Zuckerberg hospital's ER fees higher than other San Francisco facilities

Insured patients who visit Zuckerberg San Francisco General's emergency room will likely see higher fees than they would at other area hospitals, according to a Vox investigation.

Six things to know:

1. Zuckerberg San Francisco General was renamed after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, MD, donated $75 million to the hospital. The public hospital houses a level 1 trauma center.

2. The hospital is out of network with all private health plans, which can leave policyholders with massive medical bills through balance billing.

3. Zuckerberg hospital also has higher emergency room fees, on average, than ERs nationally, statewide and in San Francisco, according to Vox.

4. These fees do not cover care costs but are charged for visiting the ER facility and seeking service there. The Vox investigation found that average facility fees in California in 2016 ranged from $416 to $1,172, depending on severity of the visit, and those fees are slightly higher than national averages. The fees range from $326 to $1,713 in San Francisco and ranged from $463 to $9,853 at Zuckerberg hospital.

5. San Francisco Department of Health spokesperson Rachael Kagan attributed Zuckerberg hospital's higher fees to the fact that it is San Francisco's only level I trauma center.

"Our ED [emergency department] is more expensive to operate than other San Francisco hospitals because we are a trauma center," she told Vox. "Our ED facility fees reflect that."

6. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors sets the facility fees at Zuckerberg hospital and has voted for steady increases in recent years, according to Vox. Board members acknowledged to the publication that they hadn't closely watched the prices and said hearings on the issue are planned.

Access the full report here.

 

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