Recent investigations revealed that private equity-backed Intuitive Health has billed routine urgent care patients thousands of dollars for emergency services without obtaining standard upgrade consent. Simultaneously, a federal judge overturned a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rule on medical frailty, potentially delaying the 2027 implementation of Medicaid work requirements. In oncology, medical researchers mapped 189 colorectal tumors to identify why younger patients often face poorer outcomes.
Key points
Dual-model clinics face scrutiny for failing to secure patient consent before upgrading s…: Dual-model clinics face scrutiny for failing to secure patient consent before upgrading standard care to emergency room billing.
Legal pushback against unauthorized agency overreach could stall the planned 2027 rollout…: Legal pushback against unauthorized agency overreach could stall the planned 2027 rollout of mandatory Medicaid work requirements.
Ongoing research aims to uncover treatable biological characteristics in colorectal cance…: Ongoing research aims to uncover treatable biological characteristics in colorectal cancer patients who are under 35 years old.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
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Buongiorno! As you put the final touches on your Halloween costumes, here is a spooky story for you: Imagine going to urgent care for something as trivial as a UTI, and getting a bill for $1,756, on top of $211 you already paid at the clinic! Keep reading to learn more.
When urgent care becomes emergency care
Intuitive Health, a private equity-backed company that runs about 50 hybrid ER-urgent care clinics, was launched on the idea that it could offer an alternative to costly hospital visits, providing under the same roof a clinic for uncomplicated issues and an ER in case of necessity.
But for many patients, the opposite has happened: They came in with simple, urgent care-appropriate conditions but were billed for ER services — think close to $2,000 for an UTI or $7,000 ($2,100 after insurance) for congestion and cough. Company officials say every patient should be asked to sign a form before the “upgrade,” but Tara Bannow found…
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