Costs Rise Quickly When Hospitals Are In Network But The ER Doctor Is Not

According to a recent New York Times article, some patients have been surprised to find out the emergency room doctor they were treated by wasn’t in their network, even though the hospital they visited was. Many “doctors who work in emergency rooms are private contractors who are out of network or do not accept any insurance plans.”

In Texas for example, “out-of-network payments to emergency room physicians accounted for 40 to 70 percent of the money spent on emergency care at in-network hospitals”

A large proportion of emergency room physicians are independent contractors who bill for their services separately from the hospital.

This demonstrates another way hidden costs are able to easily pop up in healthcare.

Summary by MedicalGroups.com

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