Can someone explain how a stress test can cost?

[BW412]

You got an MRI for $75 total?

That's what I was thinking. I get a couple per year it's well over $1K each time. I wish I could find that price!

[TX Doc]

That screening CT scan was only $75 because there is no recommendation from any medical body to do them. Therefore they are not covered by insurance. The companies discount the price down and charge the patients or employers cash. They're just working off volume to make a buck. There is also no current recommendation from the college of cardiology about what that coronary calcium score from the CT means, so nobody knows what to do about it. The exercise stress test seems more expensive because it is billed to insurance. The insurance company will pay their contracted rate for the procedure which is generally around 45-55% of the billed charge. What you pay will be dependent on your plan and if you have met your deductible.

[texansfan]

Let me see if I can dig that up. Wife handles the medical stuff.

Yeah some of these "simple" things can be seriously expensive

[doghouse]

I saw this on FB today. No clue whether it is correct are not.

[Lonestar_HOYT]

Be curious to see what the UK and Australia allow for medical liability lawsuits.

[texansfan]

I saw this on FB today. No clue whether it is correct are not.

[ATTACH]877818[/ATTACH]

An easy question for us to ask but may be difficult for DocMay to answer is that out of that $16k average CHARGE for a "normal" baby delivery how much of that will be a line item for his services?

Of that line item CHARGE for DocMay what are his actual COSTS?
(Many times actual hospital costs are 75% LOWER than the actual charge to make up for "losses")

Of those costs what is his "profit" or amount that goes to his bank account once all his expenses are paid?

Furthermore, what is his "get out of bed" price?
Let's say a "normal" delivery takes three hours of DocMay playing catcher, what is the minimum dollar amount he wants to go to his bank account for that procedure? DocMay can only deliver so many babies in a month and he has a certain dollar amount he'd like to be deposited in his bank account each month.

There is a number.
Medicine is a business.
Not many people deliver babies pro-bono.
Yes you love medicine, but you don't love it enough where you'll stand there and deliver babies for $20 an hour.

The final charge to the patient starts with DocMay's "get out of bed" price and then a ton of overhead gets tacked on to that before It's presented to the patient.

[TXHUNT3R]

Let me see if I can dig that up. Wife handles the medical stuff.

ok SO:

EKG - $305.00
Heart Imaging - $190.00
I think the blood work - $160.00
"Diagnostic Medical Exam" - $525.00
And the stress test - $400.00

They use some generic terms so I think thats right.

[TX Doc]

There aren't many private insurance plans that cover maternity care. You pretty much have to have an employer sponsored plan. Of the private plans that do the deductible is usually so high that you are pretty much paying for the delivery yourself. A standard non complicated vaginal delivery is generally going to be around 6,000-8,000. A C-section is closer to $20,000. Best I can remember the fee for a vaginal delivery was 750-1500 depending on the insurance. Some plans you got paid for each prenatal visit and then a smaller amount for the delivery. Other plans it was a package deal paid at the end to whoever delivered the baby. So you could see a patient for 6-10 prenatal visits, but if you didn't end up being the delivery doctor then you didn't get a dime. With the malpractice costs involved OB care had to be a large part of your practice to make it worthwhile. I quit doing OB about 6 years ago and haven't regretted it. The way things are billed out is just stupid. Patients think they are getting way over charged because the insurance company is only going to pay about 50% of the charge. In order to get credentialed to take a certain insurance plan you have to agree to a certain contracted rate that that insurance company has decided on for all services. That's why some people would rather just be out of network because they get a better payment. If the insurance companies would just pay the billed amount things would be much simpler.

[systemnt]

Mine was covered by insurance.. but i never ..truly..recovered..

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=288525&highlight=stress+test

[texansfan]

There aren't many private insurance plans that cover maternity care. You pretty much have to have an employer sponsored plan. Of the private plans that do the deductible is usually so high that you are pretty much paying for the delivery yourself. A standard non complicated vaginal delivery is generally going to be around 6,000-8,000. A C-section is closer to $20,000. Best I can remember the fee for a vaginal delivery was 750-1500 depending on the insurance. Some plans you got paid for each prenatal visit and then a smaller amount for the delivery. Other plans it was a package deal paid at the end to whoever delivered the baby. So you could see a patient for 6-10 prenatal visits, but if you didn't end up being the delivery doctor then you didn't get a dime. With the malpractice costs involved OB care had to be a large part of your practice to make it worthwhile. I quit doing OB about 6 years ago and haven't regretted it. The way things are billed out is just stupid. Patients think they are getting way over charged because the insurance company is only going to pay about 50% of the charge. In order to get credentialed to take a certain insurance plan you have to agree to a certain contracted rate that that insurance company has decided on for all services. That's why some people would rather just be out of network because they get a better payment. If the insurance companies would just pay the billed amount things would be much simpler.

Can I ask out of that $6k to $8k charge for a normal delivery, how much of that is a line item directly to you as the person who stood there and actually removed the baby from the vag****?

Only for that one day/night (not counting the prenatal visits) how much would you get in charges?

Of those charges what would be your profit?
After you pay your staff, the medical coder, etc. how much would you walk away with in your pocket?

[texansfan]

ok SO:

EKG - $305.00
Heart Imaging - $190.00
I think the blood work - $160.00
"Diagnostic Medical Exam" - $525.00
And the stress test - $400.00

They use some generic terms so I think thats right.

Hey thanks for this.
With these numbers we can actually begin to dive in and see why running on a treadmill for ten minutes costs $1500

Blood work for $160
They paid that phlebotomist maybe $2 (six mins work at $20 an hour) to draw your blood.
But then the Quest or Lab Corps courier needs to pick it up from that phlebotomist and drop it off at some main lab processing site.
Then a Lab Tech needs to remove the blood and run the actual test on it.
Then you need a MD to actually revuew and "certify" whatever results come back

Many people have touched you and your blood by now.

What are each of these persons "get out of bed" prices?