Even though this is not a story from our area, it still holds relevance not only in the greater New Orleans area, but in the southeastern United States as well as the entire country. This story is from a public radio news reporter in Boston, Massachusetts who needed to undergo an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan.
The reporter did call to do some price comparisons and found an independent provider that had charges that were less than half the total cost of the hospital. Why? According to the reporter, from the information provided by the non hospital provider:
Hospitals lose a lot of money on some services and make it up other other services. MRIs or other tests are a place that they often make it up. And hospitals say they lose money taking care of patients with Medicare — that’s mostly for the elderly — or Medicaid — that’s government insurance mostly for the poor. So private insurance payers, like me, end up paying more for these tests so that the hospitals can have everything on balance in the end.
We believe you should not be part of the “make it up” process for hospitals by overcharging for medical imaging exams. If your doctor recommends a hospital or hospital-based imaging center, ask for the price of the exam. If they can’t provide it, call the hospital to ask. If they can’t provide it, do you really want to go there?
At Capitol Imaging Services, our freestanding independent diagnostic centers perform common and specialty testing often for far less cost, which is a huge financial savings benefit for people who have insurance deductibles that have not been fulfilled. It is now far more commonplace for people with health insurance coverage to have a deductible that needs to be met before any insurance payments begin to take effect. Deductibles can range into the thousands of dollars per person.
With that type of financial responsibility, people can still get outstanding medical imaging quality without paying a higher price for it. We agree that testing is not always equal, but a higher price tag for an MRI or CT scan does not always reflect the best quality.
If you do get a price, call us and compare. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the savings we may be able to offer. The time you spend in your research may pay off in a huge and wonderful way!
Capitol Imaging Services financial services representatives are standing by to assist you. Call us to receive a good faith estimate for your imaging exam. Our experienced associates are well versed in the world of health insurance, deductibles and copays. The insurance language may confuse or bewilder you, but we will do our very best to make any financial obligation you may incur to be as clear and accurate as possible.
It’s your health care. It’s your money. Choose independent and save.
Choose Capitol Imaging Services: doctor trusted, patient preferred.
