Patient refuses to pay for pricey CT scan he expected insurance to cover

Jimmie Taggart went to North Mississippi Medical Center in West Point, Mississippi, complaining about severe back pain. When his doctor recommended an abdominal CT scan to confirm he had kidney stones, however, he wouldn’t agree to the procedure. He was afraid of how much it would cost.

Finally, after the hospital confirmed his insurance would cover the CT scan, Taggart agreed. And then he received a bill for more than $4,000 in the mail, according to reporting from the Clarion Ledger.

Taggart was charged $3,878.25 for the CT scan. His insurance paid $1,292.75. At a nearby outpatient imaging center, that same CT scan would cost hundreds of dollars, not thousands.

Taggart is now refusing to pay for the service. North Mississippi Medical Center did not answer the Clarion Ledger’s requests for an interview about this story.

To read the full story, click the link below.

Michael Walter
Michael Walter, Managing Editor

Michael has more than 18 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.

Around the web

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.

The all-in-one Omni Legend PET/CT scanner is now being manufactured in a new production facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin.