The Boston Globe has an exceptionally clear story today about the exorbitant hospital facility fees patients are encountering at hospital-owned doctor offices. Keep in mind when you read this that the patient, Robert Reed, walked into a dermatologist’s office to have a couple moles checked, not a hospital. The bills he received were stunning, and so far the hospital chain has stonewalled his efforts to appeal them. After all, why would hospital chains amass power and then not use it?
It’s all fallout from the sweeping trend toward hospitals buying doctor practices in every specialty area. To read more about hospital facility fees and other ways hospitals drive up the cost of your health care, take a look at the RNI healthcare advocacy blog.