NCCI: Emergency Room Facility, Transportation Costs on the Rise

The increase in facility costs for emergency room treatment has outpaced the growth in the hospital outpatient producer price index, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. NCCI said in a research brief published Thursday that facility fees account for about 73% of costs for emergency room visits. Facility costs have increased at a rate of about three times greater than the increase in the hospital outpatient producer price index. “Several factors may account for this, including fewer cost-containment measures (e.g. fee schedules) for facilities compared with physi...