The American College of Surgeons (ACS) responded to a recently published Washington Post opinion piece describing a patient's experience with surprise medical billing, in which the patient had an upsetting interaction with the surgeon regarding treatment costs.

As the patient was being prepared for an emergency appendectomy, she was told that she would be responsible for the surgeon's full fee because the provider was out of the patient's insurance network.

The ACS letter to the editor, written by Executive Director David B. Hoyt, MD, FACS, was published January 17.