As previously blogged, the state of Oregon launched a Web site enabling consumers to compare the costs of 80 different procedures performed at the state’s hospitals. FierceHealthcare today reports that Oregon’s attempt at hospital pricing transparency reveals much variation among the fees paid by insurance companies to pay hospitals for similar services.
They cite examples of this wide variation with Ashland Community Hospital having received 71% more than the state average for knee joint replacements. Providence Medford Medical Center was paid 46% above the average for appendectomies, while and Rogue Valley Medical Center was paid 51% more than the state average for certain intestinal surgery.
On a similar topic, we recently blogged about a report released by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council that found hospitals in Pennsylvania that were paid most to perform cardiac bypass surgery had lengths of stays and death rates comparable to the lowest-paid hospitals. The report indicated there was comparable quality of care performance for hospitals regardless of rate of medical payment.