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Best Practices
Try to limit your tests with out-of-network providers.
As general rule, avoid having blood and specimen tests done at the hospital, as they are much more expensive.
Ask the commercial lab for a print out of the results. Make sure to receive the actual X-ray or scan and not just the “report of findings” as they are less valuable.
Some situations, require top dollar spending, such as for pathologists, biopsies or sophisticated sonograms, used to provide accurate diagnostics for cancer . Teaching hospitals are usually more beneficial for these test.
Compare Tests Costs
Tests are usually done at independent centers or at hospitals, although hospitals are usually more expensive. It is always recommended to compare multiple facilities’ prices, so you can find the best price available.
Ask your doctor for the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code of your test. This code is used to describe the medical services provided, and to estimate the cost of a procedure or of a test beforehand.
Call each center to check what would be the the total cost of the test would be (in case you want to go without insurance), or what would your out-of-pocket cost would be (in case insurance coverage will be used for the test).
Call your health insurance company and ask them what the cost of the image center of your choice would be. Check if the test code provided is correct.
It is a good practice to ask for the results once the test is done. Depending on the type of test they might not give them to you but to the doctor who ordered the test.