According to a recent study, patients who receive care from large, hospital-owned physician practices can expect to pay anywhere from 10.3% – 19.8% more than they would pay for the same care at a physician-owned practice. Practices owned by multihospital systems have the highest costs according to the article “JAMA” by James C. Robinson (PhD) and Kelly Miller (program analyst for the Integrated Healthcare Association).
This means that a person who receives $3,066 worth of care from a physician-owned practice would likely spend approximately $1,200 more for the same care at a hospital-owned organization and approximately $1,700 more for the same care at a multihospital-owned organization, according to data from the period 2009-2012. Because we are not a hospital-owned facility, we may be able to save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your upcoming weight loss procedure.
Does Consolidation Equal Costly Care?
Many potential weight loss surgery patients are very concerned about the cost of their care, and they may be surprised to find that they can save significant amounts of money by simply choosing to seek care from a physician-owned practice rather than a hospital-owned practice. The difference of even a few hundred dollars may be a huge factor in whether or not you can afford to receive weight loss surgery and change your life for the better.
The Affordable Care Act encourages the merger of physicians with accountable care organizations, which are often controlled by large hospitals. Such mergers have been advertised to have two main benefits:
1. Greater cooperation between physicians and hospitals
2. Lower expenses
Based on recent study results, it appears that the opposite is actually true, with mergers and acquisitions of hospitals and physicians leading to significantly increased care costs to the patient.
What This Means for You
If you are currently interested in pursuing weight loss surgery, you may be able to save a large amount of money by going directly through our facility rather than receiving your care from a hospital-owned facility. Because weight loss surgery is such a important decision for many people, the possibility of saving hundreds of dollars can help relieve some of the financial burden associated with that decision.
Change Your Life Today
If you have a BMI over 30 and you are finally ready to change and improve your life through bariatric surgery, give Oregon Weight Loss Surgery a call today at 503-227-5050. We offer hope and solutions for individuals who are tired of being sick or held back due to their excessive weight.
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