Affordable Healthcare: Link to Lower Your Lab Costs

The CNNHealth article, "Doctors Slash Patients' Lab Test Costs" describes a program that allows consumers to greatly reduce their out-of-pocket costs for lab tests by ordering and paying for them online at www.prepaidlab.com. The website allows you to select, schedule and pay for the tests online. A search of facilities using my zipcode revealed five locations nearby where I could schedule the tests at a fraction of the cost I'd be paying otherwise.

Don't have a credit card or access to the internet? Tests can be ordered on your behalf and prepaid through your physician's office...also a good idea if you are not certain about which tests to order.   

The prepaid online approach makes perfect sense as an efficient means of lowering costs. It reduces missed appointments and billing overhead. It reduces the waiting time that patients and medical staff encounter in walk-in clinics where the flow of patients is not regulated through scheduled appointments. Labs benefit from the accessibility - having more business makes it possible for them to be more cost-effective in running tests and offer lower prices for their services.

Note: I'm in no way affiliated with Prepaidlab.com. The cost of quality healthcare has been a major concern for me and most of the people around me. I'm an entrepreneur whose work falls outside the corporate insurance security blanket I once took for granted. As such, I applaud the work of those finding better ways to deliver the services we need. It is my pleasure to share the ideas central to our well-being and the services I intend to use. Happy and healthy holidays everyone!