The cost of medical care has skyrocketed in this country. Government-supported insurance programs have done nothing but exacerbate this issue while providing fewer services to patients. In an effort to control the cost of care, many private doctors and even some hospitals have begun to utilize teleradiology services.
Radiology is an entry many people see on their hospital bills, but not everyone understands exactly what it means. It is an imaging technique that takes pictures of parts of the body for the purpose of proper treatment or diagnosis. MRIs, CAT scans, and x-rays are all examples of radiology.
Most private medical practices have to send their physical images to a local service in order to have them evaluated properly. For this reason, it is not uncommon for patients to be transported to area hospitals for treatment of broken bones, or evaluation of a patient complaining of chest pain. Local urgent centers often have patients transported via ambulance or Life-Flight, at great cost to the patient.
Few private medical practices are big enough, or wealthy enough to keep a radiologist on site 24-7. In fact, many hospitals have trouble affording to have radiologists on staff since the cost can exceed $1,000.00 per day. By sending the images to an offsite service, via online technology, a professional radiologist can evaluate the images and send a report within hours of the images being taken, allowing for ORIF surgery to be performed right away.
Ultrasound radiologists often work in a vacuum, as OB doctors are one of the few local medical practices that are likely to keep a radiologist on hand. However, ultrasounds involve the live miniature human in motion factor, and this means getting proper measurements and evaluations done in real time can be difficult. In instances where they see something that seems off to them, they are now able to access a second-opinion while the patient is on the radiology table.
Pregnant women are not the only ones who can benefit from the availability of more than one radiologist. Patients who present with chest pain or have a history of strokes and other cardiology concerns are usually sent to larger area hospitals. Not only does this extend the time it takes to get proper diagnosis or treatment, but it increases the cost to the patient exponentially.
This means small town hospitals and doctors offices are providing better services at lower cost than specialty centers. Fewer ambulance rides or Life-Flight trips means less expense is incurred, which actually equates to smaller care centers being able to make more money for their local urgent care center. It also means radiology technicians are able to tele-work, sometimes from home, allowing for a more flexible lifestyle.
Most services charge the hospitals or doctors offices on a per-image basis rather than charging by the day. This brings the cost of such a specialist from $1,000.00 per day to as little as $10.00 per image. Patients should be aware of this, and be watchful of what their radiology bills are coming to in order to avoid being overcharged for services that are not costing the medical facility near what they might try to bill you for.
Radiology is an entry many people see on their hospital bills, but not everyone understands exactly what it means. It is an imaging technique that takes pictures of parts of the body for the purpose of proper treatment or diagnosis. MRIs, CAT scans, and x-rays are all examples of radiology.
Most private medical practices have to send their physical images to a local service in order to have them evaluated properly. For this reason, it is not uncommon for patients to be transported to area hospitals for treatment of broken bones, or evaluation of a patient complaining of chest pain. Local urgent centers often have patients transported via ambulance or Life-Flight, at great cost to the patient.
Few private medical practices are big enough, or wealthy enough to keep a radiologist on site 24-7. In fact, many hospitals have trouble affording to have radiologists on staff since the cost can exceed $1,000.00 per day. By sending the images to an offsite service, via online technology, a professional radiologist can evaluate the images and send a report within hours of the images being taken, allowing for ORIF surgery to be performed right away.
Ultrasound radiologists often work in a vacuum, as OB doctors are one of the few local medical practices that are likely to keep a radiologist on hand. However, ultrasounds involve the live miniature human in motion factor, and this means getting proper measurements and evaluations done in real time can be difficult. In instances where they see something that seems off to them, they are now able to access a second-opinion while the patient is on the radiology table.
Pregnant women are not the only ones who can benefit from the availability of more than one radiologist. Patients who present with chest pain or have a history of strokes and other cardiology concerns are usually sent to larger area hospitals. Not only does this extend the time it takes to get proper diagnosis or treatment, but it increases the cost to the patient exponentially.
This means small town hospitals and doctors offices are providing better services at lower cost than specialty centers. Fewer ambulance rides or Life-Flight trips means less expense is incurred, which actually equates to smaller care centers being able to make more money for their local urgent care center. It also means radiology technicians are able to tele-work, sometimes from home, allowing for a more flexible lifestyle.
Most services charge the hospitals or doctors offices on a per-image basis rather than charging by the day. This brings the cost of such a specialist from $1,000.00 per day to as little as $10.00 per image. Patients should be aware of this, and be watchful of what their radiology bills are coming to in order to avoid being overcharged for services that are not costing the medical facility near what they might try to bill you for.
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You can get a summary of the things to consider before picking a provider of teleradiology services at http://www.spot-on-radiologist.com/services right now.