Apronectomy (Panniculectomy) Cost After Weight Loss in Newcastle and the Hunter Valley
The total cost of an apronectomy (panniculectomy) after significant weight loss with me is approximately $12,000 out of pocket if you have eligible private hospital cover and meet the Medicare criteria, and approximately $19,000 to $21,000 if you are uninsured. Those totals cover my surgical fee, the anaesthetist’s fee, Maitland Private Hospital’s theatre and overnight charges, your compression garment and all follow-up for 12 months. They are approximate because the anaesthetist and the hospital bill you separately and set their own charges. Within that total, my surgical fee starts from $9,990 for the least complex cases. My rooms give you a written estimate of all 3 parts at your consultation.
Several factors move the quote above the starting figure. The size and weight of the apron sets the operating time, which changes my fee, the anaesthetist’s fee and the hospital’s theatre charge. Hernia repair, where a hernia sits under the apron, adds to it. A higher BMI does the same, because the operation takes longer and the complication rate is higher, which changes how I plan and quote it. Whether your apronectomy meets the Medicare criteria makes the largest difference of all, because it decides what your fund pays and which hospital rate applies. I go through the item numbers in detail in my full abdominoplasty cost guide, which has a section on apronectomy.
I am a FRACS Specialist Surgeon and I operate at Maitland Private Hospital in the Hunter Valley. My patients come from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Port Stephens, the Central Coast and across regional NSW.
Apronectomy removes the overhanging lower abdominal apron only. If your skin excess runs across the whole abdomen, the costs for extended abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) after weight loss are covered on a separate page.
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What my fee includes
The operation itself and everything I do around it
Your second consultation, at no cost, including a review of your blood results. It can be done remotely
2 weeks of close follow-up straight after surgery
Reviews at 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
Your compression garment
Dressing changes and wound reviews in my rooms, with no separate charge
What makes up your total cost
My surgical fee
From $9,990 for the least complex apronectomy (panniculectomy).
The anaesthetist’s fee
Billed separately and based on operating time. Your anaesthetic consultation is by phone in most cases.
Maitland Private Hospital’s theatre fee
For 2 to 3 hours of operating time and your 1 night stay, billed to you or your fund. Uninsured patients are also charged for the items used in theatre.
2 drains
Included in the hospital charge, and removed before you go home or at your first dressing review.
Hernia repair under the apron
Where needed, which adds to my fee and to the operating time.
Apronectomy does not include muscle repair or repositioning of the belly button (umbilicus). If your assessment shows you need either, you are looking at an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), which is quoted differently.
Medicare and health funds
After significant weight loss, MBS item 30166 may apply to apronectomy (panniculectomy). Whether you meet the criteria is assessed at your consultation, not before. If an item number applies and you have eligible hospital cover, your fund contributes to the hospital and anaesthetic charges according to your policy, and Medicare and your fund contribute to my fee. If no item number applies, the operation is treated as cosmetic and you pay each part in full, including the hospital’s cosmetic rate.
Revision surgery, if ever needed, is charged depending on your insurance position; this is covered in the full cost guide. My full abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) cost guide after weight loss sets out the 30166 criteria, the rebates and worked examples, including a section on apronectomy.
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Your next step
You need a GP referral before your consultation. Consultations are at my rooms at Maitland, and telehealth is available for patients travelling from regional NSW. At the consultation I examine the apron, go through your history and blood results, confirm whether 30166 applies, and my rooms give you a written estimate of my fee, the anaesthetist’s fee and the hospital charges.