After the release of medical billing records by Medicare, a few things have come to light that should concern patients more than a little.
Apart from the great disparity of fees, and billing practices that are unfair, there is now news that the state of New Jersey has the highest billing fees in the country.
If you get sick, in other words, don't get sick in New Jersey.
The hospitals there are higher not by a percentage, by fourfold. That's 400% more.
Pricing comparisons were made of more than 100 different treatments. and the average surplus in cost was 400%. In some cases it was higher of course, and in some lower. Bayonne was 4.1 times the national average, while Crozer Chester in Upland was 3.7 times higher.
In one case Bayonne medical had charged five times, or 500% more than other hospitals for chronic lung disease treatment. It also charged 600% more for treating a type of stroke that leaves now posthumous symptoms.
And the higher prices do not even translate in better medical care. Bayonne is in the average when it comes to performance.
Notwithstanding the higher prices, the hospital at Bayonne has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2007. But since they filed, profits have surged. In 2011 the hospital's revenue was almost triple what it was the years before.
Source : San Fran Chronicle 5.17.13
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