Clinic "facility fees" spark legal battles

Given the growing trend toward high-deductible, consumer-driven health--and larger co-pay requirements--patients are paying closer attention to their medical bills. And when they're hit with an unexpectedly large bill from a medical clinic deemed "hospital based," some are hitting the roof. Hospital administrators say that they need to charge facility fees to cover their overall operational costs. But industry attorneys say that this practice is likely to face significant challenges in coming years, and recommend that hospitals go to great lengths to make sure patients are aware of pricing differentials. At least two facilities--Seattle's University of Washington Medical Center and Virginia Mason Medical Center-recently settled suits contending that patients should have been warned about much-higher charges by affiliated clinics.

Get more background on the clinic fee issue:
- read this USA Today piece

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