Does it cost a lot to do an x-ray in a private facility? How can you request a diagnostic test even without the classic “red prescription” of the family doctor.
The global Covid pandemic has literally engulfed the entire National Health Service, and even when the emergency is over it is very difficult to book a diagnostic exam in an appropriate time. Already the critical issues were not lacking, from North to South, and today those who want to do even a simple X-ray are forced to contact the private sector. But what are the costs involved? Is there really so much difference between a paid visit with a ticket and a full price one? And above all, are the waiting times shorter?
Radiography: essential but too expensive exam?
Deciding to make an appointment with a specialist for an x-ray is certainly not something you do without first consulting your family doctor. This type of analysis is prescribed for multiple reasons, and serves to clarify situations where external symptoms leave some doubt about what to do. Better to be sure and see thoroughly what is the ailment that has affected the lungs, or a limb, or even mouth and teeth.
Public health management policies, however, in recent years, due to disorganization and lack of modern instrumentation, have spilled over into the final costs, so much so that very often radiography is considered as “superfluous” and too expensive, effectively preventing investigate the patient’s state of health.
The situation in the Covid era
With the advent of Covid, the whole process has lost its functionality, forcing many users to turn to the private sector. Here is what ISTAT says in its annual report in pills of 2021:
“In 2020, outpatient and specialist services provided decreased by 20.3% compared to the previous year. This is a much larger drop than that already observed in 2019, when the decrease was 1%. Along the peninsula, the decrease in outpatient services was particularly strong in Basilicata (-50%) and in the autonomous province of Bolzano (-42%). Declines in the order of 30% were recorded in Valle d’Aosta, Calabria, Sardinia and Liguria. On the contrary, the decline was lower than the national average, and between 11 and 15%, in Campania, Sicily and Tuscany “and again” The non-postponable services provided (CT, magnetic resonance imaging, biopsies, dialysis and radiotherapy ) totaled around 2 million fewer, with a 7% decrease. The reduction affected all divisions but was greater in the North, where it reached 9.4%, and more contained in the Center and the South (in both cases 4.9%). “
How much will these 2 million citizens have spent to take the necessary exams? Perhaps much less than expected.
How much does it cost to do an x-ray with the National Health Ticket
The cost of an X-ray examination can vary both from Region to Region and according to the income bracket, and of course also the type of examination itself. A classic chest x-ray, for example, is around € 26 for the lower income brackets and can reach a maximum of € 60, which in some situations, however, can even exceed € 66; this is due to imbalances and free decisions made by Governors regarding base quotas, super tickets and exemptions. Tuscany, for example, is one of the most expensive regions due to a “digitalization ticket” which sometimes raises costs up to 40 € more, costs that are added to the national ticket. The cheapest provinces are Trento and Bolzano, followed by the Veneto, Valle d’Aosta and Liguria regions; Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Marche and Tuscany are among the most expensive, in addition to Lombardy, Molise and Piedmont. The remaining regions have prices in the national average and do not show peaks or imbalances.
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How much does it cost to do an x-ray privately
To date, many platforms are available online that allow you to choose, compare prices, book and pay for diagnostic tests very quickly. Doing a generic search, it appears that booking a simple wrist x-ray at a private facility, for example, costs between € 25 and € 75; the averages are around € 60-70 also for various types of x-rays, unless they are more complex exams. There are also figures around € 150 but with a little patience and taking advantage of the speed of search engines you always have some alternatives.
Making a direct comparison between a service from the NHS and a private one, it emerges that the price differences are only around a few tens of Euros. Only rarely do we find ourselves faced with a “bloodletting”. Then think of the half day of work lost in the event of a public CUP being used. The hours earned by being able to take advantage of a more efficient organization largely compensate for the gap between an examination done in the public and one carried out in structures managed by freelancers.
However, the difference is evident not only in the final price of the service, but in the speed of delivery of the service, unattainable by the National Health Service. In any affiliated or private center, with a phone call to which an operator answers in a few minutes, you can get an appointment within 2-3 days. The results are available in both print and digital format within one week maximum. In this case, the satisfaction of having been able to access a service in “human” times is priceless.