Hospitals buying up physician practices and other outpatient facilities to boost profits has become a problematic pattern – and patients in Florida are paying the price.

Cleveland Clinic’s expansion into Florida’s Treasure Coast has brought surprise medical bills disguised as “facility fees”.

Patients are being hit with steep “facility fees” for routine visits, sometimes doubling their expected costs. A simple doctor’s appointment that once cost a $50 co-pay now comes with an extra $174 fee, even when the visit happens outside of a hospital.

Many patients report receiving no prior warning about these fees, no improvements in their care, and are struggling to afford the extra cost. As health systems like Cleveland Clinic acquire more outpatient practices, these fees are becoming the norm—not the exception.

With over half of U.S. physicians now employed by hospitals or health systems, and deductibles rising year after year, patients are left exposed and vulnerable.

Hospital consolidation drives up cost and reduces patient choice. Experts agree that facility fees for routine care inflate bills without adding real value.

A simple solution for these rising costs: site neutral. It’s a policy solution that simply means patients pay the same price for medical services, regardless of whether the service is provided at a hospital or a doctor’s office.

Site neutral helps protect patients from unexpected charges and inflated costs when hospitals buy doctors’ offices and start billing at higher rates.

It’s an important step toward transparency and fairness, ensuring people pay reasonable prices for their healthcare. Better Solutions is committed to honest and transparent billing and putting patients before profits.