Why does your doctor do it for free? My insurance had to pay for my TEE test.
My insurance also paid for the test. I can't remember how much it was, but I'd say it was a few thousand anyway. There are hospital charges, physician fees, radiology, lab, medicine and supplies, etc.
Are you having it done in a hospital?
I just got an itemized copy of my husband's hospital bill and he had a TEE while admitted. We live in Iowa and we have Aetna insurance. There were the following charges on his bill: Echo TEE complete = $1040, Echo doppler complete = $383, Echo color flow mapping = $383, Concurrent review = $55, Demerol HCL Inj. per 100 mg = $55. As mentioned above, his insurance covered most of the bill for the 48 hr. hospital stay, but there was a deductable amount. I am using the term "itemized bill" very loosely, as I can't tell from it what the insurance paid and what is deductable on individual services. Hope this gives you some idea of the cost of the free treatment you are getting.