Prohibits the addition of facility fees when healthcare services are not rendered on a hospital campus.

Rhode Island Bill: Preventing Unwarranted Facility Fees

This bill would ban healthcare providers from charging "facility fees" when medical services are provided at locations that are not physically on a hospital's campus. A facility fee is an extra charge that hospitals and hospital-owned clinics often add to a patient's bill — on top of the doctor's fee — simply for using their facility. These fees can sometimes add hundreds of dollars to a medical visit, even for routine appointments.

The problem this bill is trying to address is that many hospitals have been buying up private doctor's offices and clinics while keeping those offices in their original, off-campus locations. Once those practices become hospital-owned, they often begin charging facility fees — even though the patient is visiting the same neighborhood doctor's office they always have, not a traditional hospital building. Patients are frequently surprised by these additional charges, which can appear on their bills without clear explanation.

This bill would directly affect patients who receive care at off-campus, hospital-owned clinics or medical offices, potentially saving them money on unexpected fees. It would also affect hospitals and health systems that currently collect these fees from off-campus locations, as they would no longer be permitted to do so. Insurance companies and government health programs like Medicaid could also be impacted, since facility fees are often billed to insurers as well as individuals. The bill has been referred to the House Health & Human Services Committee for review.