Latest news with #MercyHealth
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hospitals are now required to post clear prices for procedures
The state of Ohio now has a new law in place mandating that hospitals and healthcare systems make the price of every service they offer readily available to consumers. The idea is that you will soon be able to shop around for non-emergent procedures with the prices listed clearly in dollars and cents. News Center 7's Nick Foley looks closely into the change and whether it will make a difference. Imagine knowing exactly what you will be charged for a knee replacement, an appendectomy, or even a blood test. That has been the goal of a federal law since 2021 requiring hospitals across the country to have openly accessible files that include prices for every item and service they provide, but several watchdog groups say that just hasn't been the case. [DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] TRENDING STORIES: City IDs 3 family members killed after being hit train in Ohio; Toddler remains hospitalized Wawa awaits approval to take the place of vacant Frisch's restaurant, active apartment complex Grammy-nominated R&B artist to perform at Fraze Pavilion Ilaria Santagelo is the director of Research for Patient Rites Advocate website ( and she said the most recent report by her group in November revealed that the three largest systems in the area – Miami Valley Hospital, Kettering Health, and Mercy Health in Springfield were not compliant. 'Unfortunately, 69 out of 80 hospitals we reviewed in Ohio are not compliant with the federal price transparency rule,' Santangelo said. She continued by saying, 'If you go look at them, you're going to see the estimates, you're going to see the algorithms, and you're going to see those complicated formulas in lieu of dollars and cents prices, which will inhibit all Ohioans availability to be able to shop for care.' Foley said he reviewed the websites of all three Miami Valley hospital systems, looking to compare prices for a common back MRI. To find an estimate, you need to scroll to the bottom of the site and follow the prompts for price transparency. Then, you are given the option to find estimates by inputting insurance information or skipping the step to go without. Miami Valley Hospital and Premier Health revealed an estimated amount of just over $1,700. Springfield Regional/Mercy Health shows the procedure at just under $1,300. Meanwhile, Kettering Health posted an estimate of $965. However, keep in mind, estimates do not always equal actual charges. Ohio Representative Tim Barhorst of Ft. Loramie is determined to change the current landscape, co-sponsoring the Hospital Transparency Act that became law last month. The idea is to help patients understand and compare costs, and mandate that all systems put their services into dollars and cents or face fines. 'Many of them never had intensity compliant, and that's why this law in Ohio, Hospital Transparency Bill, was required to do this, and that's why we did it,' Barhorst said. The Ohio Department of Health is responsible for monitoring compliance and imposing penalties. Barhorst says ultimately it will be up to the patient on how the information provided affects their decisions, and he hopes long-term, other states will put similar measures into place. 'I think you're going to see the healthcare market go from a broken market with no prices and no real use for the consumer and the patient to having vibrant technology tools developed where we could use this, these prices, to help folks get the best price at the best location, and get the best outcomes as we move forward,' Barhorst said. As part of this story, News Center 7 reached out to Premier Health, Kettering Health, and Mercy Health in Springfield. All three declined on-camera interviews, but issued the following statements: Kettering Health Statement: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has confirmed Kettering Health is fully compliant with all price transparency guidelines. Because we are committed to continuous improvement, we validate our work with a third-party expert who specializes in this area and shares best practices. Community members can easily access the bill estimator tool on Kettering Health's website to better understand healthcare costs for an upcoming visit. This consumer-friendly tool provides a personalized estimate, including out-of-pocket costs, based on insurance and deductibles. Kettering Health also has customer service representatives available to answer questions related to billing, estimates, and costs of services. Though healthcare and its cost structure can be complex, Kettering Health is committed to creating exceptional experiences for everyone we serve by making healthcare easier to access, understand, and navigate. Premier Health Statement: Premier Health is committed to providing pricing information to help our patients make informed health care decisions and is fully compliant with federal and state price transparency regulations. Mercy Health (Springfield Regional): Mercy Health believes strongly in patient-centric price transparency, and helping our patients understand their potential liabilities and costs is important to us. We understand finances are part of patients' decision-making, and to do so, they need the best information possible. As such, we are committed to fully complying with hospital price transparency laws and are confident in our adherence to these regulations. Our pricing information has been reviewed and successfully passed the CMS Machine-Readable File (MRF) validator tool, ensuring that our data meets the required format and specifications outlined by CMS. All three also told News Center they are fully compliant with federal laws and are committed to being transparent with pricing. [SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Breakfast brings awareness for Mental Health Awareness Month
