Health Affairs: Ultrasound prices vary widely in U.S.

The price of an ultrasound exam for pregnancy can vary widely in the U.S., according to a new study in the May edition of Health Affairs that examined price differences for medical procedures across the country.

An ultrasound exam for pregnancy was one of three medical procedures that researchers used to illustrate the disparity in pricing in different states across the U.S. The other two procedures were knee replacement surgery and cataract removal with lens replacement (Health Affairs, Vol. 35:5, pp. 1-5).

Prices varied as much as threefold when researchers examined a basket of 162 services in 41 states and the District of Columbia. If the national average price is considered to be 1.0, the ratio of prices ranged from a low of 0.79 for the average in Florida to a high of 2.64 in Alaska.

When the researchers examined price variation within states, they found that prices for pregnancy ultrasound exams varied widely. The average price of $522 in Cleveland was almost three times what it was in Canton at $183, even though the two metropolitan areas are only 60 miles apart, the researchers noted. Meanwhile, Virginia continued to demonstrate very low price variation, from a price of $275 in Virginia Beach to $271 in Richmond.

Some of the greatest variations in price by different metropolitan service areas within states are shown in the table below.

The researchers concluded by noting that while some variation in prices could occur due to variables such as wages or rent, other price variables could be occurring due to differences in market dynamics such as a lack of transparency. More research is needed to determine the forces that drive prices, they concluded.