“Health care costs in New Jersey will soon plummet. Here’s why,” app.com, May 31:
On behalf of the physicians at South Jersey Radiology Associates and Larchmont Medical Imaging mentioned in Michael Basler’s op-ed, we dispute his position for failing to give his readers the full truth. In his op-ed, he praised Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield for cutting ties with medical organizations like ours.
Imagine you are a long-time employee of a company. All of your performance reviews have been very positive and you are clearly one of the best employees in the company. Although you are doing well and the company continues to increase its profits every year, you haven’t had a raise in seven years. With inflation causing your expenses to rise, you find yourself having to ask your employer for a raise to cover your living expenses. You finally work up the courage to ask for a raise, but instead of listening and discussing it, your employer responds that you will have to accept a pay cut to stay with the company.
How would you feel in this situation? What would you do?
Unfortunately, this is the situation we found ourselves in with Horizon.
SJRA and Larchmont have been the premier provider of radiology services in Southern New Jersey for over 50 years. We were the first in the region to be designated a Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence and are the only non-hospital designated comprehensive breast imaging center in the region accredited by the American College of Radiology. Thousands of patients turn to our services each year to find the answers they need for important medical diagnoses or to find out if the treatment they or their family are receiving is working.
By leaving SJRA and Larchmont out of its network, Horizon has limited patients’ access to radiology services at 16 convenient free-standing locations, including four women’s centers that serve as alternatives to costly hospital-based imaging. Rather than reducing costs as the authors suggest, the result for many patients will be that imaging costs will be up to five times higher than if they were treated in a hospital outpatient department. They may also have to wait longer for appointments, a major concern for patients with breast cancer screening or follow-up imaging ordered by their physicians.
The healthcare industry, like many others, is experiencing cost pressures due to increasing operational expenses necessary to provide high quality care to patients. SJRA and Larchmont have invested heavily in advanced technology to remain leaders in providing high quality, cost-effective diagnostic imaging services. However, Larchmont has not received a fee increase from Horizon in over five years, and SJRA in over seven years. When we determined we needed to approach Horizon about new fees that would reflect the significant increases in the costs of providing high quality care, Horizon actually proposed a significant fee reduction.
This decision was not made lightly. As physicians, we were and remain concerned about how Horizon’s out-of-network status would impact the patients who look to us for answers. We have negotiated in good faith and attempted to reach a common position that takes into account the increased costs of providing the high-quality care our community deserves. But lowering prices while absorbing unprecedented increases in operating costs is not possible for any company.
While the authors welcome Horizon’s move as a victory for the free market, the broader, long-term implications for New Jersey patients’ ability to access the health care providers of their choice must be carefully considered. We are committed to advocating for you and your right to choose your health care provider, and we hope that Horizon will reconsider its position and negotiate with us in good faith to ensure that health care remains equitable, accessible, and of the highest quality for our community.
Dr. Kevin Barry practices at Larchmont Imaging Associates in Mount Laurel, and Dr. Greg Goodworth practices at South Jersey Radiology Associates in Vorhees Township.
