Beware of Urgent Care Facilities that Charge Hospital Fees

I was shocked to read an article in the New York Times today.Even doctors like me are caught up in this medical cost trap.This was written by one of my favorite doctors/authors. Daniel Ofri.

If you don't have access to the Times, here's the gist of the article: After a bicycle injury, Dr. Ofri's daughter needed urgent X-rays to make sure she hadn't broken any bones. Because they were away from home, they went to a local urgent care center. When Ofri received the bill for X-rays of her ankle and wrist, it was for $1,168. Ofri realized the bill came from the hospital, not the urgent care center, and she was charged for the hospital X-rays. Ofri was told that the urgent care center is affiliated with the hospital and is therefore allowed to charge the hospital fees.

“It is difficult to quantify how many patients, like us, are unknowingly receiving costly care at HOPD… Reddit Other platforms have also highlighted the clinic's expensive new facility fees, which appear on medical bills and are often not covered by insurance. It has increased tenfold She was admitted to the hospital for the same procedure after her primary care physician reclassified her appointment to a hospital-based designation.”

Be aware the next time you are in need of an urgent care facility.The good news is that after a six-month billing battle, the hospital reversed Ofri's bill.Also note that billing disputes are almost a given these days before insurance covers them or a clever hospital system will drop the bill.