The Charlotte Ledger and NC Health News that as 鈥渉ospitals buy up medical offices and specialty clinics, hospital facility fees for routine doctor鈥檚 visits catch patients off guard.鈥�
Why it matters: 鈥淎s big hospitals snap up physician groups and specialty clinics, more patients 鈥� are getting hit with these types of surprise hospital facility fees, according to experts and federal reports,鈥� the papers found.
- 鈥溾�I]ncreasingly, health care systems are rebranding other types of medical buildings they own as 鈥榟ospital outpatient facilities,鈥� allowing them to tack on those same hospital fees for patient visits that are miles away from a hospital campus,鈥� experts warn.
What they鈥檙e saying: 鈥�'It was like a bait-and-switch 鈥� I鈥檓 going to the same office. I鈥檓 seeing the same doctor. I鈥檓 having the same follow-up appointment I always have 鈥� and then, all of a sudden, they changed the billing. I felt like what they did was really dirty.鈥�
The bottom line: 鈥淔acility fees can add thousands to medical bills,鈥� the report found. 鈥淧atient 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.鈥�
Go deeper: Read the from the Charlotte Ledger and NC Health News.