During an April 28 hearing on Capitol Hill, federal lawmakers repeatedly asked health system CEOs why procedures like colonoscopies are several times more expensive when performed at a hospital – or health system-owned outpatient facility – compared to an independent ambulatory surgery center (ASC). In their responses, Sam Hazen of HCA Healthcare Inc. (NYSE: HCA) and CommonSpirit Health’s Wright Lassiter III conceded that there may be some merit in site-neutral payment reforms, which would … [Read more...]