Plastic Surgery

November 14, 2001

Hi all. I e-mailed Iowa University to ask about that " full body " tuck that

someone posted the address to. Here is his reply.

By the way, if you haven't gone to the website, you should. Not exactly photos

for Playboy, but VERY interesting.

~~Shirley Ann

RE: BELT LIPECTOMY

Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2001 13:08:29 -0600

To: " 'Shirley Groom' "

At the University of Iowa the belt lipectomy costs $8550. This covers the

surgeon's fees, the pre and post operative care, the anesthesia, the

recovery and operating room costs, and the minimal list of lab work common to

all healthy pre op work ups. If one has indications for more test then those

can be obtained elsewhere, or will be billed to the patient in addition to the

package rate. In addition, the package rate does not include hospital stays.

Most patients

stay 2 and some stay 3 days. Each overnight stay has a package rate of $400.

In general then the bill is around $10,000. Some insurance companies will

provide coverage or partial coverage, others will not. There's not much rhyme

or reason to that, we just have to request prior approval and see what happens.

Many of our

patients do come here and pay for the procedure. The hospital will only give

these rates for a cash up front payment of the $8550.

Ted Lockwood in Kansas and ph Hunstad in Charlotte North Carolina are also

known for this type of surgery. There are others who may know how to do it but

I can't speak to their level of experience. Dr. Aly and I have given classes on

this at the American Society for Plastic Surgery the last two years and over 120

Plastic

surgeons have been through the course but again, I don't know of their

experience level.

Belt lipectomy may not be the ideal procedure for everyone, but in

significant weight loss cases it can often do things no other procedure will do.

I'm sorry, I don't know anyone in upper California well enough to say who might

be experienced at this procedure.

Albert E. Cram, M.D.

Professor of Surgery

Chief, Section of Plastic Surgery

University of Iowa Health Services

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