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flstf · 02-21-2005, 11:10 PM

I think one of the biggest problems is the way our system is set up. There seems to be little or no market pressure on the fees that doctors and dentists, etc charge.

I recently was told by my dentist (new because I just moved) that I may need a root canal and he gave me the name of a gum specialist to evaluate the situation because it is out of his field. The gum specialist agreed that I should get the root canal and he gave me the name of a guy that specializes in those.

So now I have two dentists who have taken x-rays and evaluated me and now I have to go to a third one to do the work. At each step of the way I tried to determine what the costs would be with no luck so far. Each guy has to take his own x-rays (they do not share) and neither could give me any idea what the costs would be ahead of time.

So now I am calling root canal specialists and trying to determine prices to no avail. Each one says that I will have to make an appointment and have x-rays taken again (and be charged of course) before they can ball park the price between $600 and $2000. I am out about $375 already (I did get a cleaning from the first guy's office).

The medical/dental associations will not help in making a cost based choice because they don't advertise prices. So how is one to make a pricing decision? I have asked family and friends and not one has chosen a doctor or dentist based on price. Of course they are covered by insurance and I am not (only $10,000 deductible catastrophic).

Until we consumers start making price based decisions on these guys there is no pressure for them to give quality service at a good price. I understand that some insurance companies have guidlines they have to follow and they may make up the difference by charging uncovered people more. None of the ones I have talked to so far will admit this though. When you call the various offices you only get to talk to the receptionist most times.

This is all just for a damn tooth, can you imagine the difficulty in trying to price something serious like a broken leg? I wonder what criteria these guys use to set their prices anyway? Is it any wonder that costs are rising 10% to 15% more than inflation each year, why should they lower costs?

02-21-2005, 11:10 PM	#20 (permalink)
flstf Easy Rider Location: Moscow on the Ohio	I think one of the biggest problems is the way our system is set up. There seems to be little or no market pressure on the fees that doctors and dentists, etc charge. I recently was told by my dentist (new because I just moved) that I may need a root canal and he gave me the name of a gum specialist to evaluate the situation because it is out of his field. The gum specialist agreed that I should get the root canal and he gave me the name of a guy that specializes in those. So now I have two dentists who have taken x-rays and evaluated me and now I have to go to a third one to do the work. At each step of the way I tried to determine what the costs would be with no luck so far. Each guy has to take his own x-rays (they do not share) and neither could give me any idea what the costs would be ahead of time. So now I am calling root canal specialists and trying to determine prices to no avail. Each one says that I will have to make an appointment and have x-rays taken again (and be charged of course) before they can ball park the price between $600 and $2000. I am out about $375 already (I did get a cleaning from the first guy's office). The medical/dental associations will not help in making a cost based choice because they don't advertise prices. So how is one to make a pricing decision? I have asked family and friends and not one has chosen a doctor or dentist based on price. Of course they are covered by insurance and I am not (only $10,000 deductible catastrophic). Until we consumers start making price based decisions on these guys there is no pressure for them to give quality service at a good price. I understand that some insurance companies have guidlines they have to follow and they may make up the difference by charging uncovered people more. None of the ones I have talked to so far will admit this though. When you call the various offices you only get to talk to the receptionist most times. This is all just for a damn tooth, can you imagine the difficulty in trying to price something serious like a broken leg? I wonder what criteria these guys use to set their prices anyway? Is it any wonder that costs are rising 10% to 15% more than inflation each year, why should they lower costs?