• Healthcare - QuickPress

    Same Doctor Visit, Double the Cost —WSJ

    Insurers Say Rates Can Surge After Hospitals Buy Private Physician Practices; Medicare Spending Rises, Too    Anne Wilde Matthews at the Wall Street Journal reports that the increased number of physicians going to work for hospitals is actually resulting in higher costs for patients.   Hospitals are acquiring physician practices and integrating them into hospital services, and while the stated goal is to improve care coordination, eliminate duplication of services and boost efficiency. However, Medicare and private insurers pay more for hospital services than the same service if done outside the hospital, such as in a doctor’s office.   One example: