In Dallas, a patient can pay up to 23 times more than necessary for a lipid panel, according to a recent study by Castlight Health, a leading provider of enterprise healthcare cloud software.
Examining the cost of common outpatient services in different cities, the Castlight study illuminates the wide range of primary care costs across the United States.
Something as simple as a preventative primary care visit can be extraordinarily expensive even within an insurance-approved network.
According to Castlight Health, the top 15 cities with the most expensive primary care visits based on the average price per visit are as follows:
1. San Francisco - $251
2. Sacramento, Calif. - $219
3. Portland, Ore. - $216
4. Minneapolis - $209
5. Charlotte, N.C. - $199
6. Boston - $193
7. Seattle - $189
8. Chicago - $165
9. Atlanta - $147
10. San Diego - $145
11. Dallas - $141
12. Washington, D.C. - $141
13. St. Louis - $140
14. Detroit - $139
15. Pittsburgh - $139
The average was calculated by Castlight using a series of data including medical claims data, publicly available data, provider information and actual provider rate sheets that list the negotiated price between a provider and an insurer.
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