{"id":155602,"date":"2023-09-14T13:32:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/english-costs-for-common-health-care-procedures-significantly-higher-when-performed-in-hospital-outpatient-departments\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T19:30:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T23:30:26","slug":"los-costos-de-los-procedimientos-medicos-de-rutina-son-significativamente-mas-altos-cuando-se-hacen-en-departamentos-ambulatorios-de-los-hospitales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/los-costos-de-los-procedimientos-medicos-de-rutina-son-significativamente-mas-altos-cuando-se-hacen-en-departamentos-ambulatorios-de-los-hospitales\/","title":{"rendered":"Costs for Common Health Care Procedures Significantly Higher When Performed in Hospital Outpatient Departments"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><![CDATA[\n\/* Style Definitions *\/\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n.prntac{\nTEXT-ALIGN: CENTER\n}\n]]><\/style>\n<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p class=\"prntac\"><i>HOPDs can charge nearly 60% more for procedures than ambulatory surgery centers and doctors&#8217; offices<\/i><i>, according to claims data analyzed by Blue Health Intelligence<\/i><sup> \u00ae<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">WASHINGTON<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Sept. 14, 2023<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/\u00a0&#8212; When common medical procedures were performed in a hospital outpatient department (HOPD) rather than a doctor&#8217;s office, costs were substantially higher according to a <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=1978229412&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcbs.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Ffile-attachments%2Fsite-neutral%2FBHI-Site-Neutral-Issue-Brief.pdf&amp;a=national+analysis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">national analysis<\/a><\/u> of tens of millions of claims. The analysis, released by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA), shows the costs for prevalent procedures like mammograms or colonoscopies were consistently higher \u2014 as much as 58% more expensive \u2014 when performed in HOPD settings. These higher hospital prices mean higher costs to consumers.<\/p>\n<div id=\"prni_dvprnejpg9369left\" dir=\"ltr\" style=\"width: 100%; text-align: left;\"><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"prnejpg9369left\" title=\"Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Logo\" src=\"https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/774261\/4273816\/Blue_Cross_Blue_Shield_Association_Logo.jpg\" alt=\"Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Logo\" align=\"middle\"\/><\/div>\n<p>To examine the cost disparities at different health care locations, Blue Health Intelligence<sup>\u00ae <\/sup>analyzed deidentified claims data for six common, everyday outpatient procedures, covering 133 million Blue Cross and Blue Shield members from 2017 through 2022.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Findings show that not only were HOPDs charging more for the exact same service, but prices also increased faster each year compared to charges at physician offices and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), where patients receive outpatient diagnostic procedures as well as outpatient surgical care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Price differences in 2022 for common procedures based on setting were:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li>Mammograms cost 32% more in an HOPD than in a doctor&#8217;s office.<\/li>\n<li>Colonoscopy screenings cost 32% more in an HOPD than in an ASC and double the cost compared to when performed in a doctor&#8217;s office.<\/li>\n<li>Diagnostic\u00a0colonoscopies cost 58% more in an HOPD than in an ASC and more than double the cost compared to when performed in a doctor&#8217;s office.<\/li>\n<li>Cataract surgery costs 56% more in an HOPD than in an ASC.<\/li>\n<li>Ear tympanostomies cost 52% more in an HOPD than when performed in an ASC.<\/li>\n<li>Clinical visits cost 31% more in an HOPD setting than in a doctor&#8217;s office.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=293518976&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fpublic4.pagefreezer.com%2Fbrowse%2FFDA%2F10-01-2023T08%3A13%2Fhttps%3A%2Fwww.fda.gov%2Fradiation-emitting-products%2Fmqsa-insights%2F2022-scorecard-statistics&amp;a=roughly+40+million\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">roughly 40 million<\/a><\/u> mammograms and <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=197040587&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pennmedicine.org%2Fcancer%2Fabout%2Ffocus-on-cancer%2F2019%2Fdecember%2Flets-get-screened-colonoscopy%23%3A%7E%3Atext%3DWhy%2520Colon%2520Cancer%2520Screenings%2520Are%2520Widely%2520Avoided%26text%3DThe%2520test%2520debuted%2520in%25201969%2Cin%2520the%2520U.S.%2520each%2520year.&amp;a=more+than+15+million\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">more than 15 million<\/a><\/u> colonoscopy screenings performed in 2022, implementing site-neutral payment policies would lead to significant savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This data is consistent with previous research. A <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=1856011260&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthaffairs.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1377%2Fhlthaff.2021.00211&amp;a=study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">study<\/a><\/u> by <span class=\"xn-org\">University of California-Berkeley<\/span> found that the prices paid in 2019 by Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans in HOPDs were double those paid in doctors&#8217; offices for biologics, chemotherapies and other infused cancer drugs \u2014 99% to 104% higher \u2014 and 68% higher for infused hormonal therapies.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, a\u00a0<u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=441144643&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F26978238%2F&amp;a=2016+study\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">2016 study<\/a><\/u> in the American Journal of Managed Care showed prices for seven common services were significantly higher at an HOPD than a physician&#8217;s office, ranging from 21% more for an office visit to 258% more for a chest radiography.