May 14—LIMA — Green was a prominent color at the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Allen, Auglaize and Hardin Counties' annual breakfast honoring Mental Health Awareness Month on Wednesday in Lima. The green T-shirts provided to attendees had a message of "Be seen" on the front and "Courage starts with showing up & letting ourselves be seen," a quote from Brené Brown, on the back. According to data provided during the presentation, overdose deaths decreased by 35 percent in Allen County and 9 percent in Ohio from 2022 to 2023. Tammie Colon, executive director of the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board for Allen, Auglaize and Hardin Counties, expressed pride in the ongoing collaboration that continues to play a prominent role in the community. "We could never accomplish that work in our community independently. It is the work of not only our providers, but it's the community embracing the challenge they had in front of them in all venues," Colon said. Russ Thomas, executive director of We Care Regional Quality Recovery Housing and an independent contractor with the mental health board, labeled his former addiction battle as experience and training to assist those who battle today. "I know firsthand how these things can spiral out of control, and they can eventually lead to many issues but the folks we serve suffer from," Thomas said. "The training I have doesn't come from a textbook, it comes from years of torment and destruction that addiction can cause." Twenty-seven clients are on the recent Access to Wellness grant, Thomas said. "Out of those 27, only two have returned to crisis services, and the remaining 25 are living self-sustained lives," he said. Over the same time period, suicide rates were up 30 percent in Allen County. Colon assured attendees the board will remain focused on the issue. "We're very aware that we did not continue to hold this statistic down, and we will be working very hard to show a difference next year," Colon said. "That's not acceptable for our community. It hurts my heart to know we've experienced those losses." Tyler Smith, a volunteer board member and community health director at Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center, shared the support Mercy Health has for the mental health and recovery services board. "By doing so, they allow me to attend our monthly board meetings (and) be involved in initiatives like this, all while representing Allen County," Smith said. The board has seven employees helping in three counties. "In my world, that means you have three sets of county commissioners that you have to address, three sets of sheriffs, multiple police departments, three superintendents," Colon said. The board strives to meet its goal of being a local organization making sure those with mental health illness live successfully in the community. "It's our job to plan for services and invest in services to ensure we're capitalizing on all of our resources," Colon said. In 2024, the board had an operating budget of $13 million, $6 million of which came from levies, according to data provided by Colon. Allen County Commissioner Brian Winegardner read a proclamation in support of Mental Health Awareness Month. Anyone in crisis can call the 24/7 local Hopeline at 1-800-567-HOPE (4673) or 988. For local resources, contact 211. Reach Cade Higgins at 567-242-0351 Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Warren hospital takes big step for life-saving care
WARREN, Ohio (WKBN) — A big step for life-saving care has just happened in the Valley. An expansion at St. Joseph Warren Hospital has reduced the need for patients to go somewhere else for specialized heart care. St. Joseph Warren Hospital got an emergency patient at 4 o'clock Tuesday morning. It was not routine. 'He was having chest pain for eight hours before he came in. When we took the first picture, his artery was blocked 100%,' said Dr. Fadi Naddour, interventional cardiologist. That's called a STEMI, and blood flow needs to be restored to the heart as quickly as possible. Lucky for the man from Texas, St. Joseph had just started around-the-clock treatment of STEMI patients. 'Time is heart, and the longer it takes you to travel somewhere, the more likely your heart is to be damaged off, permanently and irreversible,' said Jill Stefanucci-Uberti, VP of medical operations. Previously, patients would've been transferred to Mercy Health facilities in Youngstown or Cleveland. But the new team at St. Joseph did the work. 