Policy for Laser Nail Fungus Procedure:

LAST UPDATED: 09-February-2013

General Information about Laser Nail Fungus Treatment:

I have been performing many Laser treatments for nail fungus. There have been many questions about the pricing and procedures leading up to the laser treatment so I will take this opportunity to outline them here.

When people come in for a laser nail fungus procedure, the first step is to determine if they are a candidate for the procedure. We will evaluate you when you come in for a consultation.

If we feel that your nail problem will not benefit from the laser procedure, we will tell you this and save you the money! At the same time, we will then recommend a different treatment to resolve your nail problem.

At the initial consultation we will examine you and if there is any question as to whether your nail problem is fungal or not,  we will take a painless biopsy of the nail in order to confirm that your problem is in fact nail fungus. The laser procedure will not work if your problem is not fungus.

If we think your problem is fungal, we will then perform the laser procedure right away in our office. If we are not sure if your problem is fungal, then you will require the painless nail biopsy and you will not be able to have the laser procedure on your initial visit. You will have to wait for the biopsy result to come back. This usually takes one to two weeks. If the biopsy comes back negative, we will then recommend different treatment options. If the biopsy comes back positive, we will then schedule your return visit for your laser procedure.

Believe it or not, many other problems look like nail fungus, but are not fungus. If you do not have nail fungus, the laser will not work, and you will have wasted your money. As ethical physicians, we are very honest and want you to be happy with your laser treatment. We will always sacrifice the money we make on the laser treatment if we feel the laser will not help you.

Right before your laser procedure we will take photographs of your nails. Then, we will use our highly specialized, cooling spray nail grinder to reduce the thickness of the nail as much as possible if necessary. (This is usually painless). We have found that grinding the nail thin with our special cooling spray grinder significantly increases the laser penetration, and the success rate, of the laser procedure.

The laser procedure is performed right in our office with our latest technology laser. After evaluation and grinding, the procedure takes 20 – 30 minutes depending on how many nails are infected and how severe your problem is. It requires no anesthesia, and usually exhibits very little pain or heat. Most people report that they feel the heat generated by the laser, and minor pain at times.

Long Distance Travel for Laser Nail Fungus Treatment:

Many people travel from great distances for the laser nail procedure. For these people we will occasionally skip the nail biopsy procedure and perform the laser even if we are not sure if your problem is fungal or not. This saves you the long traveling time. If we perform the laser and your problem was not fungal, there is no harm done but the problem will not be solved. However, if we are sure that it is not fungal, we will not perform the procedure and will make other suggestions for your treatment. The only thing lost is your travel time.

Costs of Laser Nail Fungus Procedure:

The cost of the laser procedure is $600. We will do 3 laser procedures for this $600. We have found that while many people respond to just one treatment, we have gotten a much greater success rate by performing 3 separate procedures. There is no additional cost to you for the second and third treatments. These treatments are performed at 2 month intervals. (Two months after the initial treatment, and four months after the initial treatment.)

As stated above, when we are unsure if your problem is fungus or not, and we postpone the laser treatment in order to wait for the results of your biopsy, we will charge you for an initial consultation. The initial consultation will usually be covered by your health insurance. If it is not covered ,or you do not have health insurance that we accept, or you do not have any health insurance, the charge for the consult will be $50. This $50 will be applied towards your laser procedure. If we do your initial consultation and decide that you are not a candidate for the laser procedure, your total charge will be just the $50 for the consultation, and we will have saved you money by not doing a laser procedure that would not have worked. As a courtesy to our laser clients, this $50 is discounted from our usual consultation rates. This charge will cover our time, and also, you will receive alternative treatment options for your nail problem. Again, if you are a candidate for the laser, and we go forward with the laser, this $50 will be applied to the cost of the laser ($550 additional due on the day of the laser). The laboratory and pathologist that look at your biopsy will charge your health insurance as well. When the laboratory is not covered or if you do not have insurance, the charge for the laboratory will be an additional $50 over our consultation charge. This $50 is discounted from the laboratory usual charges.

This laser procedure for nail fungus is currently not covered by any insurance. You may however, usually use your flexible spending or medical savings account. If you plan on using one of these accounts, we recommend that you check with your plan adviser to confirm, prior to your procedure.

The $600 must be paid in advance of performing the procedure. We take cash, check and charge (MasterCard, Visa & American Express)

Additionally, we always recommend using a topical medicine daily after the laser. We have found this significantly increases the chances of success. We stock and sell this medicine in our office for $49. This topical medicine is safe and effective without systemic absorption and no side effects. it is usually applied at bedtime.

Refunds and cancellation policy:

If you cancel in advance of the laser you will not be charged for the procedure.  If you have the initial consultation and opt not to perform the laser for any reason, your $50 consultation fee will not be refunded. If we determine that you are not a candidate for the laser, your initial consultation fee will not be refunded. Laboratory fees are not refundable as well.

There are no refunds once the laser procedure is performed. We make no guarantees as to a successful outcome and cure of nail fungus. In the event that the procedure does not work, we will recommend other treatment alternatives or rarely, a repeat procedure (additional treatments are discounted to $100 each after the initial 3 procedures). (Unfortunately, just like every other treatment for nail fungus, the laser procedure will not work for everyone.)

Practice Philosophy:

We are here to help you and we care about our patients! We are a group of young, ethical and friendly physicians. We are always out for the best interest of our patients and give truly altruistic care. Our practice philosophy is that by providing altruistic care with happy clients, our practice will grow.

Feel free to call our office at any time or email us.

Sincerely,

Lawrence Silverberg, DPM

Founder City Footcare