Compare Our Fees to Other Rhode Island CT, MRI and X-ray Services

Does it seem you have no choice in where you go and what you pay for a radiology procedure? You actually do.

Although they may not say so, some physicians in health care systems or hospital groups are contracted with hospitals. That means they’re obligated to direct you to the hospital for imaging, even though it costs dramatically more than at an outpatient facility.

Steering patients exclusively to one provider is not allowed, but it’s a gray area that is generally overlooked. Every city wants to keep their hospital solvent and imaging services are a lucrative income stream for them.

Of course, you and your insurance rates bear the weight of these higher costs. You have the right to select a high-quality, affordable facility for your imaging services. See the price differences below.

Bringing down healthcare costs

In September 2017, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) in New York became the first insurance company to require members to bypass hospitals and get MRIs and CT scans at less costly free-standing imagining centers.

For the nine states now affected, radiology services at hospitals will only be approved if a review deems them medically necessary.

The new policy has not yet been rolled out in Rhode Island and Massachusetts but Toll Gate doctors expect it soon. For now, BCBS will only suggest that you go to a lower-cost outpatient facility instead of a hospital. We’ll keep you posted.

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