Board Certification and Surgeon's Fee for Aesthetic Rhinoplasty

Elective rhinoplasty surgeons' fees vary considerably and are influenced by geographic surgeon density, surgeon's experience, local economic factors, patient demand, and other factors. The American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the American Society of Plastic Surgery, and other organizations certify physicians who profess expertise in rhinoplasty. We sought to determine if specific board certification or experience correlates with higher rhinoplasty fee. An internet search was conducted of seven U.S. metropolitan areas using the search terms "rhinoplasty and "city name." Top search results were surveyed for rhinoplasty fee, years of experience, annual volume of rhinoplasties, board certification, and other demographic data. Using both univariate and multivariate comparisons, the data were analyzed for forces having significant correlation with rhinoplasty fee. Sixty-seven surgeons were included in the study. The average price for ABFPRS certified surgeons was significantly higher than surgeons with other board certifications ($10,550.00 ± 3,722.10 compared with $8,524.50 ± 2816.30, p = 0.0142). The volume of rhinoplasties performed per year was also significantly correlated with fee charged for rhinoplasty by the surgeon (r = 0.37773, p = 0.032). Additionally, surgeons practicing on the West Coast (LA) charged significantly higher fees ($12,059.09 ± 3014.53) compared with the Mid United States. ($8316.07 ± 2449.43) and the East Coast ($9152.86 ± 3639.78) (p = 0.0047). On multivariable linear regression, controlling for volume of rhinoplasty and region of the United States, ABFPRS certified surgeons charged significantly higher fees for rhinoplasty (p = 0.0230). ABFPRS board certification correlates with higher fees charged for rhinoplasty. Other important variables include surgeon's annual rhinoplasty and practice on the West Coast.