A very good friend and colleague asked me today if I knew a place that a relative of his could obtain an ultrasound test for possible gallbladder dysfunction. This relative had no insurance and was looking for an affordable facility/radiologist. They had called their local hospital in an Oklahoma City suburb. The price: $875. This, however, did not include the radiologist’s fee.
I gave him a phone number. Who did I recommend? Why, a greedy doctor-owned facility, not three blocks from the $875 hospital. Their price? Ready? $187.50. Including the radiologist’s fee.
Opinions are opinions. Facts are facts. The above is only one illustration of the fact that physicians are generally not the problem with the high price of health care.
G. Keith Smith, M.D.
