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Cost of loop recorder implantation in North Carolina

The average cash price for loop recorder implantation care in North Carolina is $7,947 at a surgery center versus $9,087 at an outpatient hospital. While an outpatient hospital may offer more complimentary and support services for patients, you will save (13%) by taking care of your loop recorder implantation at a surgery center. Read More

Average cash price in North Carolina

A common loop recorder implantation at surgery center facility in North Carolina includes

  Units Avg Cash price

Provider

Cardiologist visit provider fee

First time visit Standard
1 $123

Provider fee to insert heart rhythm monitor

Standard Standard
1 $107

Facility

Surgery center fee to insert heart rhythm monitor

Standard Standard
1 $7,702

Prescriptions

HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN

Standard Standard
30 $15
Total average cash price   $7,947.11

A common loop recorder implantation at outpatient hospital facility in North Carolina includes

  Units Avg Cash price

Provider

Cardiologist visit provider fee

First time visit Standard
1 $123

Provider fee to insert heart rhythm monitor

Standard Standard
1 $107

Facility

Outpatient Hospital fee to insert heart rhythm monitor

level 2 Standard
1 $8,842

Prescriptions

HYDROCODONE-ACETAMINOPHEN

Standard Standard
30 $15
Total average cash price   $9,087.45

A loop recorder implant is a heart recording device implanted under your skin to look for any underlying cardiac causes to health problems you’re struggling with. The implant can also detect heart rhythm problems like arrhythmias.

If you experience heart palpitations or recurrent fainting episodes, your doctor may implant this recorder to look for any cardiac issues causing your symptoms. It’s particularly beneficial if other diagnostic testing is inconclusive.

Implanting a loop recorder is a simple procedure that takes about ten to fifteen minutes. Your doctor will give you a local anesthetic to numb the area before a small quarter-inch cut is made on the left side of your chest. The loop recorder is placed inside the incision, and then your doctor will close the wound.

While you may experience slight discomfort from the loop recorder the first two to three days after implantation, you shouldn’t feel pain while the device is working inside you. 

There are only a few cases where patients experienced pain after implantation because their loop recorders migrated. If you experience pain beyond the initial implantation, contact your doctor to find the cause.

No, a loop implant is not the same as a pacemaker. A pacemaker has leads and generates electrical pulses to change the rhythm or pace of your heart. A loop recorder doesn’t contain leads and can’t send out electrical pulses. 

The loop recorder only records cardiac activity for diagnostic purposes. If your doctor finds a problem with your heart rhythm from the loop recorder, they may suggest you have a pacemaker implanted.

Your implant can record cardiac activity for up to three years. Once your doctor can determine if your symptoms result from a cardiac issue, they can easily remove the implant at any time. They’ll remove the loop recorder by making an incision like they did to implant it. If you need a pacemaker or defibrillator placed, the loop recorder will be removed during the implantation of the other device.

No, a loop recorder will not damage your heart in any way. They don’t pace or shock the heart or have any effect on your heart. The loop recorder only monitors your heart rhythms and records instances when arrhythmias occur.

About the loop recorder implantation Average Cash Prices

This procedure is most commonly performed at either a surgery center or an outpatient hospital.

Surgery centers, also known as ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), are independent, licensed medical facilities that are governed by distinct regulatory requirements compared with a hospital. Procedures performed at an ASCs are often less expensive than when they are performed at an outpatient hospital, but they typically offer fewer complimentary services, and may not have the full-range of support services that a hospital provides.

Outpatient facilities are outpatient departments or clinics that may be within or next to a hospital, but is owned and run by the affiliated hospital. These facilities can perform surgical treatments and procedures that do not require an overnight stay. Procedures performed at an outpatient hospital are often more expensive than when they are performed in an ambulatory surgery center, but outpatient hospitals may offer more complimentary and support services for patients because they are connected to the hospital system.

* Savings estimate based on a study of more than 1 billion claims comparing self-pay (or cash pay) prices of a frequency-weighted market basket of procedures to insurer-negotiated rates for the same. Claims were collected between July 2017 and July 2019. R.Lawrence Van Horn, Arthur Laffer, Robert L.Metcalf. 2019. The Transformative Potential for Price Transparency in Healthcare: Benefits for Consumers and Providers. Health Management Policy and Innovation, Volume 4, Issue 3.

Sidecar Health offers and administers a variety of plans including ACA compliant and excepted benefit plans. Coverage and plan options may vary or may not be available in all states.

Your actual costs may be higher or lower than these cost estimates. Check with your provider and health plan details to confirm the costs that you may be charged for a service or procedure.You are responsible for costs that are not covered and for getting any pre-authorizations or referrals required by your health plan. Neither payments nor benefits are guaranteed. Provider data, including price data, provided in part by Turquoise Health.

The site is not a substitute for medical or healthcare advice and does not serve as a recommendation for a particular provider or type of medical or healthcare.