Healthcare Spending on the Rise, Here’s How to Save Money

Medical bills were the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in 2013, according to a study in Nerdwallet. This affects more people than credit card debt, unpaid mortgages or poor spending habits. In fact, in 2013, 1.7 million Americans were affected by bankruptcy filing due to the inability to pay their medical bills.

But the issue doesn’t stop there. 56 million Americans reported struggling to pay their healthcare bills in 2013. It doesn’t just affect the uninsured – 10 million adults who have year-round health insurance coverage still accumulated medical bills that they couldn’t pay. So how did this happen? When did trying to stay healthy become so expensive?

Healthcare spending is increasingly on the rise. In 2014, national healthcare expenditure increased to $3 trillion in 2014. As healthcare costs continue to skyrocket, it can be challenging for patients to find affordable, high quality medical care. At First Coast Cardiovascular Institute, we are committed to treating patients at lower out-of-pocket costs with no compromise on quality.

We believe healthcare providers are responsible for bringing high-quality care to patients at an affordable cost. Our President, Dr. Khatib, emphasizes that “High quality care doesn’t always have to equal high cost. The entire FCCI staff is aligned on one goal – making sure our patients are served in a knowledgeable, compassionate manner and every little need is met.”

Outpatient Services at Half the Cost
We can perform countless tests and procedures in an outpatient setting, instead of a hospital setting, for a fraction of the cost. In 2007, FCCI was the first to open an outpatient Catheterization Lab in Jacksonville, FL. The medical staff has since performed over 10,000 outpatient cardiovascular diagnostic and stent procedures in the facility. Performing these procedures in a comfortable, convenient environment as outpatient services means that patients don’t need to spend a night in the hospital, reducing their bill to a fraction of the traditional cost.

Choosing to Remain Independent of Large Hospital Networks

We choose to remain independent of large hospital networks to keep out-of-pocket costs low for patients. We still provide coverage to every patient at most hospitals in Northeast Florida, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so our patients never go a minute without quality care.

Quality Over Cost
Dr. Yazan Khatib, FCCI’s president, was one of the first three physicians in the U.S. to implant drug eluting stents in the lower leg, in place of bare metal stents. These stents are coated in a medicine that prevents scar tissue from growing in the arteries after surgery. Dr. Khatib says the innovative stents were used in 57% of procedures even before the full cost was covered by insurance or Medicare. In each of these cases, FCCI absorbed the additional costs.

One Stop Shop for Most Cardiovascular Services
Cardiovascular advancements have progressed, furthering sub-specialties for physicians to keep pace with medical innovations. FCCI has a range of specialists under one roof, saving patients both the time and money involved in seeking care from multiple providers. We offer board certified services in cardiology, primary care, sleep medicine, pulmonology. & wound care.