Dr. Wieland suggests calling a doctor's office to see what the charge will be for a procedure. (Photo by WJBC staff)

By Laura Ewan

General Surgeon Dr. John Wieland joined the morning show to talk about shopping around for the best priced medical care.

“We have an increasing number of patients that are calling the office and asking what we charge for certain procedures for certain elective procedures. It’s actually perfectly okay with these higher deductible plans the patient or policy holder is covering that first amount,” said Dr. Wieland.

He says his practice has tried to limit the cost of pre-operative cost, especially to those relatively healthy individuals.

Dr. Wieland says it’s the job of the patient to know what is covered under his or her insurance but that many practices these days have full time employees who dedicate their days to insurance questions.

“Talk to people around you and really get more of a word of mouth recommendation than say a financial comparison side by side. . . if you really want to know who you should go to, you find a nurse in the hospital,” said Dr. Wieland. 

Listen to the podcast here. 

Laura Ewan can be reached at laura@wjbc.com.