Notes

Dr Howard Marans: Breaking Down ACL Surgery Options and Costs – CA’s Top Knee Specialist

The debilitating effects of a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) can be overwhelming. But understanding ACL surgery options and costs doesn’t have to be. Below is a simple breakdown.

Candidates for Non-Surgical Options:

If the ACL is truly torn, it will not heal itself without surgery. However, if the overall stability of the knee is intact, or if the ACL is only partially torn, Dr. Marans may recommend a much simpler non-surgical approach. This may be preferable for less active, elderly patients. Options for this may be as simple as knee braces, crutches, and/or physical therapy.

Candidates for Surgery:

For athletes, however, a torn ACL can literally be a game-changer. The same can be said for just about anyone leading a healthy, active lifestyle. In these cases, surgery is a necessity to provide the patient with a full range of motion and to avoid long term damage to other parts of the knee.

Understanding Costs:

Before proceeding with surgery, it is vital that patients understand how their insurance coverage works. Most insurance plans cover ACL surgery, but it is important that it is established that the surgery is medically necessary beforehand.

Dr. Marans will accept PPO and most other insurance providers. Patients should contact their insurance providers, however, to determine:

- What exactly needs to be documented
- Whether or not only certain types of ACL repairs are covered
- Whether or not a pre-authorization (or other paperwork) is needed before starting treatment

Once insurance is established, coverage can be fairly extensive. But it usually can’t cover all ACL surgery options and costs (patients generally have to pay a percentage, and coverage for post-surgery pain medication might not be included, for instance) so it is recommended that patients determine ahead of time what their out of pocket costs will be.

Coverage typically includes:

- The orthopedic surgeon’s evaluation appointment
- Other pre-surgery appointments (lab tests, diagnostic studies)
- The surgery itself (fees for the doctor, operating room, anesthesia, and graft)
- Rehabilitation appointments

Surgical Procedure:

The purpose of surgery is to help the body to build a new ligament in place of the torn ACL. The torn ligament is replaced with a tissue graft, which basically acts as a kind of scaffolding to guide a new ligament to grow on and rebuild itself.

Sources of this graft can include the patellar, hamstring, or quadriceps tendon, or even a cadaver graft (or allograft). There are pros and cons to each of these options. Patients should discuss which option might be the best fit for them with Dr. Marans.

The surgery itself is performed with an arthroscope, which uses a set of small incisions as opposed to a larger incision. Thus, arthroscopic surgery is a less invasive technique than traditional surgery, which means that recovery time is quicker and pain is less pronounced.

Top ACL Srugery Options and Costs – Dr. Howard Marans

Ultimately, the best way to understand ACL surgery options and costs is to contact Dr. Howard Marans. Patients can trust in his 20+ years of experience in providing expert diagnoses, thorough explanations of treatment options, and the fastest results possible.

Please click below to schedule your consultation, or call us at 714.979.8981