Hospital-based colonoscopy facility fees are more than 50% higher than the same service in a physician's office, according to a research letter published in JAMA Network Open in 2023.
Here are five additional stats on colonoscopy costs, drawn from that study and others:
1. After adjusting for insurer, negotiated rates and county-fixed effects, hospitals' facility fees for colonoscopies were found to be 54%, 56% and 61% higher for colonoscopies, colonoscopies with a biopsy, and colonoscopies with the removal of polyps, respectively.
2. As of May 2023, hospitals charged average facility fees of $1,530 for a colonoscopy, $1,760 for a colonoscopy with a biopsy, and $1,761 for a colonoscopy with polyp removal. At an ASC, those procedures cost $989, $1,034 and $1,030, respectively.
3. The average cost of a colonoscopy at a hospital outpatient department is $1,608, compared to $1,136 at an ASC, according to data from insurance company Sidecar Health's cost calculator. For a colonoscopy with the removal of polyps, ASCs charge $1,346, compared to $1,967 at an HOPD.
4.Between 2017 and 2022, the cost of a diagnostic colonoscopy at ASCs increased by 10%, compared to 17% at HOPDs, according to an analysis by Blue Health Intelligence, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association's data analytics company.
5. Colonoscopy screenings cost 32% more in HOPDs than at ASCs and are twice as expensive when performed in a physician's office. Diagnostic colonoscopies cost 58% more in an HOPD than in an ASC.