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UTI Costs May Be 10 X More at Hospitals

If you ever have a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), you may want to weigh your diagnostic and treatment options first. This is not to say that you should delay treatment for any reason. Still a quick understanding of comparative cost analysis for the primary treatment of a Urinary Tract Infection may save you over $2000.00.

Primary Care Approach

According to Dr. Jesse D. Sammon, D.O., Henry Ford researcher, the average office visit for the diagnosis and treatment of a Urinary Tract Infection is under $200.00.

Emergency Room Approach

Researchers at Henry Ford’s Vattikuti Urology Institute conducted a study to compare costs at emergency room departments to find that Emergency Room costs for Urinary Tract Infection were more than ten times the cost in an outpatient facility.  Additional costs may be attributed to the use of imaging technology at hospitals in the diagnostic process, such as, radiography, ultrasound, CT and MRI Scanning.

Weighing the Choices

The Henry Ford research team complied statistics from the Nationwide Emergency Room Sample to view nearly 11 million records of patients who were seen for a UTI at a Hospital Emergency Room. Nine million (83.3%) were treated at a hospital and were released. When weighing the odds, you may want to consider that your primary care physician or urgent care provider may refer you to a hospital if you need to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.  

Researchers concluded that improved guidelines and greater access to primary care physicians for these patients could result in an annual savings of nearly 2 billion dollars.  Remember that insurance may not cover a substantial amount of the  costs for diagnostic and treatment care. Regardless of cost, it is important to seek out a proper diagnosis and treatment for any kidney health issue.

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It is important to recognize that all information contained on this website cannot be considered to be specific medical diagnosis, medical treatment, or medical advice. As always, you should consult with a physician regarding any medical condition.