Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a scan going to cost me? Is it covered by insurance?
We may bill insurance companies directly for scans done in our Stamford, CT location. However, reimbursement by insurance companies is typically restricted to those who meet one or more of the following criteria:

1) personal history of melanoma, or

2) a primary blood relative (parent, sibling, or child) previously diagnosed with melanoma, or

3) multiple dysplastic nevi (irregularly shaped moles), as determined by a clinical diagnosis performed by a pathologist or dermatologist.

If you don’t meet at least one of these criteria, or you are covered by one of the few insurance companies that do not yet cover scanning, the fees are moderate:

Melanoscan ………………………………. $150

Copy of Images on Media ……………. $30

(All prices are subject to change at any time and without notice)

For qualifying patients who meet the standard criteria for whole body cutaneous photography detailed above, we will submit the claims for you if your insurance company generally covers the procedure (Stamford, CT location only).

Insurance providers currently covering the Melanoscan in Connecticut include:

Medicare

Aetna

Connecticare

Golden Rule

Guardian

HealthNet

Magna Care

Oxford

PHCS

United

If your healthcare insurance provider is not listed here, we encourage you to submit the medical claim yourself. We can supply the paperwork and insurance codes necessary for remittance (Stamford, CT & Garden City, NY locations).

Other criteria that may be considered for insurance coverage:

1) Numerous moles, more than fifty

2) Multiple non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal or squamous cell types

3) Immunosuppressive disorders such as lymphoma, leukemia, infectious diseases, or immunosuppressive drugs.

Are these images going to be seen by anyone but my doctor?
The images may be screened internally by a clinical technician, to maintain quality control and to make sure the cameras and hardware that capture the images are calibrated and working properly.

No one else will see these images.

All images are stored in a secure, encrypted, and proprietary electronic format. We will not release images to insurance companies, other physicians, or any third party without express written instructions from the patient.

How will these images be shared with my regular dermatologist or primary care physician?
The Imaging Center can send the images to a dermatologist or referring doctor via CD or electronically, via the internet, in the form of a secure, 128-bit SSL encrypted file. It will then be the responsibility of the recipient Doctor to safeguard the privacy of the images.

Subsequent scans will be compared to your baseline images to look for changes in size, shape, or color of your lesions. A detailed summary report will be prepared for your dermatologist detailing any spots of concern.

Melanoscan images are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. There is no scientific evidence that patient use of the images absent consultation with a qualified medical professional will reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Patients should always seek the advice of their physician or other qualified healthcare providers with any questions regarding a medical condition. The whole-body photographic scan is best reviewed and interpreted by a qualified dermatologist, which involves a separate appointment and billing, in addition to the cost of the Melanoscan image capture appointment.

Can I keep a copy of my photos?
In the interest of patient privacy and security, we recommend that patients do not maintain hard copies of their images.

Security and privacy are assured when your images are stored on our internal servers.

However, ultimately this is a patient decision. If you elect to keep a CD-ROM of the images, a user ID and password will be created to allow secure access to the images.

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The images may be screened internally by a clinical technician, to maintain quality control and to make sure the cameras and hardware that capture the images are calibrated and working properly.

No one else will see these images.

All images are stored in a secure, encrypted and proprietary electronic format. We will not release images to insurance companies, other physicians or any third party without express written instructions from the patient.

The Imaging Center can send the images to a dermatologist or referring doctor via CD or electronically, via the internet, in the form of a secure, 128-bit SSL encrypted file. It will then be the responsibility of the recipient Doctor to safeguard the privacy of the images.

Subsequent scans will be compared to your baseline images to look for changes in size, shape or color of your lesions. A detailed summary report will be prepared for your dermatologist detailing any spots of concern.

Melanoscan images are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. There is no scientific evidence that patient use of the images absent consultation with a qualified medical professional will reduce the risk of skin cancer.

Patients should always seek the advice of their physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions regarding a medical condition. The whole-body photographic scan is best reviewed and interpreted by a qualified dermatologist, which involves a separate appointment and billing, in addition to the cost of the Melanoscan image capture appointment.

In the interest of patient privacy and security, we recommend that patients do not maintain hard copies of their images.

Security and privacy are assured when your images are stored on our internal servers.

However, ultimately this is a patient decision. If you elect to keep a CD-ROM of the images, a user ID and password will be created to allow secure access to the images.