HOSPITAL PRICES: The City Council is expected to pass a resolution today calling on state lawmakers to pass the Fair Pricing Act, a bill that caps how much hospitals can charge for certain routine outpatient procedures such as colonoscopies and vaccines. The bill, sponsored by Manhattan state Sen. Liz Krueger and Bronx Assemblywoman Chantal Jackson, would prohibit hospitals from charging more than 150% of the Medicare rate for a list of basic outpatient procedures, aligning health systems’ outpatient charges with lower rates typically paid in doctor’s offices. The council’s resolution, sponsored by Councilwoman Lynn Schulman, who chairs the health committee, will be brought for a vote at a full council meeting beginning at 1:30 p.m. today.
NEW X-RAY: Hospital for Special Surgery is adding another X-ray machine to its clinic in Uniondale. The health system plans to renovate an extra conference room at the HSS Long Island Outpatient Center to accommodate the facility’s fifth machine, according to a filing with the state Department of Health. The $1 million project will help the clinic meet a growing demand for diagnosing and treating musculoskeletal conditions on an outpatient basis. Volume at the site has more than doubled since 2020, jumping from roughly 9,000 to close to 19,000 in 2024, the filing states.
