Here are five things to know about the study.
1. The study authors, led by Kevin Riggs, MD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, analyzed 842,849 colonoscopies.
2. Of these patients, 29 percent had a precolonoscopy office visit.
3. The study authors found precolonoscopy office visits added an average of $36 per colonoscopy.
4. Though relatively small, the researchers pointed out the cumulative cost is quite substantial.
5. The researchers concluded a combination of open-access endoscopy and targeting patients who require a precolonoscopy office visit could decrease costs.
Click here view the full study.
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