Are you talking about what the charge is, or what insurance/3rd party pays? Charges are often well above what expected payment is. The largest expense is the “technical” component, with the much smaller fee being the cost for interpretation, or “professional” component.
I basically need to know if it’s more than a flight back to NZ, like $1,600 US maybe?
More than likely, yes.
I would say if you’re paying cash, everything is negotiable. The list price may be $2k, more or less, though the facility may collect significantly less than list and may or may not be willing to provide the service at a discount. You never know til you ask.
My guess is more than $2K by the time you pay for the scan and doctor. Generally folks that are insured get a discount (well, there insurance company does) while folks that don’t have insurance get billed A LOT more. Crazy, huh?
I think you need a doctor’s prescription to get the MRI done (someone can correct me if I’m wrong about this), so assuming that, add the cost of that doctor visit (one or two) to the equation. MRI cost will depend on a couple factors, like part of body and is it w/ or w/o contrast, but est. $1000 to $3000 range. I think it’s not uncommon for there to be an insurance price vs. a private party cash price, so like others have said, call around and ask. Also, be sure to ask the age of the MRI machine and the year of the software. The best one that I know of available is a 3 Tesla, will give the best and clearest picture. I don’t think imaging centers charge differently for the different machines. That said, a good reading of a poor image is better than a poor reading of the best image.
hope I wasn’t unclear - the cash price will be lower than the price the imaging center charges the insurance.
I had an emergency room visit last year. $1400. Didn’t have my insurance card at the time so they sent me a bill with a “self pay” discount of $800, total $600
Submitted my insurance, they charged the full boat which ended up costing me $700 (due to deductible). THAT was an eye opener.
Yes, ask about a self pay discount. She may be able to get an MRI scrip from a clinic situation (not at all sure about that, but it’d be cheaper than a doc)
yup, south bay area
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permit me to ask. . .how do you know you need an MRI? generally should let a physician determine that need, as the purpose is to confirm a diagnosis, (not to diagnose), which you need the doctor for. so, I’d say you ought first to look for a good sports physician (and again here you should be able to find some negotiability on the consult, explaining the situation and offering to pay cash) and my experience is the initial consult would be in the $150-$250 range (full price).
you may not need an mri, ask a dr about a bone scan. they give you a small safe radioactive drink 30 min before an xray and it will show uptake of the chemical in areas of damage to a bone, done alot with stress fracture for running as they don’t show on regular xrays usually.
as a side benifit you may glow in the dark for a week or two 
… how if so how much are we talking approx in the States? …
It looks like the going rate is about $380 to $480 for cash discounts. There are several places that pop up when I googled “cost of mri scan los angeles”. It looks like the insurance rate is about $1700.
What are you getting an MRI of? What made you think she needs an MRI?
Bruised ribs and a contusion of what? From what???
“Bruised ribs” are often cracked or broken ribs and can hurt for 6-8 weeks. I don’t know of any utility to MRI’ing the chest in trauma. Most chest trauma can be handled by plain x-rays or occasionally CT scan.
“A lot of trouble breathing” sounds like she should see another doc - someone should listen to her lungs - examine her ribs again - and maybe get a repeat chest x-ray…depending on her symptoms - maybe a good abdominal exam and imaging??? Depends a lot on the history and exam.
To answer the question you posed: There are many charges for medical tests. For example - there is the standard charge - lets say $2000 (I’m just making up numbers). Now some insurances get discounts - so maybe $1200 for a disounted insurance. Other insurances would get charged the full $2000. If you walk in and get the MRI and are self pay - you’ll likely be billed $2000. If you walk in and say you want to pay cash and can you have a discount - they may agree to $800…so “self-pay” or “cash” can be more or less than what insurance pays…
To get an MRI - you need an order by a doc - so you need to see the doc first (and pay that doc for visit #1). Then you need to get the MRI done and read by a radiologist (you pay that doc too on top of the MRI charge). Then you have to go back to doc #1 who ordered it to get the results (and pay for visit #2 to doc #1).
Dave
here in hawai’i (i just had a patient who wanted to self-pay an mri), there is a 30% discount for cash/credit card up front, instead of insurance, but the mri can run 1500+, and there’s an additional charge for a radiologist to read the mri (not optional). a ct scan may be a cheaper option, but seeing a physician is the best option.
Well am i lucky that i live in the best country in the world
MRI cost nothing, and with full expert interpertation,its all on the state bill.
cost DVD of the MRI 15 euro
It depends on a lot of factors, i.e. which body part, whether contrast is used, number of series done, etc. In general, though, it’s a 4-digit number.
Well am i lucky that i live in the best country in the world…
I am sorry, but I don’t see people lining up to go to Holland to get medical care. So how could it be the best?
The cost of seeing a doctor and the MRI scan should be covered by the insurance of the person that originally opened the car door. There are several good bicycle lawyers in the Los Angeles area, has she made contact with any of them?
…
I am sorry, but I don’t see people lining up to go to Holland to get medical care. So how could it be the best?
simple
we have the best medical care in the world
Well am i lucky that i live in the best country in the world
MRI cost nothing, and with full expert interpertation,its all on the state bill.
cost DVD of the MRI 15 euro
same here in austria. damn, 2000 bucks for an MRI… that is crazy. unbelieveable. you should probably move to cuba
The cost of an MRI can vary significantly, especially in the current economy. Like many service businesses, hospitals and clinics spend money on capital purchases like the MRI machine. Given the economy the usage rates of those machines in some areas are way down as more people are uninsured or try to avoid the co-pay. Like any business they need to keep them generating revenue. Point being, call around, you can find a good price.
Not sure on needing a Dr. script…good question to ask the facility (maybe find a sports medicine type clinic).