At Orthopaedic Specialists of Central Arizona, it is our goal to provide the best, highest quality orthopaedic care for our patients.

In the modern healthcare era, the healthcare consumer (you as the patient!) is being asked to shoulder more and more of the cost of the care provided.  The cost discrepancies between medical care can be enormous.  The cost of a straight-forward knee MRI, for example, can vary between $600 and $3000, depending to the imaging center or hospital where it is performed

When it comes to the cost of an orthopaedic surgical procedure, again the costs can vary dramatically.  Many orthopaedic surgeries can safely and effectively be performed at an ambulatory surgical center (ASC) such as Prescott Outpatient Surgical Center (http://www.posc-az.com/)  .   The cost of an out-patient arthroscopic shoulder surgery, for example, to repair a torn rotator cuff may cost $15,000 when performed at a hospital, but cost only $3000 when performed at a facility like POSC.

For more information, you can read the following article from Modern HealthCare:

Hospital outpatient prices sharply higher than docs', study finds

We recognize that many patients care high deductible insurance plans ($1000 to $12,500).  The higher deductible your plan has the more you will pay for expensive care, such as MRI scans or surgery.  It makes sense, therefore, to be an educated healthcare consumer.  We encourage our patients to ask questions and educate themselves about the cost of their care.  We feel that we can offer or make recommendations for care that will still meet the highest standards we expect- working with you in this regard.

There are many internet resources you can use to educate yourself.  Google "educated healthcare consumer" for example.  Here are a few helpful resources to begin with:

• The IHCC
• Healthcare-Insurance-Education

"Don't Buy That Health Insurance:  Become an Educated Health Care Consumer: The Educated Health Insurance Consumer's Guide to Reducing Health Care Costs", Author K.R. Woodfield