An affiliate of Know the Costs® started developing outpatient imaging facilities in the mid-1990s. These sites were multi-modality, i.e. they incorporated a range of equipment and services: MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound, bone density, and used radiologists who also worked for the local hospitals.

Thousands of MDs, including hospital-employed MDs, referred patients to our affiliate’s facilities because they had hospital-equivalent quality but their prices (insurance rates) were a fraction of what the hospitals charged.

Over time, we realized the hospitals were getting substantial price increases from the big insurance carriers because the carriers had to have hospitals in their network. Patients (members) didn’t realize that the hospitals’ insurance rates permitted them to charge 300%+, or even more, for the same exams our sites performed!
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In recent years, higher insurance deductibles have placed a greater financial burden on members. Our response to this trend was “let’s make lemonade”; consequently, we developed proprietary software to reduce costs for members of self-insured companies and municipalities.
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We’ve been doing this for several years now and have thousands of very satisfied members who pay $0 for MRIs, CTs, X-rays, ultrasounds, and PET exams. Their employers are happy that with the analytical insight and ongoing administrative oversight of Know the Costs® they can offer this important new member benefit.