Patients are being hit with this surprise fee just for seeing their doc. Here's what to know.

"Patients who visit hospital-owned doctors' offices are discovering something that could make them feel ill: a surprise "facility fee" unrelated to the medical treatment they receive. The charges - which can range from $25 to thousands of dollars - are typically showing up on patients' medical bills following an annual physical exam, strep throat test or telehealth appointment, according to a report from U.S. PIRG."

"Facility fees are intended to help hospitals offset their high overhead costs, including overnight care, use of specialized equipment and other expenses that make them costly to run. But when hospitals acquire independent physician clinics that don't face hospital-scale expenses, patients may still be hit with those charges even in outpatient settings. "They're being charged for overhead costs that are entirely unrelated to the care they received," U.S. PIRG said in the report."

Patients who see hospital-owned physicians are receiving unexpected facility fees on routine outpatient bills, ranging from $25 to thousands. Facility fees are billed to help hospitals offset high overhead, such as overnight care, specialized equipment and other costly operations. Hospitals that acquire independent physician clinics may apply facility fees even when clinic-level services do not involve hospital resources. These fees increase out-of-pocket costs and can deter people from seeking care or routine checkups. Facility fees began appearing in 2023 and have grown as hospital ownership of community practices rises; roughly 50% of community practices are hospital-owned. Only a handful of states require patient notification.

Read at Cbsnews