This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Common Medical Procedure Costs Vary in PA

The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place, even as close as Allegheny and Washington counties.

It can cost up to $2,570 more to get a CT scan done at an Allegheny County hospital than one in neighboring Washington County. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers.

Though the average costs are about $100 apart in the two counties, the range of prices varies between $1,370 and $3,940 in Allegheny County, while the cost ranges from $1,370 and $1,900 in Washington County.

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Prices vary for other common procedures as well. It can cost $510 less, on average, to get a colonoscopy done in Allegheny County rather than in Washington County. And when compared to prices for procedures across Pennsylvania, the average cost of a mammogram, CT scan or MRI in either Allegheny and Washington counties is below the state average.

(Click on the "?" in the chart above to see the range of prices charged in each county and throughout the state.)

Find out what's happening in Robinson-Moonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

These big regional differences have been in the news lately: As the Washington Post wrote on Wednesday, "One hospital charges $8,000 - another $38,000." Using the same data as the Post, The New York Times listed out the prices of a series of procedures in hospitals across the country.

The Times and the Post used data from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Patch worked with New Choice Health to examine the cost of four well-known procedures in Patch communities all across the country and found wide disparities—CT scans, colonoscopies, MRIs and mammograms. The examination revealed the costs can vary by thousands of dollars even within the same community.

Take Orange County. A CT scan in the sprawling suburban area can go for as little as $1,790 or for as much as $6,130—a difference of more than $4,000. The cost of a colonoscopy in Suffolk County Massachusetts, can be as little as $2,570 or as much as $6,000.

The prices from the New Choice Health marketplace reflect the “list price” for these procedures – kind of like the sticker price on a car. Health insurance companies often end up getting different discounts and reimbursements depending on the arrangements they have worked out with providers. But the point, says New Choice’s Brad Myers, is to give consumers the information they need to negotiate for themselves and make informed decisions when it comes to paying for their healthcare.

Looking at the data, some trends seem to emerge. Often the communities with the well-known medical research centers seem to be some of the most expensive places to have procedures done – or they at least go higher on the high-end of costs.

Join Patch for more community news or join us on Facebook and Twitter.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?