Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Face Quandaries Over Questionable Billing Schemes

July 3, 2018

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Two rural Missouri hospitals recently handed over their operations to a private company that promised to turn them around with a billing practice it calls “a lab outreach program.”

But the approach that company is using is drawing attention from lawmakers and Missouri’s auditor. It is similar to a tactic underway at 20 rural hospitals in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida and California.

Read California Healthline’s previous coverage of this topic: “Outsiders Swoop In Vowing To Rescue Rural Hospitals Short On Hope — And Money” by California Healthline senior correspondent Barbara Feder Ostrov.

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Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Face Quandaries Over Questionable Billing Schemes

July 3, 2018

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<h1>Vulnerable Rural Hospitals Face Quandaries Over Questionable Billing Schemes</h1><p>				<iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/617876814/625565964"
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				Two rural Missouri hospitals recently handed over their operations to a private company that promised to turn them around with a billing practice it calls “a lab outreach program.”</p>
<p>But the approach that company is using <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/07/03/617876814/vulnerable-rural-hospitals-face-tough-decisions-on-questionable-billing-schemes">is drawing attention from lawmakers and Missouri’s auditor</a>. It is similar to a tactic underway at 20 rural hospitals in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida and <a href="https://californiahealthline.org/news/outsiders-swoop-in-vowing-to-rescue-rural-hospitals-short-on-hope-and-money/">California</a>.</p>
<p>Read California Healthline’s previous coverage of this topic: “<a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/outsiders-swoop-in-vowing-to-rescue-rural-hospitals-short-on-hope-and-money/">Outsiders Swoop In Vowing To Rescue Rural Hospitals Short On Hope — And Money</a>” by California Healthline senior correspondent Barbara Feder Ostrov.</p>

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