish to have additional cover.


So yeah, it's not a amazing level of aftercare provided considering. 

I would be interested to hear your thoughts on this ladies and whether you think this insurance is something I should opt in to? 

Anyone haha? xx

I went with THG, so its not really something I'm familiar with. I think a few girls have gone for it/looked into it. But its still quite a new thing. I think there's a sticky on it. But according to what you've been told, it doesn't really seem to be anything. I mean yeh, with any insurance there's bout to be an excess, but they're not exactly giving you details! Maybe try and delve deeper, get some exact figures.

Thanks lovely J
 
Ok panic over, I went and called the nurse!
 
So she's right, the ASC only covers infection, grade 3 & 4 CC, necrosis, seroma and extrusion of implant. That's it! The insurance is only valid for TWO YEARS following your surgery date (so not when your personal aftercare plan ends, in most cases it starts from your surgery date).
 
I was told the majority of these complications listed happen in the first few months, meaning we’ll all be covered by our personal aftercare plans anyway. CC is the most risky as chances of having it can be as high as 20% (1 in 5 women), 10 years after the op has taken place with regular implants. However with furry implants, the chances of CC were just 1%, up to 15 years post op. More info on this type of implant here  for anyone interested - http://blog.staianoplasticsurgery.co.uk/polyurethane-implants-5-key-questions-answered/
 
So even with regular implants, the chance getting of CC in the first two years is pretty unlikely but no unheard of. ASC covers grade 3 and 4 CC only. See below signs to look out for from the FDA.
 
Grade I: the breast is normally soft and looks natural
 
Grade II: the breast is a little firm but looks normal
 
Grade III: the breast is firm and looks abnormal (visible distortion)
 
Grade IV: the breast is hard, painful, and looks abnormal (greater distortion)
 
If you do decide to take out the insurance, it’s a one off fee on top of what you’ve already paid. So should you need any revision surgery in the 2 years following surgery, you could pay £50 to expect to get £1000 off any of the 5 complications listed. If you pay £150 you can expect to get £3,750 off and of the 5 complications listed, and if you pay £300 you can expect to get £5000 off any of the 5 complications listed.
 
The nurse did say they don’t tend to push this insurance unless they genuinely think someone is especially at risk of needing it.
 
I am going to have a think this weekend whether to just take it out as an extra little safety blanket, but it’s made me realise the policy isn’t really that great afterall. If it was a 10 year scheme I think we’d all be signing up!

Charlli - Didn't mean to call you J! I was meant to have put a smiley face, d'oh! xx

From the thread Cookie has written on here that Charlii mentioned above, the 2 years starts AFTER the care from the surgeon. So after 1 year in your case.
The link is really interesting :) xx

There were some recent changes which I think cookie posted about but inthought you were automatically covered now (the surgeon is covered, not the patient?) and it is now 2 years from surgery (no longer from date of aftercare running out).

I discussed with my surgeon, he felt it wasn't worth it as like yours he said most issues would be spotted in the first year (during regular f/u's). But he said if I wanted piece of mind then go for it. So I paid £100 which gave me about £3000 worth of cover as he said he would do a reop for free within the first 2 years so the £3000 would then cover hospital fees (which aren't covered after 1st year) and the anaesthetist.

It's a safety net, but not sure it is worth it!

It is worth checking if it's not automatically covered now though.

From what I understand it starts after your regular cover, and can be renewed, but I could be wrong.

The baker grade 3/4 is the industry standard for a reop. Technically everyone has grade 1, just the forming of the capsule, and 2 is negligible if not painful.

This is all really interesting, shows it's really worth while establishing with ps exactly what complications they will cover and for how long - is there is list of all possible complications and if we would and wouldn't be covered for them? In addition to the standard ones like capsular contraction as mentioned above, there's also 'bottoming out', or size being completely wrong and not what we'd discussed with surgeon / being very unhappy with end result? I'm overwhelmed by it all lol! Xxx

In your immediate aftercare it should include and reop where medically necessary, which would cover you for bottoming out etc. As for aesthetics, you have a contract with your surgeon. This is why notes and pictures are essential. If they don't achieve the results that you agreed upon (such as filling the existing tissue but being left with excess skin), then there is the case for a reop where agreeable. Commercial clinics you may have to fight, but baaps will sometimes cover it for reputation.

This is why it's so important to go over the aftercare in detail.