We shop around for furniture. We shop around when buying a new car. Yet so few of us shop around for medical treatment. Medical treatment can be an important expense with lots of factors to consider. Obviously if it’s an emergency, you might not have the time to start comparing local clinics. However, when it comes to planned procedures, there can be lots of benefits to looking beyond our local hospital. Here are several reasons to shop around for medical treatment.
Cheaper treatment
Not everyone has medical insurance. This can make it harder to pay for expensive treatment. Not all clinics charge the same rates for the same procedure – certain clinics may charge more due to location, resources and staff experience. For those on a budget, shopping around might allow you to find an affordable treatment plan suited to you. It can also be worth shopping around for medication – many generic brands can be just as effective as big brands, but much cheaper.
Shorter queues
If your local clinic has long waiting lists for patients, shopping around might allow you to jump the queue and get treatment sooner. This could be beneficial for serious illnesses that you feel require urgent care. Queues can depend on many factors such as location and quality of care.
Greater treatment options
Shopping around might also allow you to explore different treatment options. This could include naturopathic medical professionals such as this doctor, who may be able to offer a non-invasive alternative to surgery. Similarly, there may be veteran physicians out there more willing to risk pioneering treatment than your local doctor.
Better quality of care
Shopping around for treatment might also allow you to explore a greater quality of care. There are some hospitals out there such as this clinic that offer the 5 star luxury of a hotel. Such service is likely to be more expensive, but might be worth shelling out for if you find regular hospitals too uncomfortable. Shopping around might also allow you to read reviews and get the idea of a clinic’s reputation. Knowing that your treatment is more likely to be successful and that staff are more likely to be hospitable might sway some patients that have had a bad experience with regular hospitals.
A chance to travel and get treated
What if you could combine treatment with the chance to travel? Known as ‘medical tourism’ – more and more patients are travelling the world to get treatment with the added bonus of being able to explore a new country. It could be a chance to recover in the sun, or perhaps a chance to eat exotic foods. You don’t have to travel abroad to be a medical tourist – it could be a case of exploring another state. Either way, it’s another incentive to shop around rather than settling for your local hospital.
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