GREEN BAY – Bellin Health and Prevea Health are both laying plans for new ambulatory surgical centers that they say will help lower patient costs.
Both organizations tout these buildings as places that are more comfortable for both patients and medical staff, eliminate the need for a hospital stay, and are built in a more compact way, making better use of the space for everything required for these types of outpatient surgeries.
These changes aim, in part, to decrease patients' costs. But do they? A ruling last year by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services helps to make that more clear.
The agency, a division of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, has required that all hospitals and "most group health plans and issuers of group or individual health insurance coverage" disclose their standard charges to the public, so patients have "the necessary information to make more informed decisions about their care."
At the Wisconsin Hospitals Association website, wha.org, you can find lists of rates of hospitals and medical centers all across the state. There you can make comparisons between organizations and services. But, be aware that some information on different types of outpatient surgeries and other services has not yet been updated, and these rates could vary.
James Dietsche, CFO of Bellin Health, explained that besides simplifying the work, these new centers charge "free-standing rates," which means that they are not tied to hospital rates by contract. Bellin Health Marinette Surgery Center, is already working with free-standing rates; the new center under construction in Ashwaubenon will, too.
As an example of the reduced costs at Bellin, one can use the association's tool to compared how much a colonoscopy and biopsy costs at the hospital in Green Bay and the surgical center in Marinette. At the hospital, services are $3,747, while at the center offers the procedure for $2,017.
“We already have the experience from our center in Marinette”, said Dietsche. “It has better patient experience and satisfaction. It lowers the cost of healthcare to employers, (and) people that pay a co-pay or a self-pay out of their pockets, by about 40%.”
Prevea Health, is a health care provider that partners with hospitals owned by other organizations such as Hospital Sisters Health Systems. For full information on rates and costs of the procedures, you have to go to each hospital individually.
Dr. Ashok Rai, president and CEO of Prevea Health, said a new surgical center opening in May on Shawano Avenue also will provide outpatient surgery at lower costs. He explained that the costs it charges will depend on the case, but, “on average everything is lower in an ambulatory surgical center.”