San Antonio Cosmetic SurgeryNew Law Enacted to Improve Care for Breast Reconstruction Patients

Women considering breast reconstruction should now receive more information about their treatment and how it can be financed, thanks to a new law recently signed by NY Gov. David Paterson.  The law is designed to ensure that disadvantaged women receive the information they need about breast reconstruction, including info on health insurance coverage and surgical techniques that can reconstruct the breasts and restore a normal appearance.

An unfortunate reality is that many patients don't undergo breast reconstruction because they're not aware that the procedure has universal health insurance.  Doctors pushed for the new law so that a discussion of breast reconstruction options would be required, thus increasing the number of patients undergoing the surgery.

There seems to be a stark contrast in resources between breast reconstruction patients of different backgrounds.  Evidently, some are making decisions about treatment with a relative lack of information, while others are independently seeking out advanced microsurgical procedures.   According to a recent study in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, a growing number of breast cancer patients are using the Internet to find a reconstructive surgeon on their own, and many are choosing advanced microsurgical breast reconstruction procedures.

• Read more about the law via the New York Times
• Read more about breast reconstruction at San Antonio Cosmetic Surgery.