Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How is a charge set for my services?
A: The health care industry became deregulated in 1992. This means that our previous all payor system whereby everyone shared in non-reimbursable costs such as uncompensated care was eliminated. Indemnity insurers, HMO's, and other managed care providers now compete to obtain provider contracts. Few payors contribute their fair share of these non-reimbursable costs. We are forced to raise our charges at a rate much higher than external inflation trends to cover these expenses.

We base our charges on Medicare's fee schedules and then apply a mark up factor to achieve this. In addition, charges in a hospital emergency room setting are high because we must staff and equip for critical emergencies around the clock. Unfortunately, we are unable to assist you with billing questions regarding physician bills. If you wish to discuss a bill that you have received from one of these physician groups, please call the phone number indicated on the bill for assistance.