With health care consolidation across the Hudson Valley region, some patients are struggling to navigate ever-evolving barriers to booking and paying for health care services.
Wait times to see some doctors amid a historic wave of hospital and physician group mergers over the past decade, according to feedback from USA TODAY Network's audience outreach and Better Business Bureau complaint data. From prolonged periods of time to increased medical billing bureaucracy, it has become clear that health care integration is fraught with pitfalls.
Concerns that health care mergers nationwide are leading to higher prices and lower quality for patients also include new Federal Trade Commission guidelines released last month aimed at reducing the negative effects of corporate acquisitions. facilitated extensive federal antitrust enforcement;
FTC Chairman Lina M. Khan said in a statement: “Decades of corporate consolidation have contributed to rising costs across the health care market, and Americans are now shifting from life-saving drugs to hospital visits. “We're paying more for everything.”
Khan added that “protecting fair competition and eradicating illegal business practices in the health care market is a top priority” for federal agencies.
To better understand the impact in New York, the USA TODAY Network has provided the following information about key players in the Hudson Valley healthcare landscape and important state resources for filing complaints and challenging questionable medical practices. We have collected the details.
Hudson Valley healthcare merger wars: Who owns what?
Some important recent medical mergers have involved physician groups joining regional and national health systems.
In 2022, caremount medical, is part of a group of More than 2,100 providers serving more than 1.6 million patients The move to participate across the Hudson Valley and New York City has been finalized. optumone of the nation's largest provider group owners. There are 53,000 doctors nationwide.
westmed medical group,it is Approximately 500 physicians and 1,500 clinical personnel Participating at locations spanning New York State and Westchester County, Connecticut summit healthmedical network Over 12,000 workers across five states.
Hospital quality: New York state's hospital safety ranking is the worst in the nation.Check your local hospital grade
The moves come after health systems based in New York City and Long Island expanded into the Hudson Valley, creating regional hospital networks and fierce competition for patients. They include:
- Westchester Medical Center Health Network, or WMC Healththis is 1,700-bed medical system and 9 hospitals Beyond the Hudson Valley.Overall, there is more We have 13,000 employees and nearly 3,000 attending physicians.
- Montefiore Health Systemstraddle 10 hospitals and more 200 outpatient treatment facilities Straddling New York City and the Hudson Valley.
- northwell health,it is 21 hospitals and more 850 outpatient facilities It traverses Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and other parts of the state.
- New York and Presbyterian Health Systemswhich includes: 190+ sites Includes New York City and the entire Hudson Valley Two hospitals in Westchester County.
Includes other Hudson Valley health systems Nuvance Health, what you have 7 hospitals Across Connecticut and New York, garnet healththere is more 4,150 employees.
Additionally, specialized providers such as: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Special surgery hospital has opened a site in Westchester, increasing the pressure on existing players.
How to File a Medical Complaint in New York State
The state Department of Health has oversight duties regarding hospitals and health-related complaints.
More information about filing an online complaint is available on the agency's website at health.ny.gov and for physician practice complaints through the Office of Professional Medical Practice hotline at 1-800-663-6114.
Medical complaints: New Yorkers fought health insurance denials 41,000 times last year. Did the complaints have any effect?
Other state agencies, such as the Department of Financial Services, handle some complaints related to health care financing, such as illegal surprise medical bills, through a hotline (800) 342-3736 or by email at surprisemedicalbills@dfs.ny. We have a system in place to process it.government
The state attorney general's office also has a health department complaint hotline at 1-800-428-9071 or an online portal at ag.ny.gov.
what is your story?
Do you believe that health care mergers in the Hudson Valley, particularly in Westchester and Rockland counties, have experienced a decline in health care services and health care outcomes?
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