Quit Wasting My Healthcare

How to Talk to Your Doctor about Cost–Tests & Procedures

People often ask me, “How do I bring up cost with my doctor? I want the best for my health and the doctor just seems so busy. I don’t want to bother him.”

Here is what I tell people to say to their doctor:

“This test could end up costing me hundreds of dollars. I’d like to check with my patient advocate first to compare some prices in the area. Can this test wait a day or two?”

Let’s run through these three sentences one-by-one:

1. “This test could end up costing me hundreds of dollars.” The doctor has no idea what the test will cost you. The doctor has no idea what the terms of your insurance are, what your deductible is, what your coinsurance is and what your out-of-pocket maximum is. All of her patients have different insurance policies, so it is impossible for her to keep track. Your doctor does not want to bankrupt you, but you have to point this out to her.

2. “I’d like to check with my patient advocate first to compare some prices in the area.” The doctor has no idea what a patient advocate is or that the prices for the test vary by thousands of dollars. But, now is not the time to get into that. The doctor is busy and will likely not ask you about these two things. If he does ask, say “My patient advocate is my assistant for healthcare issues outside of the doctor’s office.”

3. “Can this test wait a day or two?” Most medical situations are not an emergency, but some are. The doctor may think that your situation cannot wait and you need to clarify with him that using your health advocate may take a day. If you have a swollen right calf, the doctor will want an ultrasound that day to see if you have a blood clot in your leg–this test cannot wait. If you have been having shoulder pain for 6 months, the doctor may want an MRI–this test can wait a day or two (it may take a week to schedule it anyway). The decision on the timing of the test needs to be made with your physician.

Your patient advocate will then work with your doctor’s office to make sure he is ok with where you are having your test or procedure done and you will not slow down the visit by more than 5 seconds.

Talk with your doctor about cost, then work with your patient advocate and you can avoid wasting $2,000 on an overpriced MRI.

It beats the alternative, which is frustration with the “system” and anger at your doctor or insurance company when you recieve your EOB and find out you owe a lot more than you thought.