Approx. cost for Biopsy

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wolf2 - 23 Oct 2005 07:22 GMT

I'm a Canadian and plan to go to North Dakota for a Urologist to do a
ultrasound and a biopsy on the prostate.
I just need the findings, treatment will be done back home. Someone
suggested about $ 2500 US , does this sound in the range ? Thanks ( the
waiting period at home is 2 months, ridiculous )

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Gordon Burditt - 23 Oct 2005 18:30 GMT

>I'm a Canadian and plan to go to North Dakota for a Urologist to do a
>ultrasound and a biopsy on the prostate.
>I just need the findings, treatment will be done back home. Someone
>suggested about $ 2500 US , does this sound in the range ? Thanks ( the
>waiting period at home is 2 months, ridiculous )

There are prices, and then there are prices. I had something similar
to what you describe. As is common with medicine in the USA, the
price depends on your insurance coverage ('billed' vs. 'covered'
below), and I don't have to pay the difference between them. I
guess 'billed' is what the poor people with no insurance pay, if
ANYONE actually pays that.

My GP thought my prostate was hard and had a lump, and after the
initial office visit where the Uro concurred, he wanted the needle
biopsy. It appears I don't have a problem. PSA 0.8, 14 months
later, still 0.8, and normal results from the biopsy. The followup
visit mostly consisted of giving me the results, checking my urine
again, and making sure I didn't have lasting effects from the biopsy
(infection, blood in urine, pain, etc.). I did have a little bit
of blood in my urine for a couple of days. There wasn't much pain,
only briefly during the surgery, and even then not much.

Billed Covered My Pmt
Initial office visit 140.00 122.54 15.00
Surgery 955.00 540.31 43.50
Pathology lab work 320.00 124.10 0.00
Followup office visit 86.00 53.41 15.00
______________________________________________________________________
Total (US $) 1501.00 840.36 73.50

Gordon L. Burditt

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NickySantoro - 23 Oct 2005 18:41 GMT

Had a 12 core ultrasound guided biopsy in July. Northern New Jersey.
Doctor $450
Hospital $705
Pathologist $390
That is what they billed to my insurance and what I assume would be
billed to a self-pay patient. The actual negotiated payment made by my
insurer, Oxford Health Plans, would be considerably less in each case.
I can't get those figures from the website, just the figures noted.

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Derek F - 24 Oct 2005 11:17 GMT

> I'm a Canadian and plan to go to North Dakota for a Urologist to do a
> ultrasound and a biopsy on the prostate.
> I just need the findings, treatment will be done back home. Someone
> suggested about $ 2500 US , does this sound in the range ? Thanks ( the
> waiting period at home is 2 months, ridiculous )

You have not told us your symptoms, your PSA level or your local doctors
opinion. My doctor did PSA tests ten years ago after I went to him with
prostate problems, he then sent me for a biopsy. Over the years I had two
more negative biopsies as my PSA went up. Why the rush? In the world of the
prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
Derek.

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NickySantoro - 24 Oct 2005 15:01 GMT

>> I'm a Canadian and plan to go to North Dakota for a Urologist to do a
>> ultrasound and a biopsy on the prostate.
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
>Derek.

I found this interesting....

http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2005/09/53a.html and

http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2005/09/53si.html

My two biopsies were also negative. Maybe some of these unnecessary
biopsies can be avoided in the future.

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Ken Knecht - 24 Oct 2005 18:45 GMT

>>> I'm a Canadian and plan to go to North Dakota for a Urologist to do
>>> a ultrasound and a biopsy on the prostate.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> My two biopsies were also negative. Maybe some of these unnecessary
> biopsies can be avoided in the future.

As were both of mine. As to cost, IIRC they were about $600 - $800 each,
several years ago. Or maybe that was the Medicare suppliment share, but
it think it was the total cost. I quit getting PSAs; they just worry me
and I find biopsies quite painful. I read more and more that PSAs are not
very good indicators anyhow.

Ken

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wolf2 - 25 Oct 2005 06:13 GMT

Thanks Derek and perhaps additional info would help.

18 months ago my psa was recorded at .01, repeat .01.
Oct 14/05 psa was 7.9. Enlarged prostate for 4 years.

I'm 71 years of age with a St Jude mechanical heart valve, say infection and
it will settle on the valve. Then I have
a major big time problem.

The reading of .01 at the age 69 is really suspicious .This may well have
been a bad test. This would fit a much younger man or someone who had
surgery. My GP has no comment.

My GP does not feel the prostate is infected. A comment from another MD and
my readings say the only real way of knowing is by a biopsy. Correct?

