Press Releases
Radiology Charges in Singapore
7 September 2005
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07 Sep 2005
As a continuation of MOH's ongoing policy of greater transparency and more information to the public, we surveyed the charges for top-end radiology services in Singapore. The survey covers 3 radiology services, i.e. Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). The details will be posted at the MOH website: www.moh.gov.sg on 7 September 2005.
Charges vary among the various providers, giving consumers and their referring family physicians, a range of choices. The range of charges for each service is provided in the Annex below.
In public hospitals, demand for radiology services, particularly at the top-end, is putting a lot of stress on our radiologists. To relieve the pressure on the radiologists and to shorten the time for reporting X-rays and scans, public hospitals will ramp up the training of radiologists.
At the same time, we will introduce tele-radiology, by outsourcing the reporting of routine X-rays and scans to established centres overseas. This will relieve our radiologists to focus on the professionally-more demanding work.
Many top US Teaching Hospitals have already outsourced their radiology services to countries such as Australia, Brazil, Israel and India, to relieve their shortage of radiologists and raise the standard of service to patients. For example, the established Indian centres in Bangalore can commit to a performance standard in reporting of films that is in some cases much faster than what our local units can deliver. This cuts out unnecessary waiting by patients.
For more information, refer to the paper on Radiology Charges.
Annex
Radiology Services
1. Charges for common Computerised Tomography (CT) scans
Table caption
Abdomen* | Abdomen and Pelvis* | Angiography+ Heart Arteries* | Brain* | Chest* | Neck/ Post-Nasal Space* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Outpatient | ||||||
Range of charges | $408 to $790 | $620 to $924 | $665 to $1,280 | $312 to $790 | $408 to $790 | $408 to $790 |
Inpatient | ||||||
Range of charges | $424 to $956 | $676 to $1,581 | $665 to $1,287 | $312 to $956 | $424 to $956 | $424 to $956 |
Notes:All charges quoted are inclusive of Goods & Services Tax (GST). * The charges quoted are for scans done "with contrast", i.e. a dye (contrast medium) is used to make some tissues show up more clearly. +Angiography: A procedure performed to view blood vessels after injecting them with a dye. | ||||||
2. Charges for common Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Scans
Table caption
Common MRI Scans | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Brain for tumour* | Liver for liver cancer* | Lumbar Spine for Backache | Knee for ligament tear | |
Outpatient | ||||
Range of charges | $520 to $1,250 | $725 to $1,681 | $398 to $788 | $398 to $882 |
Inpatient | ||||
Range of charges | $701 to $1,393 | $773 to $1,869 | $630 to $902 | $630 to $1,011 |
Note: All charges quoted are inclusive of Goods & Services Tax (GST). * These MRI scans are typically done "with contrast", i.e. a dye (contrast medium) is used to make some tissues show up more clearly. | ||||
3. Charges for common Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans
Table caption
PET/CT Whole Body Scan (without intravenous contrast) | PET/CT Whole Body Scan (with intravenous contrast) | |
|---|---|---|
Outpatient | ||
Range of charges | $2,310 to $3,098 | $3,098 to $3,623 |
Inpatient | ||
Range of charges | $2,310 to $3,833 | $3,833* |
Note: All charges quoted are inclusive of Goods & Services Tax (GST). * There was only one establishment providing this particular scan type. | ||