Florida Health Insurance Makes Scanning Technology Affordable

Computerized Tomography (CT) combines a series of X-ray views taken from different angles to produce cross-sectional images of bones and soft tissues. Doctors can look at these slices individually, or perform additional visualization to create 3-D images.

CT images provide a lot more information than plain X-rays, and are used to quickly examine people who may have internal injuries. A CT scan can also image the brain, and can check for blockages or other problems in blood vessels when combined with injected contrast material.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides very detailed and precise images of the inside of the body. Unlike X-rays and CT images, MRI emits no radiation. Instead, MRI uses magnetic fields and computer technology to create images.

In the past, MRI required you to be in a tunnel-like enclosure that was distressing for those with claustrophobia, and for very large people. Advances have led to what is called the Open MRI, which is a more comfortable, non-confining MRI.

There are different types of Open MRI, such as tunnel-like enclosures with larger, more rectangular openings. Other Open MRI machines are wide open on three sides, and many exams are performed with most of the body outside the machine. In this relaxing environment, you can even listen to music during the exam.

CT and MRI Scans Reduce Days in ihe Hospital

A study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology has a new take on how to shorten your stay in the hospital. CT and MRI scans may reduce the amount of time you spend in the hospital (not to mention lower your medical bill) if these procedures are used early in the process.

The researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston looked at 10,005 hospital admissions, which included at least one advanced imaging study from the day before admission through discharge. The results showed that the length of patients' stay in the hospital was significantly shorter when imaging techniques were used on the day before or the day of admission compared to using imaging on day one or two. The study included all hospital admissions of at least three days.

When abdominal CT exams were used, the mean length of hospital stay was reduced from 9.7 days to 8.4 days. For neurologic MRI exams, hospital stays were decreased from 8.7 days to 7.6 days. With the average cost of a day in the hospital at $2,129, we can estimate that early imaging would save $2,129 per hospital admission. The study also suggests that early imaging could expedite inpatient care for certain types of patients.

Hospital inpatient costs represent 18 percent of total health care insurance premiums paid, according to Juan Carlos Batlle, MD, MBA, who led the study. Earlier use of these imaging techniques could cut time spent in the hospital, hospital bills, and insurance premiums.

Florida Health Insurance Makes Scans Affordable

If you're uninsured, your medical bills typically greatly exceed the bills for individuals with health insurance. For the same procedure you have done, insurance companies can negotiate greatly reduced prices.

If you have Florida health insurance, you can get these procedures for a fraction of the cost. For example, co-pays for an MRI are typically around $120. Without insurance, the cost of an MRI is usually between $1,100 and $2,700, but there is really no limit on the prices that are charged.

Prices vary depending upon whether the MRI is performed at a doctor's office or in a hospital, and upon what part of the body is scanned. When ordered by a doctor, an MRI is covered by almost all health insurance plans.

The Safety of Scans

CT scans may slightly increase your risk for developing cancer because, like other X-rays, CT involves a brief, targeted exposure to a small amount of ionizing radiation. CT scans expose you to more radiation than X-ray exams, and provide much more detailed images than X-rays. Any exposure to radiation without a definite medical purpose is unwise.

For most patients, there are no known risks of an MRI, but patients who have an implanted defibrillator or pacemaker should not receive an MRI because it can interfere with the devices' functioning. Nor, should people with a cochlear implant or clips used on brain aneurysms have an MRI. Pregnant women should not have MRIs because the risks to fetuses are unknown. If contrast material is used, there is a small risk of an allergic reaction, or a very rare complication called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.