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As part of overall health care reform, there is more information being published for public consumption that identifies charges by hospitals across the country for various services, both inpatient and outpatient. Unfortunately, often times this information is convoluted, difficult to find and even more difficult to understand.
That’s where we come in.
Below is information reported by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, or CMS, for hospital outpatient claims data for 2012. This provides you with a clear comparison between average hospital charges and the average for DIS for a common exam, ultrasound. In this example, CMS has classified it as “MRI and MRA without contrst.”
Here is the comparison chart:
| Hospital A – Northshore | $2,819.42 |
| Hospital B – Southshore | $1,461.17 |
| Hospital C – Southshore | $2,414.78 |
| Hospital D – Northshore | $2,322.01 |
| Hospital E – Northshore | $2,764.53 |
| Hospital F – Southshore | $2,503.25 |
| Hospital G – Southshore | $3,852.37 |
| Hospital H – Northshore | $3,050.48 |
| Hospital I – Northshore | $3,633.58 |
| Hospital Average | $2,757.96 |
| DIS Average | $1,254.00 |
That is a 55% difference — a huge difference to people who have an insurance deductible as part of their health coverage. As you know, insurance does not commence payments until your deductible, whether single or family, is fulfilled. You would be responsible for most, if not all, of the charge.
Do you want a bill that could easily top over $3,00 or one from DIS that often is under $1,300 for the same test?
People are patients. People are customers. You deserve top quality at a fair price. Ask yourself, “Why would my doctor want to send me to a hospital for an imaging exam that could cost me so much more?”
Say YES and spend LESS at DIS.