Tweet
About a year ago, my son became convinced that he had an irregular heartbeat. His pediatrician said "you do not", but he wouldn't let it go. On the 2nd visit to the doctor, she said "look, he's really obsessed about this - let's just fit him with a 24 hour holter monitor and show him that he does not have an irregular heart beat."
Fair enough. But having a high deductible, I knew we would be paying out of pocket for this. So I called our "preferred provider" hospital, and their discounted rate, cash price for a 24 holter monitor was $1,200 plus a reading fee. I explained that I wasn't wanting to BUY the monitor, just use it for 24 hours! Nevertheless, that was the price.
So I did a little shopping around. I made four phone calls - two to other hospitals, and 2 to a couple of cardiology clinics. Voila! I reached a cardiology clinic that quoted me $140 for the 24 hour holter monitor and that INCLUDED the reading fee. This clinic was NOT a preferred provider for my plan.
The moral of the story is that when a hospital quotes you a cash price for something, it is quite possible that they are fleecing you out of your mind. And don't assume that your "in network" provider is providing you the best deal. SHOP AROUND!
Fair enough. But having a high deductible, I knew we would be paying out of pocket for this. So I called our "preferred provider" hospital, and their discounted rate, cash price for a 24 holter monitor was $1,200 plus a reading fee. I explained that I wasn't wanting to BUY the monitor, just use it for 24 hours! Nevertheless, that was the price.
So I did a little shopping around. I made four phone calls - two to other hospitals, and 2 to a couple of cardiology clinics. Voila! I reached a cardiology clinic that quoted me $140 for the 24 hour holter monitor and that INCLUDED the reading fee. This clinic was NOT a preferred provider for my plan.
The moral of the story is that when a hospital quotes you a cash price for something, it is quite possible that they are fleecing you out of your mind. And don't assume that your "in network" provider is providing you the best deal. SHOP AROUND!
Comment