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https://www.ladylike4.com/uploaded_images/Ultrasound.gifMy ultrasound charge over analyzed.

As you all know I had an ultrasound just before Christmas. Well, yesterday I got the bill. It is $841, but if I pay quickly I can pay $741. Isn’t that lovely?? So I have decided to break this thing down to see some statistics which will probably make me sick.

Here is the numbers I will use and links to where I got them.

Ultrasound Machine cost $25,999 dollars used or $60,000 new (The one they put me on was definitely used.)
Doctors average annual salary $145,688 a year
Ultrasound Technician average annual salary $58,528
Lets figure other expenses including about $1000 per month, but who knows.

The lady that did my ultrasound said she did 8-10 a day, so we will figure she does 8 to be low. They don’t work on weekends, so we will figure that she works 22 days a month. This is figured from a 30 day month, so there will be one more day every other.

Now lets say that of the 8 ultrasounds a day that occur. 6 patients have insurance that covers them, so say they pay the lower amount offered to me $741 and than there is me I will pay the lower amount $741 and then one slacker who can’t afford to be sick (not that I can) and they end up having to pay the $841. This works up to 7 at 741 and 1 at 841 or $6028 per day…

That means every 5 days they can have a new ultrasound machine with some extra left. If there were no other expenses.

The lady that was my tech would for sure have her cost come out of the direct machine I used. Here salary and benefits would probably be closer to $70,000 with all the SSN and such the employer would pay, so I am going to use that.

8×22 = 176 ultrasounds per month
176×12 = 2112 ultrasounds per year
70,000/2112 = $33.15 per ultrasound

The doctor his cost is a little different than the techs as he is the only doctor on staff and there are 8 ultrasound rooms running where I went. We will use a flat $200,000 for him after all the expenses.

200,000/8 = 25,000 per ultrasound room
25,000/2112 = $11.84 per ultrasound

Now I can’t imagine what the cost of a single room in a lab type building would cost. So instead I am just going to guess of about the same as my house and to give them the benefit of the doubt I will round that number up to $1000 even.

Thus making the cost.. 1,000/22 = 45.45 per day
45.45/8 = $5.68 per ultrasound

I am going to give them another say $20 per ultrasound for the wax paper on bed and the slime junk

This all added together should make the expense minus the ultrasound machine for my one ultrasound a total cost of:
$33.15 for tech + $11.84 for doctor + $5.68 for building + $20 for supplies = Total cost around $70.67…

Are you sick yet?? I sure am……

Ok, so now take that expense out of the cost of my ultrasound and my ultrasound made $670.33 profit which will pay for a new ultrasound machine in less than 10 days.

Oh, I am going to hurl…Bye.