The quest for affordable health care has grown to be more and more necessary for Americans in this time of health care reform, and it seems that patients are using more resources to discover the ways that they can save. You wouldn’t think that bargain shopping for medical would be well advised, but particularly in the diagnostic imaging and radiology fields, it has become protocol for many due to the high costs. Due to high levels of uninsured individuals in America, and even the high out-of-pocket expenditures for insured patients, this concept of pricing transparency and price shopping for service, has grown into a rather hot topic in the medical world.
Varying providers, from hospitals and free-standing clinics will agree that the prices patients pay for imaging services vary widely, depending upon where the services are performed. It is not even debatable that thediagnostic scans are less expensive at independent clinics than they are at hospitals. According to hospital officials, these price differences are a result of the hospitals needing to cover overhead costs associated with being open 24/7.
One would assume that you are paying more for better quality, but in many instances, this is simply not the case. The responsibility is now on the patient to research the best options for them, and it has become clear that the patients are catching on. These decisions should not be made solely based on price, but also on quality and convenience. In most cases, these independent, free-standing diagnostic imaging centers will be the clear, best choice.