Just because a patient receives two imaging exams that are exactly the same doesn't guarantee the billing will match. A Florida man had first-hand experience with this—being charged 33 times more for a second CT scan than his first, according to an April 9 article in NPR's "Bill of the Month" series.
With continuous pain in his abdomen, Benjamin Hynden, 29, a financial adviser in Fort Myers, Florida, underwent two CT scans, one in October 2017 and another in January 2018. After his second exam, he was charged $10,174.75, including $8,897 for a CT scan of the abdomen—33 times the $268 he paid for his first CT scan.
Results for both scans were the same. Hynden was sent home without a definitive diagnosis, according to NPR. Hynden, who has a high-deductible health insurance policy with Cigna, received his nearly $9,000 CT scan at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Fort Meyers, owned by Lee Health. No one at the hospital would agree to be interviewed regarding the Hynden's costly bill, according to NPR.
"If it wasn't for that [second] CT scan, I don't think this whole thing would have been so difficult and so blatantly obvious that they're extremely overcharging for that service," Hynden told NPR.
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A recent graduate from Dominican University (IL) with a bachelor’s in journalism, Melissa joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering all aspects of health imaging. She’s a fan of singing and playing guitar, elephants, a good cup of tea, and her golden retriever Cooper.