The Charlotte Ledger and NC Health News report that as “hospitals buy up medical offices and specialty clinics, hospital facility fees for routine doctor’s visits catch patients off guard.”
Why it matters: “As big hospitals snap up physician groups and specialty clinics, more patients … are getting hit with these types of surprise hospital facility fees, according to experts and federal reports,” the papers found.
- “…[I]ncreasingly, health care systems are rebranding other types of medical buildings they own as ‘hospital outpatient facilities,’ allowing them to tack on those same hospital fees for patient visits that are miles away from a hospital campus,” experts warn.
What they’re saying: “'It was like a bait-and-switch … I’m going to the same office. I’m seeing the same doctor. I’m having the same follow-up appointment I always have — and then, all of a sudden, they changed the billing. I felt like what they did was really dirty.”
The bottom line: “Facility fees can add thousands to medical bills,” the report found. “Patient advocates say facility fees push up health care costs for everyone, contributing to soaring insurance premiums and increasing the burden on those already struggling to pay their medical bills.”
Go deeper: Read the full story from the Charlotte Ledger and NC Health News.