That's the reason for the hurry.....Postatitis , infection!! and to get on
medication without delay if the prostate shows infection.

trust this helps, further comments would be welcomed.
Thanks

>> I'm a Canadian and plan to go to North Dakota for a Urologist to do a
>> ultrasound and a biopsy on the prostate.
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
> Derek.

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NickySantoro - 25 Oct 2005 14:07 GMT

>Thanks Derek and perhaps additional info would help.
>
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
>> prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
>> Derek.

I'm not sure if a biopsy will report infection or not. The pathologist
is looking primarily for cancer or a pre-cancerous condition called
high grade PIN (prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia). Your uro could
best answer that question.
Was anything suspicious felt during the DRE?
The MD who said that the biopsy is the only way to determine if cancer
is present is correct. My uro wanted two biopsies, six months apart.
That .01 PSA sounds wrong. The 6.9 might also be wrong. Sometimes the
uro will put a patient on a course of Cipro to knock out an infection
if he believes that may have bumped the PSA, then retest afterwards.
FWIW
YMMV

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wolf2 - 25 Oct 2005 16:33 GMT

thanks Nicky.. The DRE confirmed the enlarged prostate, but was smooth, no
other comment by the GP.
I'm on coumadin, blood thinners for the valve and will check with my Cardo
if an adjustment for the Bio.is required. He's out of town till next week.
Considering all factors and comments I'm planning to make the trip south
for the biopsy and the ultrasound. The cost is really not a factor and the 2
months is just to long to see a Uro. Thanks again.

>>Thanks Derek and perhaps additional info would help.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 47 lines]
> FWIW
> YMMV

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Derek F - 25 Oct 2005 18:11 GMT

Sorry to hear of your heart problem and the problem with infections. Beware
of the biopsy, the only time I had a prostate infection was after my second
and third biopsies. I was on antibiotics for six weeks after the third
biopsy. If you have a prostate infection you would have other symptoms apart
from the elevated PSA. Did your doctor give an opinion of the size of your
prostate? The general rule is the larger the prostate the higher the PSA.
Derek.

> Thanks Derek and perhaps additional info would help.
>
[quoted text clipped - 31 lines]
>> prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
>> Derek.

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wolf2 - 25 Oct 2005 19:03 GMT

Thanks Derek.... gea I've been very good over the summer.. other then my
blood pressure was up again and my Cardo increased medication. It is still
high but did come done to around 145/87.
I have times of feeling "slimy", but temperature normal.

The GP comment " your prostate is still enlarged but is nice and
smooth....:" no mention of size.

My Cardo is back in the office next week, who I owe my life to and I'll see
what he feels is the best course to follow.
He may well instruct the GP to start with medication and do another PSA in
2 weeks or what ever.
Someone suggested seeing another GP. In Canada that's not all that easy, but
that's a whole subject of it's own.
I'm still pondering the trip to the US , the cost is not really the factor
now.

> Sorry to hear of your heart problem and the problem with infections.
> Beware of the biopsy, the only time I had a prostate infection was after
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
>>> prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
>>> Derek.

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Derek F - 25 Oct 2005 22:26 GMT

If you lived here in the UK you would not think that two months was long to
wait for a biopsy:-) The timings when fist seeing my GP about my prostate
in November 1994 was, PSA test the following month, visit to urologist in
March '95, Biopsy in June '95 and scheduled for a TURP in January 1996.I
turned the TURP down to wait for something better and eventually had a PVP
in July of this year.
On any morning my BP will be around 170/80 (better than the 210/110 it was
six years ago) but normally it comes down during the course of the day to
more reasonable levels.
Derek.

> Thanks Derek.... gea I've been very good over the summer.. other then my
> blood pressure was up again and my Cardo increased medication. It is still
[quoted text clipped - 61 lines]
>>>> prostate even aggressive cancers grow very slowy.
>>>> Derek.

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Jan - 29 Oct 2005 02:46 GMT

Derek,
Most current statistics show that 80% of biopsies are negative. In the
urology journal recently
was published that elevated PSA indicates that there is enlargment of
prostate and not necessary PC.
Another publication and research on PUBmed stated that needle biopsies
increase spreading cancer by 50%

since you are canadian concider going to Toronto and they have

first HIFU (high intensity focused ultrasound machine) that does
Ultrasound Ablation.

Since you have 2 months to wait you could read some books about prostate.
One that comes to my ming is Henefert MD "Surving Prostate Cancer without
surgery"
he has web site with good links.

Do some reading before you blow $2500.

Jan

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