Do you ever ask your doctor about the costs for your health care needs?
Scott A. Turke, Diagnostic Imaging Services, New Orleans LIVING WELL Magazine
Many consumers jump at the chance to save on most any purchase. From fuel to coffee to clothes and vehicles, if there is an opportunity to take advantage of lower prices, coupons, sales or special offers, we take it. If these promotions didn’t work, stores, businesses and companies wouldn’t offer them to customers or the general public.
Even if there is not a pricing special, when you are ready to buy, you’re going to identify the price or ask for the item’s price. You don’t buy a home without knowing the asking price. You probably didn’t buy your last pair of shoes without looking at the price tag. Was there ever a time when you purchased a piece of furniture but did not know how much it cost?
Probably not.
So, why don’t we ask our doctor how much something costs?
There could be any number of reasons. You may not have been concerned about it because your health insurance plan had no deductible or co-insurance, so every cost was covered 100%. Perhaps you were concerned that the doctor wouldn’t know the cost or tell you not to be concerned about the cost because we shouldn’t put a price on our health.
However, times have changed. Health care has changed. Health insurance has changed and will continue to change. As consumers, it may be time for us to ask questions that we have not asked before.
“Doctor, how much is this going to cost me?”
This question should not challenge the physician’s clinical judgment on your course of treatment or therapy. It should not undermine their decision-making process. It is a simple question IF you have health insurance that does have a deductible and/or co-insurance stipulation. That portion of the total cost of your care will be your responsibility and yours alone.
What if you don’t have health insurance coverage?
Then, cost is even more important! While we accept nearly every health insurance plan in the greater New Orleans metropolitan area, some consumers do not have insurance coverage. However, Diagnostic Imaging Services offers a lower self-pay pricing structure when no insurance claim is filed. We also work with all patients, regardless of coverage, on possible payment options to ease the financial burden with costs that are the patient’s responsibility.
One of our patients related an experience she had with a local breast center. She called to ask for the price of a mammogram. The center’s response was that she could not get a price unless she made an appointment and the center received the referral order from her physician. DIS provided a price on this patient’s first phone call to us and scheduled her appointment within three days.
Why was there hesitancy for the breast center to provide a price over the phone? Perhaps it’s because pricing from Diagnostic Imaging Services is lower than hospital-owned imaging centers. It could be because our quality of care is second to none. We’re confidant patients have saved time and money by choosing one of our outpatient clinics instead of going to the hospital or a facility owned by one.
Your doctor may have a financial interest in an outpatient imaging center’s equipment, property or real estate. If you don’t know, ask them. For Medicare and Medicaid patients, by law, doctors are required to disclose any financial interest. They are also required to provide patients with a list of alternative imaging providers in their area.
These questions regarding price, health system employment or financial interests are important to you as a patient, because in the end, you will be responsible for any costs not paid by insurance. Without having to sacrifice quality of care, at Diagnostic Imaging Services, you also receive:
- The convenience of four locations with ample ground floor parking
- The highest level of patient care and customer service possible
- Experienced technologists in examinations such as CT, MRI, mammography, ultrasound and x-ray
- Same-day appointments whenever possible
- Saturday morning hours throughout the year
- Reports to your doctor usually within one business day – often sooner
- One bill for all services!
At Diagnostic Imaging Services, every patient receives a warm welcome, pleasant experience and sincere thank you. To make an appointment or to receive more information about our services, please call 504-883-5999 or visit us on the web at www.disnola.com.
It’s your choice. Tell your doctor – you choose Diagnostic Imaging Services!
