CT scans are noninvasive diagnostic tests that provide detailed images. The cost varies depending on usage, including professional and technical fees, equipment costs, and materials used. Supply and demand, profit margins, and the type of scan also affect the price. The increase in demand for CT scans has driven up costs globally.
Computed tomography, or CT, is a noninvasive diagnostic test that provides the doctor with a detailed picture. This imaging technology has several uses, including simple screening, diagnostic services, and surgical support. The cost of the CT scan varies depending on usage. Many other factors influence the cost of a CT scan, such as personnel costs, equipment investment and maintenance, and materials used. Generally, fees fall into one of two categories: professional and technical.
Professional costs are expenses incurred by the doctor, radiologist and other professionals. When determining professional rates, health care providers take into account financial setbacks, such as employee benefits and other work costs. In most cases, radiologists read CT scans and then forward the results to the doctor. All expenses incurred in this process contribute to the cost of the professional CT scan.
The technical cost of the CT scan varies, but essentially covers the cost of the equipment, facility overhead, and other non-professional expenses. CT scanning equipment is expensive to buy and expensive to maintain. Healthcare providers pass this cost onto the consumer just like other types of businesses allocate equipment costs and pass the expense onto the customer.
As with other professions, supply and demand determine prices. This hidden cost may vary depending on other factors, but ultimately, in areas where more than one facility has CT scanning equipment, the price may be lower. Another hidden cost is the health care provider’s profit margin. The amount a facility raises its price generally depends on that company’s profit goal.
The cost of the mark-up usually varies from region to region. For example, in the United States, a scan in Chicago, Illinois can cost about the same type of scan in Portland, Oregon. Typically, the same scan costs different rates at different facilities within the same city. Sometimes this variation is due to the fact that hospitals tend to charge less than smaller facilities. Typically, a hospital has more staff and more specialized equipment than smaller clinics, which adds to the overhead costs of the smaller facility.
The type of CT scan the patient has affects the cost of the CT scan. For example, the price of a brain scan will be different from the price of an abdominal scan. If a contrast dye is used, the price increases with the cost of the materials plus the expense of having a technician administer the dye. A screening scan is easier than a diagnostic scan; therefore, the price of the diagnostic scan and the salary of the radiologist add to the price.
Globally, another factor driving up the cost of CT scans is the fact that physicians ordered about twice as many CT scans in 2010 as they did in the late 1990s. Over the past decade, the increase in the number of scans has followed the economic laws of supply and demand. When demand increases and supply stays the same or barely increases, the price usually increases.
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