The Cost and Quality of Imaging

The New York Times raises awareness of the variation in quality for imaging studies such as CT and MRI; however they miss some of the most important issues to improve quality and costs.

First, Insurers don't pay the same price for imaging regardless of where it is done. Most insurers pay different providers different prices, even in the same market for the same services. This is a fact that hurts even those patients with insurance. Pricing of MRIs and other tests even within a single market and for a single insurer usually vary a lot. We recently helped a patient schedule an MRI. The first imaging center wanted $2,500, by calling around we found a high-quality center that charged just under $500. This dropped the patients 20% coinsurance amount from $500 to $100.

Second, paying a higher price for your healthcare does not mean you are getting higher quality care. Often the opposite is the case. Many high volume centers that do it right the first time will also have lower costs for patients.

And most importantly, when patients don't ask about price they usually don't ask about quality either. When patients engage in choosing a provider they tend to ask about both cost and quality.

I suggest that any time you need to have a test, surgery, procedure, etc. you shop around. The Healthcare Blue Book can tell you what the fair price for a service is in your market. Then you can call several facilities in your area and ask what type of machine will be used, how old it is and what the cost is.

Just as consumers must ask questions about quality, they also need to ask questions about price.