Dr. Elisabeth Potter, MD

Dr. Elisabeth Potter, MD Empowering patients with advanced breast reconstruction & aesthetic treatments. DIEP flap specialist.
(32)

https://www.gofundme.com/f/stand-with-a-surgeon-facing-retaliation

07/31/2026

A year and a half ago, I shared a video about UnitedHealthcare.

It wasn’t just about my practice. It was about what happens when insurance companies stand between patients and the care they need.

A lot has happened since then.

Redbud Surgery Center is still out of network.

Back in January, United’s CEO said he would personally look into the situation. I’m still waiting.

Does it feel fair? No. But I’m not giving up.

I will keep telling the truth about what patients experience. I will keep advocating for transparent, affordable, high quality care. And I will keep working to help fix a healthcare system that too often puts barriers between patients and the care they need.

The reason I’m still here is in large part because of you.

You have listened. You have shared these stories. You have believed in this mission.

Thank you for standing with me.

I’m not going anywhere.

07/29/2026

Being clear is kind.

I was in the operating room the other day, during a stressful part of a case I needed a moment of complete focus, so I asked everyone in the room to be quiet. A few minutes later, after we had moved through that part of the operation, I apologized to the anesthesiologist.

He looked at me and said, “Being unclear is unkind. Being clear is kind.”

No one has ever said that to me before.

I’ve always believed that honesty and direct communication are acts of respect, especially at work and in healthcare. Patients deserve clarity. Teams deserve clarity. In the operating room, where every decision matters, clarity creates trust and keeps patients safe.

I know I can be intense.

My intensity has always been about caring deeply. It’s about protecting my patients. It’s about making sure everyone in the room knows exactly what I need so we can do our best work together.

What meant so much to me about his comment wasn’t just the words themselves. It was that he understood what was behind them.

He didn’t see intensity. He saw kindness.

I couldn’t ask for more than to work with people who understand that, and to be that kind of surgeon for my patients.

07/28/2026

“I said what I said.”

Some weeks, that’s exactly how I feel.

Last week, I stepped out to do a peer-to-peer with an insurance company after they denied a necessary part of my patient’s DIEP flap reconstruction. Removing her tissue expander wasn’t optional—it was required to perform her surgery.

After explaining, we received the approval. This week, she got the surgery she needed.
Then I walked out of the operating room today to another notification: another patient’s surgery has been denied, which means another peer-to-peer is already on my calendar.

This is the part of breast reconstruction that patients don’t always see. It’s not just hours in the operating room—it’s hours spent advocating so patients can actually access the care they need.

But there was good news today, too.

Momentum is building around price transparency, with bipartisan support that gives me hope we’re moving toward a healthcare system that makes more sense for patients. When I say there are no sides in this, I mean it. Good ideas should bring people together.

Today, I had the privilege of reconstructing three women after breast cancer. I also celebrated a win that happened because of last week’s advocacy, and I’ll keep making the calls for the next patient who needs me.

Because caring for patients doesn’t stop when I leave the OR.

07/27/2026

Behind every surgery is a team advocating for patients.

Most of that work happens quietly.

Phone calls. Documentation. Insurance appeals. Hours spent fighting for patients long before they ever step into the operating room.

Mary, our Surgical Practice Manager, shared the story of a patient whose surgery was canceled the day it was scheduled because the hospital was no longer safe for surgery. Because of the timing, if we couldn’t get insurance approval before January 1, her coverage would reset and she would lose the benefits she had already earned.

Our team spent days working with the insurance company, coordinating documentation, and advocating for her so she could receive the care she needed at Redbud.

When the approval finally came through, there wasn’t a sense of relief because the paperwork was finished.

There was relief because our patient could finally move forward with the surgery she needed.

This is the work our team does every day.

When we tell patients we’re working on an authorization or an appeal, we mean it. Behind every insurance decision is a person waiting for care, and our team will continue advocating for them every step of the way.

07/21/2026

For years, patients have been expected to make healthcare decisions without knowing what their care will actually cost.

Imagine buying a house without knowing the price. Or ordering dinner without seeing a menu. Or hiring a contractor without getting a quote.

It sounds absurd.

Yet that’s how healthcare has worked for decades.

That could finally be changing.

Two bipartisan bills currently moving through Congress, the Patients Deserve Price Tags Act (H.R. 5582) and the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act (H.R. 5378), include significant reforms designed to improve healthcare price transparency and give patients access to more meaningful pricing information before they receive care instead of confusing estimates or surprise bills afterward.

Patients deserve to understand what their care will cost before making healthcare decisions. Price transparency won’t solve every challenge in healthcare, but it is an important step toward a system that is more understandable, accountable, and patient centered.

If this issue matters to you, take a few minutes to learn about these bills. If you believe patients deserve upfront pricing, consider contacting your Representative and Senators to let them know. They work for you, and they need to hear from the people their decisions affect.

I’ll be following these bills closely because every patient deserves the opportunity to make informed decisions about their care.

Have questions about healthcare price transparency or these proposals? Leave them below.

07/16/2026

After I moved more breast reconstruction surgeries to an outpatient surgery center, the hospital proposed sending my remaining DIEP flap patients to the ICU, despite the fact that these patients had never previously required ICU care.

The ICU is one of the most expensive places in a hospital.

So I called hospital leadership to explain why I believed this wasn’t in the best interest of patients. I’m sharing that conversation with you.

Over the past 13 years, our team has performed thousands of breast reconstruction procedures with a 99.7 % success rate. These patients do not need ICU care. They need specialized nurses who understand breast reconstruction, early mobility, and a pathway that gets them safely home.

The documented rationale for the change had nothing to do with patients actually needed more acute care. It had everything to do with declining case volume.

We can learn a lot about priorities by observing how people and systems respond to stress.
I improved outcomes and lowered the cost of breast reconstruction by moving it to an outpatient center.
The system responded by increasing the cost per patient. We should all take note.

This is what happens when hospitals don’t have to compete.
07/14/2026

This is what happens when hospitals don’t have to compete.

07/10/2026

You know how much I love and how much they’ve supported me over the years.

That’s why I’m especially excited to share the Healthcare is Human Award, the largest grant awarded by the FIGS Foundation.

A $100,000 award!

This award recognizes a licensed healthcare professional, healthcare student, or small group that is making healthcare more human through leadership, advocacy, education, or systems level change.

The people pushing healthcare forward are often doing the work quietly. They’re speaking up when it’s uncomfortable. They’re building solutions where others see obstacles. They’re fighting for patients, supporting colleagues, and helping create the healthcare system we all deserve.

And they deserve to be recognized.

If someone comes to mind when you read that, nominate them them here: https://www.wearfigs.com/en-US/pages/awesome-humans-foundation?srsltid=AfmBOoqfUSGoIgMdMZvQkFtefl_IuBwdvKAebKjz5O904JRC4aBUonPZ

A few important details:
• One individual or small group may be selected
• Open to healthcare professionals and healthcare students worldwide
• Candidates must be nominated by someone else
• Nominations are open through August 31, 2026
• Award recipient(s) will be announced in November 2026

One more thing: I’m not eligible for this award, and I’m not in the running.

This is about shining a light on the people doing extraordinary work behind the scenes and making sure their stories are seen.

Thank you, , for continuing to invest in the people caring for all of us.

Tag someone who should be nominated👇

If we are serious about healthcare affordability, we need to stop overcharging and encourage complete price transparency...
07/09/2026

If we are serious about healthcare affordability, we need to stop overcharging and encourage complete price transparency.

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