ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A big billing change at Rochester Surgery Center is catching patients off guard. As of August 1st, the center is being operated as an outpatient department of Rochester General Hospital which could dramatically change how much you have to pay for services depending on your insurance coverage.
Bronson Fuentes, a local photographer and musician, experienced the issue firsthand when he needed surgery for cubital tunnel syndrome. “I do everything with my hands, I shoot photography, videography, I’m a musician, I edit all the time on the computer,” Fuentes says.
Physical therapy didn’t work, so he scheduled surgery at the Rochester Surgery Center at Linden Oaks. When he booked the procedure in June, his surgeon gave him an estimate of his expected financial responsibility. “With my co-insurance it ended up being $139.94 and I’m like, that’s not too bad, that’s fine, I can deal with that,” Fuentes says.
He paid the amount. Then, two days before his surgery this week, he received another estimate from the surgery center for around $989. He called right away and after getting passed around, he received an explanation. “RGH purchased this surgery center and now it’s no longer ambulatory and now it’s like through the hospital where they bill things,” Fuentes says.
An alert is now posted at the top of the surgery center’s page. It explains that as of Aug. 1, Rochester Surgery Center is operated as an outpatient department of Rochester General Hospital, which could affect patients’ out-of-pocket expenses.
Jennifer Lewke (News10NBC): “Did you ever receive any notification whatsoever about the change in classification and how that could impact your bill?”
Bronson Fuentes: “I received absolutely nothing from anybody whatsoever that there was going to be any sort of a change in any billing or any logistics whatsoever.”
Increasingly, surgery centers and urgent cares are being operated as extensions of local hospitals.
This means there could be separate estimates and fees from the surgeon, the center, the anesthesiologist, and the lab.
In a statement to News10NBC, a spokesperson for Rochester Regional says, “Effective August 1, Rochester Surgery Center became part of Rochester General Hospital and is now operated as an outpatient department of the hospital. As a result, services provided at the center are billed as hospital outpatient services. This transition more fully integrates Rochester Surgery Center into Rochester General Hospital and Rochester Regional Health, including the health system’s continued investment in its electronic medical record and other technology and infrastructure that support patient care. It also brings the center’s surgical services under the hospital’s existing clinical and quality oversight structure, helping to strengthen coordination of care, support consistent quality and patient safety practices, and provide a more connected experience for patients across the health system. A patient’s out-of-pocket costs may vary based on their individual insurance coverage and benefits. Rochester Regional Health is committed to helping patients understand this change and providing information about their estimated financial responsibility prior to their procedure.”
Fuentes says he was offered a payment plan. “People are going to go on those payment plans and that’s one of the reasons why I reached out because I feel bad for other people who are going through this. Yeah it sucks for me, but I can only imagine the other people who have to go through this who are way worse often than me,” he tells News10NBC.
Rochester Regional says it typically gets estimates to patients at least two weeks before a scheduled surgery. It’s looking into why Fuentes only got a two-day notice, but it’s likely a result of the recent transition.
Rochester Surgery Center changed how it bills patients on August 1st — here’s what that could mean for your wallet: WHEC.com.
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