As a neurologist in Melrose who is in private practice, I have noted an alarming trend that is raising health care costs, further burdening our public and private health care systems.
In recent years, we’ve seen a surge in health care mergers, with big hospital systems buying up smaller physician practices. Over half of all physicians are now employed by hospitals and health systems. When a hospital system acquires a small physician’s office, the cost of care increases on average by 14.1% .
That’s because, when the hospital owns the facility, it is claimed as a “hospital outpatient department” that can charge more for the same service. On top of those higher charges, it can also add a “facility fee,” an extra cost for hospital overhead costs — even though in many cases the care is being provided outside the physical hospital…