Paid for by Colorado Hospital Association
HB23-1215
Background
As hospitals focus more on “whole person care,” population health, and keeping people healthy and out of the hospital, typically only the very sickest patients receive care as an inpatient at a hospital. Payment for patients who are hospitalized are made based on the patient’s diagnosis and the care received, which is known as a diagnostic related group (DRG).
Patients who receive care in an outpatient setting or physician’s office are charged for care differently. Those charges typically fall into two buckets:
- Professional fee, for the doctor and/or physician’s assistant
- Facility fee which pays for everyone and everything else
Why are these fees important?
Facility fees pay for patient care staff and support the broad variety of other staff and services necessary to provide world-class care.
Facility fees in settings outside the “four walls” of the hospital have supported the shift to an integrated model of care that emphasizes preventative, whole-person care prioritized by policymakers.
To ensure they can cover costs and be available to care for patients 24/7/365, hospitals charge facility fees that support routine operations and fill gaps created by a fragmented payment system.
Transparency of facility fees
Hospitals are held to strict transparency standards by the state and federal governments, which include the posting of facility fees as part of the charge master and price transparency postings.
Colorado organizations calling to oppose or amend House Bill 23-1215—a bill that will have negative effects across our state and reduce access to services that patients need.
- American Paramedic Association
- American Transplant Foundation
- American Medical Response
- Arvada Chamber
- Aurora Chamber of Commerce
- Aurora Health Alliance
- Aurora Mental Health
- Banner Health
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Centura Health
- Children’s Hospital Colorado
- City of Fort Collins
- Club 20
- CO Springs Chamber, Economic Development Council
- Colorado Chamber of Commerce
- Colorado Chapter of the National Association of EMS Physicians
- Colorado Competitive Council
- Colorado Concern
- Colorado Hospital Association
- Colorado Medical Society
- Colorado Mental Health Consortium
- Colorado Organization of Nurse Leaders
- Colorado Politics
- Colorado Springs Gazette
- Colorado Springs Health Foundation
- Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce
- Craig Hospital
- Denver Health and Hospital Authority
- Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce
- Denver South
- Douglas County Business Alliance
- Eastern Plains Healthcare Consortium
- Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado
- Epilepsy Foundation of Colorado and Wyoming
- Food for Thought Denver
- Grand Junction Sentinel
- HCA/HealthOne
- Heart of the Rockies
- Intermountain Healthcare/SCL Health
- Jamie Beck Family Foundation
- Jeffco EDC
- Jefferson County Business Lobby
- Lincoln Health
- Loveland Chamber of Commerce
- Miles for Migraine
- Mount Carmel Veterans Services Center
- National Jewish Health
- Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance
- Parker Chamber
- Pioneers Medical Center
- Pueblo Chamber
- Ray of Hope
- South Metro Denver Chamber
- UCHealth
- University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
- Western Healthcare Alliance
- Woodland Park Chamber