'The entire procedure took about 15 minutes, and he became chest pain free afterwards, and his EKG became so much better,' Naddour said. St. Joseph embarked on this journey about a year ago. It opened a cath lab and has completed 140 catheterizations. It's also broadened access to pacemaker procedures. Some members of the team came from right down the road. 'I mean, we've been doing this at Trumbull for 20 years, and after Trumbull has closed, St Joe took over completely, so we transferred the entire team, the entire process,' Naddour said. 'You have plenty of new, fresh people who are excited to learn, who want to be a part of the process, who provided the heavy lift before Trumbull actually closed,' Stefanucci-Uberti said. The first overnight STEMI patient is doing well and was expected to be released from the hospital Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
St. Elizabeth Hospital adding bed counts with new unit
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) – A new medical care wing is open at Mercy Health's main campus in Youngstown Just a week after opening a new intermediate care wing, there are already 10 more patients at the Saint Elizabeth main campus in Youngstown. Administrators say they started working toward this before the COVID-19 pandemic. 'You don't just come up with beds unless you are going to build a whole new tower, so we had to be strategic,' said St. Elizabeth President Kathy Hanley. The new wing will involve patients who no longer need acute emergency care, but are not well enough to be in a general medical area. 'The patients that we're seeing are acute, sick, ill patients. A lot of them are coming from the emergency room department or stepdown from our intensive care,' said Cathy Ronci, director of inpatient nursing. For decades, this space had been leased by Select Specialty Hospital, which moved out last year. After a multi-million dollar remodeling project and purchasing new equipment, Saint E's will now be able to handle up to 60 intermediate patients. The addition also comes as Insight Trumbull in Warren has closed indefinitely and Sharon Regional Medical Center was shut down for several months but has since reopened. 'So did the need increase? Absolutely, it did, but we were already, thankfully, on that trajectory,' Hanley said. Administrators say some of the staff from Insight came to St. E's. 'I actually hired three. Two of them are nurses and another one is a unit secretary that has intermediate background,' Ronci said. As for the future, there are more expansions planned for the hospital's neuro-intensive care unit. 'We have grown so much in our neurosciences, and so there is a need for more of those beds, and we're working towards that, also,' Hanley said. Sixteen more beds are expected to be added this fall. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mercy Health, Cigna reach agreement
Apr. 2—LIMA — Mercy Health has an agreement to keep Cigna commercial health insurance plans in its network, the hospital system announced Wednesday morning. The health network and insurance company entered contract negotiations earlier this year to set hospital and other medical prices for Cigna commercial health insurance plans. The two parties reached an agreement Tuesday following a 24-hour contract extension to avoid a lapse in coverage for the estimated 30,000 Ohioans insured through Cigna commercial insurance plans who visit Mercy Health providers, including Mercy Health-St. Rita's Medical Center in Lima. "We believe that access to quality health care services is vital for our community members," said Dr. Matt Owens, chief clinical officer for Mercy Health-Lima, in a news release. "After several months of negotiations, we are pleased to have reached a new agreement that protects our patients' access to affordable, compassionate care close to home. "Having access to the providers you know and trust is critical for the health of our community, and we are grateful to our patients who entrust us with their care. We look forward to serving you for years to come." Health systems and insurance companies routinely negotiate prices for medical services, but patients are increasingly finding themselves at the center of those negotiations. Mercy Health urged patients to contact Cigna while negotiations were underway this year, as the health system alleged Cigna had not provided a rate increase for six years in some markets. Meanwhile, Cigna alleged the price increases Mercy Health wanted would "make healthcare unaffordable" for its customers. The two parties last negotiated prices for employer-sponsored health insurance plans in 2022. The disputes are often resolved without disruption in coverage, but patients can lose access to their doctors or pay higher out-of-network prices when a health system decides to stop accepting an insurance plan. Nearly 50,000 Ohioans insured through Anthem-managed Medicaid insurance plans temporarily lost in-network access to Mercy Health hospitals and medical practices in Ohio two years ago, as the health system sought higher reimbursement rates from Anthem's commercial insurance plans. The health system threated to terminate its contract with Anthem Medicare Advantage plans that same year, though the two parties reached an agreement before those patients lost coverage. Featured Local Savings
