Thread. A year ago I got an astounding health care bill: $629 for a Band Aid delivered in an emergency room. (1/11)pic.twitter.com/9zZTNyOqLl
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Today, I’m launching a big project to answer these questions. We are crowdsourcing a database of facility fees using YOUR bills. (5/11)
Facility fees are a small window into the biggest problem in American health care: our outlandish prices. (6/11)
Today, I wrote a story about a $25,000 bill for an MRI. That only happens in America. (7/11) https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/16/16357790/health-care-prices-problem …pic.twitter.com/cJ8iEoSyk9
We need help. Because these fees are secret, we need you to share your ER bills through our secure website: http://erbills.vox.com (8/11)
I’ll use this data for a year long project on health care billing. We’ll bring transparency to one corner of American health care. (9/11)
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much in advance! So thrilled to see where this story goes (10/11)
And if you want to learn more about that $629 Band Aid, check out the first episode of The Impact! (11/11)https://www.vox.com/the-impact/2017/10/16/16387298/band-aid-er-bill-truth-american-health-care …
Facility fees are the charges from a hospital not directly related to professional expertise of a physician, not a big secret...
Also people, please don't go to the ER unless it is really an emergency, this REALLY is a significant problem with our health system
Infusion center fees are similar. All I need is a BP monitor and an IV drip and all of a sudden it's a 1K surcharge.
In WA some off-campus provider-based clinics charge facility fee too https://www.doh.wa.gov/DataandStatisticalReports/HealthcareinWashington/HospitalandPatientData/HospitalFinancialData/HospitalFacilityFees …
Not much of a secret, people aren't walking around hospitals whispering about facility fees, actually pretty standard stuff.
California has taken some steps towards transparency, by requiring public chargemaster data.https://www.oshpd.ca.gov/chargemaster/
Chargemaster tells u nothing unless you’re a cash patient. U need negotiated rate transparency
I think it matters a bit more in the world of balance billing...
Even just for a doctor visit
Nope, not usually hidden in my experience. They are actually separate codes/modifiers. Talk with a Coder, they’ll know more
Facility fees are the charges for nurses. That intelligent and kind person who checked your health, held your hand, applied the bandaid.
I'm having a minor outpatient surgery this week. The facility fee is just about as much as the surgeon's fee - around $2500.
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