“Massachusetts residents have a right to transparency when it comes to their health care and should not be subjected to surprise billing practices when seeking medical care,” Healey said in a statement. “Health care providers should take the appropriate steps to provide consumers with adequate information to allow them to make informed health care decisions and avoid unexpected charges.”
Healey's office said their investigation started after complaints from patients of South Shore Hospital where South Shore Anesthesia Associates provided services. Though the hospital was in-network for the patients, the anesthesia practice was not.
"(Patients) were being charged significantly more than they would have been charged for an in-network anesthesia provider," Healey's office said. "After receiving a bill, the patients found out for the first time that (South Shore Anesthesia Associates), the anesthesia provider at South Shore Hospital, was out of network."