Migliaccio & Rathod LLP is investigating whether Sibley Memorial Hospital, part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, failed to adequately disclose outpatient facility fees charged in addition to physician fees for routine outpatient medical care.
Patients often schedule appointments believing they are visiting an ordinary physician’s office, only to later discover a separate hospital outpatient facility fee added to their bill. These additional charges may substantially increase the cost of routine office visits, imaging appointments, or specialty consultations without meaningful advance notice.
Consumers may have been deprived of the opportunity to compare prices or seek treatment elsewhere before incurring the additional expense.
What Consumers Report
Consumers report:
- Receiving unexpected hospital outpatient facility fees.
- Paying separate physician and hospital charges for one appointment.
- Learning about the facility fee only after receiving an EOB.
- Not being warned about the additional charge during scheduling.
- Routine office visits costing hundreds of dollars more than expected.
- Difficulty understanding why two separate bills were issued.
Why Consumers Should Be Concerned
Consumers should know the full expected cost of healthcare before deciding where to receive treatment. If mandatory facility fees are not clearly disclosed before appointments are scheduled, patients may unknowingly agree to significantly higher medical costs.
This investigation seeks to determine whether Sibley Memorial Hospital adequately disclosed outpatient facility fees before treatment and whether consumers were misled regarding the total cost of care.
Potential Claims May Include
- Violation of the D.C. Consumer Protection Procedures Act
- Material Omissions
- False or Misleading Price Advertising
- Deceptive Trade Practices
- Unjust Enrichment
Signs You May Be Affected
You may be affected if:
- You received outpatient care at Sibley Memorial Hospital or a Sibley-owned physician clinic.
- Your visit occurred within the past three years.
- Your bill included both physician and facility charges.
- The facility fee was not disclosed before your appointment.
- You paid part of the additional charge.
- You still possess your billing records or explanation of benefits.
If you have encountered these issues, we would like to hear from you. Please complete the contact form on this page, send us an email at [email protected], or give us a call at (202) 470-3520.