5 takeaways from STAT’s investigation into microhospital operator Nutex Health

A STAT Investigation 5 takeaways from STAT’s investigation into microhospital operator Nutex Health Nutex profited from loopholes in laws meant to protect patients, STAT found Manage alerts for this article Email this article Share this article By Tara BannowJune 29, 2026 Hospitals and Insurance Reporter Tara Bannow[email protected]Tara covers the business of health care. Her stories focus on hospitals, doctors, and how their business practices affect patients — especially when private equity gets involved. She also writes about health insurance and ideas for improving our broken health system.

You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70. Nutex Health is a Houston-based microhospital operator whose finances have been transformed by the No Surprises Act’s arbitration process. STAT took a close look at the company and discovered it’s far from a typical hospital operator.

Uninsured patients report being turned away if they don’t pay up front Several patients told STAT they visited Nutex’s emergency rooms and were refused care unless they paid up front. One of those patients went to another hospital and discovered he’d suffered a heart attack. Nutex claims it screens all patients for medical emergencies and won’t turn anyone away who’s experiencing one.

Advertisement Nutex’s profit soared after it started using No Surprises Act arbitration The company teetered on the edge of bankruptcy after the No Surprises Act banned balance billing, but less than a year after Nutex began filing arbitration disputes, its revenue tripled and profit grew nearly twelvefold. Nutex relies on HaloMD to takes its disputes through arbitration HaloMD is a Texas-based middleman whose tactics are the subject of multiple lawsuits. A STAT investigation found that the couple behind the company built their wealth on profit-sharing arrangements with surgeons that sources described as unethical and potentially illegal.

Nutex investors are suing, government agencies investigating In multiple lawsuits that are now combined, Nutex investors accuse the company of hiding its partnership with HaloMD and say the dubious arrangement exposes the company to further legal risks. Nutex’s practices are being investigated by regulators in Idaho and New Mexico. Advertisement Patients say they received exorbitant bills STAT interviewed patients who had to pay thousands of dollars for brief visits to Nutex hospitals, and their health insurers were charged even more.

Previously, during the Covid-19 pandemic, patients said Nutex billed their insurers between $2,000 and $5,000 for Covid-19 tests. One family’s insurance paid Nutex $21,000 for five tests. Read more: The ERs that can turn patients away — and are reaping millions Congress, health care costs, Health insurance, hospitals, Policy Submit a correction requestReprints Tara Bannow Hospitals and Insurance Reporter Tara covers the business of health care.

Her stories focus on hospitals, doctors, and how their business practices affect patients — especially when private equity gets involved. She also writes about health insurance and ideas for improving our broken health system. You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70.

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