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The cost of a procedure shouldn&#8217;t be determined by the setting where the care is delivered,&#8221; said\u00a0BCBSA Senior Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, <span class=\"xn-person\">David Merritt<\/span>. &#8220;Lowering the cost of care, regardless of the site, is common sense. Our <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=3552798761&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcbs.com%2Fthe-health-of-america%2Farticles%2Faffordability-solutions-white-paper&amp;a=analysis\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">analysis<\/a><\/u> shows site-neutral legislation could save our patients, businesses and taxpayers nearly <span class=\"xn-money\">$500 billion<\/span> over 10 years. We look forward to continuing our work with Congress to protect patients from these higher costs.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One key driver of these cost differences is the acquisition of physician practices by corporate health systems over the past 20 years, which has\u00a0<u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=3288686272&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.kff.org%2Fhealth-costs%2Fissue-brief%2Fwhat-we-know-about-provider-consolidation%2F&amp;a=resulted\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">resulted<\/a><\/u> in those physician practices being converted into HOPDs, thereby generating additional facility fees and higher prices overall. Furthermore, Medicare pays more for services provided in HOPDs than it does when the same services are provided in other care settings outside of the hospital, costing both patients and Medicare <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=182209467&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.physiciansadvocacyinstitute.org%2FPortals%2F0%2Fassets%2Fdocs%2FPAI_Medicare%2520Cost%2520Analysis%2520--%2520FINAL%252011_9_17.pdf&amp;a=hundreds+of+millions+of+dollars\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">hundreds of millions of dollars<\/a><\/u>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>BCBSA supports bipartisan legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate to enact fair hospital billing policies, including Reps. <span class=\"xn-person\">Kevin Hern<\/span> (R-OK) and <span class=\"xn-person\">Annie Kuster&#8217;s<\/span> (D-NH) FAIR Act and Sens. <span class=\"xn-person\">Maggie Hassan<\/span> (D-NH) and <span class=\"xn-person\">Mike Braun&#8217;s<\/span> (R-IN) SITE Act.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, earlier this year,\u00a0BCBSA released <u><a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=151669551&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bcbs.com%2Fthe-health-of-america%2Farticles%2Faffordability-solutions-white-paper&amp;a=Affordability+Solutions+for+the+Health+of+America\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Affordability Solutions for the Health of America<\/a><\/u>, a comprehensive set of proposals that could reduce health care costs for patients, consumers and taxpayers by <span class=\"xn-money\">$767 billion<\/span> over 10 years. This can be achieved by expanding site-neutral payments for outpatient services, improving competition, increasing access to lower-cost prescription drugs, and ensuring patients receive high-quality care at the right place and time.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association is committed to building a more affordable, equitable, better system of health. These commonsense solutions address the root causes of rising health care costs and prioritize the needs of patients,&#8221; continued Merritt.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association<br \/><i>The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 34 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>Logo &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/c212.net\/c\/link\/?t=0&amp;l=en&amp;o=3968904-1&amp;h=1758504849&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F774261%2F4273816%2FBlue_Cross_Blue_Shield_Association_Logo.jpg&amp;a=https%3A%2F%2Fmma.prnewswire.com%2Fmedia%2F774261%2F4273816%2FBlue_Cross_Blue_Shield_Association_Logo.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/mma.prnewswire.com\/media\/774261\/4273816\/Blue_Cross_Blue_Shield_Association_Logo.jpg<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"PRN_ImbeddedAssetReference\" id=\"DivAssetPlaceHolder2\">\n<\/div>\n<p>SOURCE  Blue Cross Blue Shield Association<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"xn-content\">\n<p class=\"prntac\"><i>HOPDs can charge nearly 60% more for procedures than ambulatory surgery centers and doctors&#8217; offices<\/i><i>, according to claims data analyzed by Blue Health Intelligence<\/i><sup> \u00ae<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"xn-location\">WASHINGTON<\/span>, <span class=\"xn-chron\">Sept. 14, 2023<\/span> \/PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE\/\u00a0&#8212; When common medical procedures were performed in a hospital outpatient department (HOPD) rather than a doctor&#8217;s office, costs were substantially higher according to a <u>&lt;a&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":155603,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-155602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-salud"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155602","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155602"}],"version-history":[{"count":"1","href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155602\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155604,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155602\/revisions\/155604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155603"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155602"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155602"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hispanicprwire.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155602"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}