Taking The Stress Out Of Diagnostic Tests
Does the cost of healthcare stress you out?
You?re not alone. A 2014 study conducted by the American Psychological Association found that at least 72 percent of Americans were stressed over financial concerns at least some of the time. Twenty-two percent said they experienced extreme stress about finances. Further, 9 percent said they have considered skipping needed healthcare services and 12 percent had forgone care because of costs.
A 2016 Reuters survey found that 62 percent of Americans ? regardless of party affiliation ? were concerned about healthcare affordability. And a Kaiser Family Foundation study found that half of those without health insurance, and 20 percent with it, have problems dealing with medical debt.
Even those with great employer-sponsored health insurance have felt the pinch, as employers have increased deductibles and cost-sharing to reduce their costs.
For years, we?ve heard Americans need to be better healthcare consumers, taking a more active role in maintaining good health, talking to their physicians and healthcare providers about financial concerns, and being more involved in decision making.
Medical imaging procedures, such as CT scans and MRIs, often allow patients to avoid expensive, painful invasive procedures, such as exploratory surgery. Ultimately, medical imaging saves the patient time, money and discomfort ? but at a cost.
Lexington Diagnostic Center and Open MRI has been helping patients and families reduce the financial stress of healthcare for decades. ?Patients often don?t realize that there is a huge difference in cost between our facility and hospital-based imaging centers,? said Davonna Saier, marketing director at Lexington Diagnostic Center. ?Often, they never question the cost of that hospital study until they receive a bill, and then it?s too late.?
The cost of testing at Lexington Diagnostic Center is substantially lower because LDC specializes in one thing ? medical imaging. ?Our patients aren?t paying huge hospital overhead,? she noted. Costs at Lexington Diagnostic Center are often less than half what one would be charged at a hospital. This saves money for the insurance company, potentially leading to lower premium costs, and for the patient, who often is responsible for co-pays and deductibles.
Further, LDC charges include the radiologist?s fee to read the exam, which is typically extra at hospital imaging centers.
LDC patients know up front what their costs are going to be. Billing specialists work with them and their insurance companies before testing is performed so patients know their cost upfront.
Further, LDC charges include the radiologist?s fee to read the exam, which is typically extra at hospital imaging centers.
LDC patients know up front what their costs are going to be. Billing specialists work with them and their insurance companies before testing is performed so patients know their cost upfront.