Otolaryngologists Are Cautiously Optimistic about Platelet-Rich Plasma But Want More Evidence

by Susan Bernstein •

Susan Bernstein is a freelance medical writer based in Georgia.

Out-of-Pocket Costs

Otolaryngologists see cost as a potential barrier to wider PRP use. A 2018 orthopedics study says that a single injection may cost patients between $500 and $2,500 (Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2018;11:558-565). And in a 2019 study examining the cost of PRP treatments for knee osteoarthritis, the mean price of a single injection was $714 (J Knee Surg. 2019;32:879-885). Manufacturers sell PRP kits to clinics at costs ranging from $200 to $8,000. Sampling clinics that post pricing online shows that PRF patient costs range anywhere from $300 to $600 per treatment.

“In the U.S., most patients who receive PRP treatments have to pay for the procedure out of pocket,” said Yael Bensoussan, MD, an otolaryngology fellow at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine in Los Angeles. “Insurance rarely covers PRP unless patients are part of a clinical trial. Another aspect of cost is the centrifuge needed to spin the patient’s blood.” Drawing and spinning patients’ blood adds about 30 minutes to appointments as well, she said.