Cost of CT Scans & using 3rd party service providers

OKCnative
OKCnative Member Posts: 326 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

In this forum we don't seem to discuss the cost of head and neck cancer treatment very often, but it can certainly be a major aspect of the entire diagnosis, treatment and recovery process.

I've been self-employed for about 16-years, so I have to maintain my own health insurance. Because I've always been in very good health (no prescriptions or ailments) I've saved a ton of money over the years with high deductible health insurance with a very low premium (less than $300). My deductible also drops by a small percentage for every year I don't meet the deductible amount. Since I've had the insurance for so long without hardly ever using it, by the time I was diagnosed my deductible was very small.

However, that all changed on Jan 1, 2018 and my deductible started all over. Fortunately my treatment and post treatment PET scan were all last year and covered. So, naturally I'm watching my bills closely with a big deductible to meet this year.

Basically my treatment now is simply routine CT scans to monitor my progress.

That said, my first post-treatment CT-scan was on me since it happened in 2018. The cancer center I go to charged me $1,800 for a CT- scan (neck and chest). Their bill claims they did me a huge favor because that's their insurance adjusted lower rate and the normal rate is like $9,000 (totally ridiculous). 

I immediately called the cancer center and told them all future orders for scans are to be sent to an independent 3rd party scanning service in my city that only charges $230-ish per scan (I need two scans - neck and chest). The nurse I talked to at the cancer center seemed to act like my request was pretty routine and put up no guff about it and said they'd call me back in a day or two with the confirmation.

Wondering what others have experienced; cost for CT and/or PET scans and did any of you opt for using 3rd party providers? I'm guessing some here probably didn't even realize they could get scanning on their own for a much cheaper price. 

Comments

  • Andy13460
    Andy13460 Member Posts: 115
    #2

    Im in Ireland now but the UK is all totaly free so if it got bad cost wise I can go back there. Ireland I have company medical insurance and dont get any bills as far as I know everything is just billed back to them. I know each CT scan is about 250 euro and its a 3rd party imaging centre that does CT & MRI.

     

  • yensid683
    yensid683 Member Posts: 349
    #3
    3rd party providers...

    are much more economical than any hospital or center based services.  They only do imaging, and unlike most hospitals, don't have to pad the ##$#@ out of the gross bill in order to cover those individuals who force the hospital/center to 'self pay' - I. E. cover the bill for the non-paying patient.

    I've used several imaging centers and saved a ton of money!

  • katlou
    katlou Member Posts: 82 Member
    edited March 2018 #4
    I don't know if this will help

    I don't know if this will help or not but I can tell you what my ct scan with contrast cost.  I only had a neck ct scan so I would guess with the addition of the chest ct scan that the cost would probably be at least double or more.  Anyway, I had my neck ct scan with contrast done at a hospital radiology department (not a third party scanning service) and the cost of the scan was $2400 but the approved amount by my insurance was $275 so I only paid the $275 (I had not met my deductible yet).  This doesn't include the cost of the radiologist reading the scan which was around $125.  

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