Becker's Healthcare October 11, 2024
Physicians are facing increasing economic challenges that threaten their autonomy as healthcare consolidations.
One significant issue, according to James Krantz, MD, family medicine physician at Frederick, Md.-based Catoctin Medical Group, is the growing disparity between the facility fees hospitals can charge and those available to independent practices.
Hospitals are permitted to charge facility fees when medical services are performed in outpatient settings, even if the facility is far removed from its main campus. This allows the hospital to tack on additional charges for services that would cost less if performed at a private physician’s office.
Additionally, as health systems continue to acquire more physician-owned practices, they can not only charge hospital-level rates for the same services but also add...