Summer is almost over and you have satisfied your health insurance deductible. You might also have money sitting in your flexible spending account (FSA) that needs to be spent before the end of the year. So now you’re considering scheduling that elective surgery or procedure that you’ve been putting off before your deductible resets for the new year. But if you’re thinking that you can call in October or November and get it scheduled during your winter holiday vacation, you might want to think again because that’s exactly what hundreds, if not thousands of other people think too.

Scheduling an end of year surgery or procedure can be a great way to maximize your insurance benefits. If your deductible is paid or almost paid off, surgery could cost you little to nothing out of pocket, especially if you have money left in your FSA account that will be lost if you don’t use it. Many of the end of year surgeries that patients seek to have include orthopedic and eye surgeries, including knee/shoulder, joint replacements, cataract or laser eye surgeries.

Busiest Time of the Year

Many people have high-deductible insurance plans either through work or on their own to help keep their health insurance premiums more manageable. They often have no other choice but to wait until they meet their yearly deductible before scheduling an elective surgery. If their yearly deductible isn’t met, their out-of-pocket costs would otherwise make it unaffordable to have the surgery. This has caused rushes for elective surgery that puts pressure on end of year scheduling for doctors.

Schedule Early for Best Availability

Most doctors start booking end of year surgeries for around the holidays in August and September. Your best bet for scheduling your end of year surgery or procedure is to schedule it as early as possible. And it is also important to remember that you’re not only going to have to schedule your surgery appointment. You will also need to square away any pre-certification requirements, pre-surgery tests, physicals or health clearances before your surgery. All the other people who are rushing to schedule their end of year surgery will have to schedule the same appointments as well. To avoid delays, you need to make sure you take all those other appointments into account and get those scheduled as early as possible.

How Iowa City ASC Can Help

If you are ready to schedule an end of year surgery to make the most of your health insurance benefits, we are ready to assist you. But don’t put off your call for too long. The earlier you schedule, the better we will be able to accommodate your desired date.

We also offer low-cost options for self-pay patients who don’t have insurance options available. Quotes are available for self-pay patients if you know your procedure type or have its corresponding CPT code.

Call Iowa City Ambulatory Surgical Center today at (844) 712-7500.