BackTable Brief: Understanding Facility Fees in Healthcare Economics with Dr. Barbara Levy

Where you perform a procedure could cost your patient thousands or save them just as much. In this Backtable OBGYN Brief, Dr. Mark Hoffman and Dr. Amy Park sit down with Dr. Barbara Levy to discuss the economic challenges and implications of performing medical procedures in various settings such as hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs), and office environments. They explore how hospitals have leveraged billing structures for financial gain, often driving up patient costs, and highlight how procedures like hysteroscopies and endometrial ablations can be performed more efficiently and cost-effectively in office settings. The conversation also touches on how insurance companies and healthcare policy shape both patient expenses and physician practice. Dr. Levy emphasizes the importance of understanding the broader healthcare system to effectively advocate for positive changes in patient care and outcomes. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Introduction 00:48 - Hospital Lobbying and Facility Fees 02:43 - Impact on Patients and Physicians 04:06 - Insurance Companies and Healthcare Economics 08:34 - Office vs. ASC vs. Hospital Procedures 12:59 - Cryoablation and Patient Experience 14:53 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts CHECK OUT THE FULL EPISODE OBGYN Ep. 55 https://www.backtable.com/shows/obgyn/podcasts/55/insights-on-obgyn-coding-reimbursements