{"id":76,"date":"2014-06-13T09:41:00","date_gmt":"2014-06-13T09:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rebeccafrech\/2014\/06\/you-should-definitely-be-shopping-around.html"},"modified":"2014-08-22T16:02:29","modified_gmt":"2014-08-22T21:02:29","slug":"you-should-definitely-be-shopping-around","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rebeccafrech\/2014\/06\/you-should-definitely-be-shopping-around.html","title":{"rendered":"You Should Definitely Be Shopping Around"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

LI don\u2019t know why it doesn\u2019t occur to me to think about shopping around for the best price on medical procedures. I think perhaps it\u2019s because I have a hard time thinking of it as a product, and therefore something for which bargains exist\u2026.and that I should be looking for them.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
I learned my lesson this week.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Last weekend, Children\u2019s Hospital Dallas set us up for an MRI (lumbar and thoracic, w\/wo contrast for the medical wonks) as an outpatient at their sister hospital in Plano, TX for Wednesday.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
On Tuesday, I received a phone call from the billing department at Children\u2019s in Plano letting me know that our obligation for this procedure was $1,216.47, and did I want to pay it today or tomorrow as payment is expected at time of service. I just started laughing, because what family with a chronically ill child has an extra $1,200 just sitting around? After a short conversation and some negotiation, the hospital agreed to take $50 on the day of service and make payment arrangements before we began the procedure.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
It didn\u2019t take long after that phone call for wheels to start turning in my head \u2013 I know a guy who works at an imaging center. We work out together several times a week, and while I tend to think of him in terms of the gym, he\u2019s also a medical professional.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I shot off a text message to him. \u201cDo you do closed MRI\u2019s at your office? For kids?\u201d Almost immediately, I got a reply that they did. I followed up with a picture of the doctor\u2019s orders, and he answered again that that was something he could do. He could work her in on Thursday morning, if I wanted.\u00a0Then came the dreaded \u201cWhat will it run me?\u201d I sent a copy of our insurance card and waited. After five minutes, he called me.\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry, Rebecca, but it\u2019s kinda pricy.\u201d I sighed and waited for the bad news. \u201cI can\u2019t give discounts to friends, unfortunately, and it\u2019s going to run you $238.43.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Yippppeeeeeee!!!!!<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
$1,000! I had saved our family $1,000 with just a few text messages and a phone conversation, and that was the regular price!<\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Never forget that medical care is something they\u2019re selling, and if the price seems crazy high you should be calling the competition. I\u2019ll never sacrifice on care, but I\u2019m officially done with spending money when I don\u2019t have to.<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

LI don\u2019t know why it doesn\u2019t occur to me to think about shopping around for the best price on medical procedures. I think perhaps it\u2019s because I have a hard time thinking of it as a product, and therefore something for which bargains exist\u2026.and that I should be looking for them. I learned my lesson […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1979,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nYou Should Definitely Be Shopping Around<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"LI don't know why it doesn't occur to me to think about shopping around for the best price on medical procedures. 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