Common Medical Procedure Costs Vary in PA

The cost of colonoscopies, MRIs, CT scans and mammograms can shift a lot from place to place, even as close as Allegheny and Washington counties.

It can cost up to $2,570 more to get a CT scan done at an Allegheny County hospital than one in neighboring Washington County. That's according to data from New Choice Health, a private company that encourages people to become smarter healthcare consumers. Though the average costs are about $100 apart in the two counties, the range of prices varies between $1,370 and $3,940 in Allegheny County, while the cost ranges from $1,370 and $1,900 in Washington County. Prices vary for other common procedures as well. It can cost $510 less, on average, to get a colonoscopy done in Allegheny County rather than in Washington County. And when compared to prices for procedures across Pennsylvania, the average cost of a mammogram, CT scan or MRI in …

• Photos (1)

Women's Health Rx

Colorectal Cancer Screening Can Save Your Life

No ifs, ands or buts about it—routine screening for colorectal cancer saves lives.

By Dr. Philip M. Joson, Southwest Gastroenterology Associates No ifs, ands or buts about it–routine screening for colorectal cancer saves lives. Just recently, the results of a national study that followed more than 2,600 patients for as long as 23 years added the latest and clearest evidence. As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, the death rate from colorectal cancer was cut by more than half among those who underwent screening and had precancerous growths, called polyps, removed. This is great news, considering that colorectal cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for both women and men. The best approach is to prevent it–or at least catch it early, when…

• Photos (1)