Pharos

When a referring provider says “you need an MRI,” patients are rarely aware of the true cost. Most don’t choose a provider, either defaulting to wherever they were pointed, or — uncertain what they will owe — never following through at all. The prices that would inform the choice do exist; federal law requires hospitals and insurers to publish them. But they exist as opaque files spanning billions of rows, unusable by patients.

Both responses carry a cost. Defaulting to the nearest facility can mean paying several times more than needed for the same procedure. Failing to follow through is graver still. A patient who concludes that recommended care is care they cannot afford may skip a screening or put off a scan, only for it to surface later as a disease caught too late, costing quality and years of life.

The economic harm is unnecessary. The human cost is worse. Both are avoidable, and closing that gap is Pharos’ mission. We reach patients at the moment they need to make a decision, turning published prices into usable information. We aim to replace uncertainty with clarity, at the moment it can still change decisions.