Tuesday, February 27, 2007
A Priceline for diagnostic tests?
Companies that help bargain down the price of medical tests and procedures are emerging in the wake of increasing use of consumer-directed health plans:After concluding that Mr. Fontana was not getting the best possible price, the company’s representatives called the imaging facility and demanded a lower one, promptly saving him $200 — minus a 35 percent collection fee.
“I asked before I went in to the clinic how much it would cost, and they just will not tell you,” he said later. “I didn’t know until I got the bill, and at that point I figured I had nothing to lose.”
The savings are possible for one reason: medical care is often priced with the same maddening, arbitrary opacity as airline seats and hotel rooms.
Posted by Kevin |
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Comments:
Those of us providing service whine and moan about having to deal with third party payors---but then we pepetuate that by charging exobitant prices (relative what we are actually willing to take from other customers) to patients that we bill directly.
I charge the same price all patients all the time. That leave out Medicare and contracts with insurers, but my I do not rob Peter to pay Paul and think it more moral and fair.
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I charge the same price all patients all the time. That leave out Medicare and contracts with insurers, but my I do not rob Peter to pay Paul and think it more moral and fair.
# posted by 
: 7:22 PM
: 7:22 PM
