What does an MRI cost?

[Captain Kilowatt]

Title says it all. I injured my right knee late last summer. I put off going to the dr. because just like all my other ailments and injuries of the past 53 years it would get better on its own. After all it was just a strained muscle. Right? Well it didn't get better and in fact after two months it was worse and the vastus lateralus muscle was still popped out quite a bit and some days I could hardly function due to pain in my knee joint. Time to see the dr. By the time I got in and then had a requesition sent in for an MRI it was close to three months after the injury of which was entirely my own fault. And by that I mean both the time delay and what I was doing to injure it. Wait times here for routine non-critical MRIs are ridiculous and the appointment was for months away. I opted for a private MRI clinic that has a new state of the art three Tesla machine and paid out-of-pocket as pretty much all private health care plans do not cover them since government funds them and urgent cases are always bumped up in priority anyway and I was far from urgent. Just anxious by now. Now I am awaiting a surgical consult with an orthopedic surgeon for a completely blown out meniscus and a partially torn (75%) ACL in addition to a possibly torn muscle tendon. Anyway it got me wondering about costs between here and the US. My cost was $895 for the MRI and it made me wonder what the cost runs down there where health care is a for profit business. Not looking for a big discussion about the pros and cons of either countries system but just as to how prices may compare.BTW the wait times at a private clinic here are mere days at most. Anyone ever know what they or their insurance companies were billed for a simple MRI?

 

[wavrider]

Google search came up with this.

MRI Costs Averages

As noted above, MRI costs can vary by hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars so it's important that you shop around to get the best price. For example, listed below are some real examples or MRI procedure prices from around the United States.

Testing Facility Location Test Type Average Cost
Orlando, FL MRI $2,229
Dallas, TX - MRI Testing Facility A MRI $3,624
Dallas, TX - MRI Testing Facility B MRI $2,172
San Diego, CA MRI $2,826
Salt Lake City, UT MRI $1,694
Detroit, MI MRI $3,461
New York, NY - MRI Testing Facility A MRI $1,785
New York, NY - MRI Testing Facility B MRI $2,199
Raleigh, NC MRI $3,001
Omaha, NE MRI $2,502
Take Dallas, TX for example. Facility A charges $3,624 for a MRI while Facility B charges $2,172 That's a $1,452 difference! There's nothing different about the procedure being done but there sure is a difference between he cost of Facility A and Facility B. Take the testing facilities in New York, NY. It's very similar to the two MRI facilities in Dallas. Facility A cost for an MRI is only $1,785 while Facility B's cost is $2,199. A difference of $414. It's like this in every city around the US. Imagine how much money you could save if you called a few more facilities and asked them what they charge for an MRI. It's up to you to make sure you get the best price. Start calling around today and save money on your MRI procedure

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I guess we still get a deal then with the lowest price in that list nearly double what I paid if they are accurate. Prices here vary too depending on what exactly needs to be done and it starts at an extra $250 for any radio isotope tracers that may need to be injected. I can claim it as a medical expense on my income tax but since I had it Jan.3 I have to wait until next year to claim it for the current year.

 

[Road Squawker]

Google search came up with this.

MRI Costs Averages

As noted above, MRI costs can vary by hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars so it's important that you shop around to get the best price. For example, listed below are some real examples or MRI procedure prices from around the United States.

Testing Facility Location Test Type Average Cost
Orlando, FL MRI $2,229
Dallas, TX - MRI Testing Facility A MRI $3,624
Dallas, TX - MRI Testing Facility B MRI $2,172
San Diego, CA MRI $2,826
Salt Lake City, UT MRI $1,694
Detroit, MI MRI $3,461
New York, NY - MRI Testing Facility A MRI $1,785
New York, NY - MRI Testing Facility B MRI $2,199
Raleigh, NC MRI $3,001
Omaha, NE MRI $2,502
Take Dallas, TX for example. Facility A charges $3,624 for a MRI while Facility B charges $2,172 That's a $1,452 difference!...

... and a knee MRI (with contrast) in Mississippi costs about $600

http://www.saveonmedical.com/provider/compass-imaging-llc

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Interesting that the prices are all over the place.

 

[w9cll]

Interesting that the prices are all over the place.

Free market

 

[Road Squawker]

Interesting that the prices are all over the place.

without going into all the details,.... I get an MRI (full body) every 6 weeks, and a PETscan every 3 months.

after I started to use Medicare, the costs (paid by the gov't) went up by a factor of 5.

Same doctors, same procedure,... 5 times the cost.

 

[tba02]

I was expecting it to be more that $895. I know the last MRI I had several years ago, going through insurance, was a couple thousand.

 

[Beetle]

I guess we still get a deal then with the lowest price in that list nearly double what I paid if they are accurate. Prices here vary too depending on what exactly needs to be done and it starts at an extra $250 for any radio isotope tracers that may need to be injected. I can claim it as a medical expense on my income tax but since I had it Jan.3 I have to wait until next year to claim it for the current year.

Isotope everything turns out well for you!

 

[RatsoW8]

Interesting that the prices are all over the place.

That's because not all MRI's are the same. Different parts of the body and different procedures drive the cost. MRI's can run from $300 - to over $5000.

 

[redlght]

I had a hand scanned they charged 2300 but blue cross has a contracted rate with any medical that takes their plans and they paid out 230 with no cost to me, so if you ever have to pay cash before the scan work a deal with them they will barter for price from the first quote.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

without going into all the details,.... I get an MRI (full body) every 6 weeks, and a PETscan every 3 months.

after I started to use Medicare, the costs (paid by the gov't) went up by a factor of 5.

Same doctors, same procedure,... 5 times the cost.

No surprise there. No different than the automobile insurance industry. Get a windshield replaced thru insurance versus out of pocket and the price basically doubles. That's one of the reasons, the MAIN reason, why rates are so so high.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I was expecting it to be more that $895. I know the last MRI I had several years ago, going through insurance, was a couple thousand.

I had no idea what the cost would have been.The reason I asked is that we all hear stories about how pricey health care can be and also of the stories of how some people are hit with extremely high hospital bills and since the opening of some private clinics here such as the one I went too that are not government funded they must operate for profit the same as south of the border. I was wondering just what the difference is in prices for the same service between the two countries considering the for profit aspect.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

That's because not all MRI's are the same. Different parts of the body and different procedures drive the cost. MRI's can run from $300 - to over $5000.

Yes I understand that. That is why I mentioned specifically the issue with my knee. Some require tracer injection to enhance the images and that affects the price greatly. A simple joint is quite different from an abdominal scan but both require basically the same procedure and costs should not be all over the place except for reasons of profit. There is no real extra cost of operation for one over the other except for perhaps tracers and longer time for some scans.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Isotope everything turns out well for you!

I would have been disappointed if you missed that pun.