A new report by CALPIRG Education Fund found large discrepancies between what California hospitals charge for common surgeries, such as cesarean-section births and knee replacements. The significant price variations, which appear unrelated to quality of care, could provide important insights into how to lower the rising costs of health care in California.
The report, Your Price May Vary: Geographic Variation in Hospital Charges in California, examines statewide data from the California Common Surgeries and Charges Comparison database – a record of the prices charged by hospitals for common, elective, in-patient surgeries widely performed at hospitals across the state.