Costs for common medical procedures were up to 58 percent higher when they were performed in a hospital outpatient department compared to a doctor’s office, an analysis from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association found. Blue Health Intelligence analyzed commercial claims data for 133 million Blue Cross and Blue Shield members from 2017 to 2022 to assess the difference in allowed costs for common outpatient services across settings. The analysis included six services: mammogram, colonoscopy screening, diagnostic colonoscopy, cataract surgery, ear tympanostomy, and clinical visit.