Natural, Insurance-Covered Reconstruction by The DIEP Group at Baystate Medical Center
Restoring Comfort and Confidence After Breast Cancer
For women in Holyoke, Chicopee, South Hadley, and West Springfield, advanced breast reconstruction is now available close to home. The DIEP flap breast reconstruction performed by The DIEP Group at Baystate Medical Center offers a natural, long-lasting solution after mastectomy — using your own tissue, not implants.
This microsurgical technique allows women to rebuild their breasts with soft, warm, living tissue while preserving abdominal muscle strength and improving overall body contour. The result? A natural look and feel that restores comfort, confidence, and peace of mind.
Best of all, the DIEP flap is fully covered by insurance, even years after mastectomy or previous implant-based reconstruction.
Why Holyoke Women Choose the DIEP Flap
Women from Holyoke and surrounding towns are increasingly choosing the DIEP flap for its natural results, safety, and freedom from implant-related concerns. Many of our patients are active, health-conscious women who want a reconstruction option that feels like their own body again.
1: Natural Reconstruction That Lasts a Lifetime
The DIEP flap uses your own skin and fat from the lower abdomen to rebuild the breast — not silicone or saline implants. Once healed, your new breast moves and feels natural for life.
2: Compatible with Prior Radiation or Implant Problems
If you’ve experienced tightness, pain, or distortion after radiation or implant surgery, the DIEP flap can bring healthy, well-vascularized tissue to the chest, softening scar tissue and improving comfort.
3: Minimal Recovery Time and Stronger Healing
Because no abdominal muscle is removed, most women recover quickly and maintain core strength. Hospital stays are typically two days, and walking begins the morning after surgery.
4: Confidence Beyond Reconstruction
Many patients describe the procedure as both restorative and transformative — regaining not only balance and comfort but also confidence in how they look and feel.
The DIEP Flap Procedure Explained
The Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator (DIEP) flap involves transferring skin and fat from the lower abdomen to recreate the breast. The abdominal muscles remain intact, preserving strength while still achieving beautiful shaping.
Using microsurgery, the transferred tissue’s tiny blood vessels are connected to vessels in the chest to ensure healthy blood flow. This makes the reconstructed breast living tissue, which moves, feels, and ages naturally.
Dual Benefit — Reconstruction and Abdominal Contouring
An added benefit of the DIEP flap is that it also refines the abdomen, giving patients a flatter and smoother midsection, much like the result of a gentle tummy tuck.
For Women with Previous Surgeries or Implant Issues
The DIEP flap is often ideal for women who have had:
- Failed or unsatisfactory implant reconstruction
- Capsular contracture (hard or painful implants)
- Implant rupture or leakage
- Radiation damage or chest tightness
- Recalled textured silicone implants
- Desire to replace implants with natural tissue
Even if your reconstruction was done years ago, you can switch from implants to a DIEP flap — and it remains covered by insurance.
The DIEP Group Difference
The DIEP Group specializes exclusively in advanced microsurgical breast reconstruction. Our surgeons perform hundreds of DIEP flaps every year, helping women throughout Massachusetts and beyond.
Why Choose Us
- Board-certified plastic surgeons focused solely on breast reconstruction
- High surgical volume across New England – over 200 DIEP flaps performed yearly
- Surgeries performed locally at Baystate Medical Center
- Personalized planning and recovery guidance
- Dedicated insurance authorization support
- Lifelong results that look and feel natural
We’re proud to bring this level of care to women in Holyoke, Chicopee, and all of Western Massachusetts, eliminating the need to travel to Boston or out of state for expert reconstruction.
Your Reconstruction Journey
Step 1 – Consultation
Your journey begins with a detailed consultation with our team — in person or via telehealth. We’ll review your health history, prior surgeries, and reconstruction goals.
A CT angiogram helps us map your abdominal blood vessels to ensure safety and precision.
Step 2 – Surgery at Baystate Medical Center
Your surgery is performed by our expert microsurgeons at Baystate Medical Center, located just 15 minutes from Holyoke.
The procedure takes approximately 6–8 hours under general anesthesia.
Hospital stay: 2 days, with early ambulation encouraged.
Step 3 – Recovery
Most patients return home after two days, resume light activities in two weeks, and regain full activity by six to eight weeks.
Step 4 – Refinement
Follow-up options may include fat grafting, nipple reconstruction, or scar optimization to refine symmetry and contour.
Insurance Coverage for DIEP Flap Reconstruction
Patients frequently ask whether DIEP flap reconstruction is covered by insurance — and the answer is yes.
Federal law through the Women’s Health and Cancer Rights Act (WHCRA) mandates that all group and private insurance plans covering mastectomy must also cover reconstruction — including DIEP flap procedures and revisions.
We Handle It All
The DIEP Group’s administrative team assists you every step of the way:
- Preauthorization and documentation
- Medical necessity letters
- Coordination with your insurance company
- Appeals if necessary
Common Private Insurance Plans in Western Massachusetts
- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
- Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
- Tufts Health Plan
- Aetna
- Cigna
- UnitedHealthcare
Who Is a Good Candidate?
You may be a candidate if you:
- Have had or will have a mastectomy
- Want a natural alternative to implants
- Have implant complications or radiation history
- Have enough lower abdominal tissue for transfer
- Want long-term, maintenance-free results
Even patients with previous abdominal scars or C-sections may still qualify after imaging confirms healthy vessels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have DIEP flap reconstruction years after my mastectomy?
Yes — there’s no time limit. DIEP flap reconstruction is covered by insurance at any point after mastectomy.
Is Baystate Medical Center close to Holyoke?
Yes — it’s approximately a 15-minute drive from most parts of Holyoke, making it a convenient location for advanced reconstruction.
Will I lose abdominal strength?
No. The DIEP flap preserves your abdominal muscles, allowing full recovery of strength and flexibility.
Does the DIEP flap improve the abdomen?
Yes. The tissue removal and closure smooth and flatten the abdomen, improving contour.
What is the recovery time?
Most patients stay two days in the hospital and return to light activity within two weeks.
Patient Testimonial – Holyoke, MA
“After my mastectomy, I struggled with tightness and pain from my implant. I was so relieved to learn that The DIEP Group could help — and that my surgery was covered by insurance. My new breast looks and feels completely natural, and my abdomen is flatter than before. I feel like myself again.”
— Jennifer L., Holyoke, MA
Serving Holyoke and Surrounding Western Massachusetts Towns
The DIEP Group proudly serves women from Holyoke, Chicopee, South Hadley, West Springfield, and all surrounding communities, offering insurance-covered, natural breast reconstruction at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA.
To explore other areas nearby, visit our local guides:
- Springfield, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Chicopee, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Westfield, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Holyoke, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Amherst, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Northampton, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Pittsfield, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Greenfield, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
- Leominster, MA – DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction
Schedule Your Consultation
If you live in or near Holyoke, MA, and are seeking natural, insurance-covered breast reconstruction, contact The DIEP Group to schedule your consultation.
The DIEP Group
Surgeries performed at Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA
203-200-0828
