Thursday, May 9, 2013

Medicare Charges Aired - Indianapolis Hospitals

On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released data from 2011, listing the average charges by 3300 hospitals across the Country for each of 100 services.
As part of the Obama administration’s work to make our health care system more affordable and accountable, data are being released that show significant variation across the country and within communities in what hospitals charge for common inpatient services.
The hope is that transparency will aid in informing the customers of the range of charges for the same services, so that they can ask appropriate questions before they sign on the dotted line.

I ran across articles from the LA Times and the NY Times in yesterday's Google news feed about this.  The down loadable database on the CMMS webpage is searchable by city, state, procedure, etc.  So, I searched Indianapolis.  Then I pulled out the services where the range of charges were either at least two-fold, or the span was at least $25,000.  That narrowed the 100 services to 20.  Below is listed those 20, the hospitals that the CMMS database included as providing those services, and the average charge by each hospital.  Due to the limited width capacity of this blog space, I also uploaded more detail on these services to Google Drive - that document also including the number of patients involved and the average total payment made to each hospital for each service.  All numbers are from the CMMS database.

CMMS defines 'Average Covered Charges' as
The provider's average charge for services covered by Medicare for all discharges in the DRG [code for each service provided]. These will vary from hospital to hospital because of differences in hospital charge structures.
I have highlighted in red, the highest charge and hospital doing so, for each service, and highlighted in blue, the lowest charge and the hospital doing so, for each service.

177 - RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS & INFLAMMATIONS W MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 64,552
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 30,309
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 51,553
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 32,157
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 36,438
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 25,793


189 - PULMONARY EDEMA & RESPIRATORY FAILURE

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 34,705
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 18,772
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 36,482
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 23,818
INDIANA HEART HOSPITAL THE  $ 19,000
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 26,312
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 25,489


190 - CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE W MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 30,839
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 16,257
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 32,161
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 21,530
WESTVIEW HOSPITAL  $ 27,874
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 20,935
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 19,830


194 - SIMPLE PNEUMONIA & PLEURISY W CC

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 15,490
WESTVIEW HOSPITAL  $ 42,521
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 22,203
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 18,047


207 - RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DIAGNOSIS W VENTILATOR SUPPORT 96+ HOURS

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 90,280
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $113,156
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 93,587
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 82,166
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $104,773


252 - OTHER VASCULAR PROCEDURES W MCC

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 69,465
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 84,389
INDIANA HEART HOSPITAL THE  $ 98,842
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 80,402


253 - OTHER VASCULAR PROCEDURES W CC

WILLIAM N WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  $ 45,961
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 67,222
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 63,087
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 42,018
ST VINCENT HEART CENTER OF INDIANA LLC  $ 40,471
INDIANA HEART HOSPITAL THE  $ 77,320
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 48,518


280 - ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION, DISCHARGED ALIVE W MCC

COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 34,695
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 44,761
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 26,938
ST VINCENT HEART CENTER OF INDIANA LLC  $ 39,548
INDIANA HEART HOSPITAL THE  $ 42,377
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 40,149
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 20,020


300 - PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISORDERS W CC

WILLIAM N WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  $ 12,485
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 25,701
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 16,125
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 29,451
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 16,517
INDIANA HEART HOSPITAL THE  $ 13,131
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 19,656
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 15,930


329 - MAJOR SMALL & LARGE BOWEL PROCEDURES W MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $167,037
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 65,710
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $126,029
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 86,436
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 77,510


377 - G.I. HEMORRHAGE W MCC

WILLIAM N WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  $ 28,754
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 48,812
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 26,961
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 44,763
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 21,669
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 27,230
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 26,198


439 - DISORDERS OF PANCREAS EXCEPT MALIGNANCY W CC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 33,099
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 31,704
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 13,603


460 - SPINAL FUSION EXCEPT CERVICAL W/O MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $132,700
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 91,864
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $101,117
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $108,671
INDIANA ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL LLC  $ 52,680
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 92,249


473 - CERVICAL SPINAL FUSION W/O CC/MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 79,326
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 60,270
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 57,482
INDIANA ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL LLC  $ 34,108
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 55,374


480 - HIP & FEMUR PROCEDURES EXCEPT MAJOR JOINT W MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $106,125
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 84,693
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 56,874


698 - OTHER KIDNEY & URINARY TRACT DIAGNOSES W MCC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 52,815
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 37,306
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 17,470


699 - OTHER KIDNEY & URINARY TRACT DIAGNOSES W CC

INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 34,708
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 29,710
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 14,748
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 14,227


853 - INFECTIOUS & PARASITIC DISEASES W O.R. PROCEDURE W MCC

WILLIAM N WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  $ 78,183
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $176,566
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 89,746
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $128,228
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 94,702
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 77,922


871 - SEPTICEMIA OR SEVERE SEPSIS W/O MV 96+ HOURS W MCC

WILLIAM N WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  $ 24,792
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 54,135
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 33,402
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 45,947
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 30,444
WESTVIEW HOSPITAL  $ 61,698
FRANCISCAN ST FRANCIS HEALTH - INDIANAPOLIS  $ 39,768
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 30,282


917 - POISONING & TOXIC EFFECTS OF DRUGS W MCC

WILLIAM N WISHARD MEMORIAL HOSPITAL  $ 17,339
INDIANA UNIVERSITY HEALTH  $ 36,401
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL EAST  $ 20,535
ST VINCENT HOSPITAL & HEALTH SERVICES  $ 32,138
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL SOUTH  $ 15,835
COMMUNITY HOSPITAL NORTH  $ 21,435

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

How can hospitals in the same area, providing the same services have such a disparity? A difference of 100k for the same service...

Had Enough Indy? said...

There may be good reasons - or not. The point of putting out the data is so that folks ask.

Anonymous said...

I realize that there are many variables in an these costs; length of stay, age of the patient, severity of the condition etc. but we can see that in 10 of the 18 categories IU Health has the highest charges and in 13 of the 18 categories IU Health has the highest average total payments. When some of the average costs at IU Health are double the average of the lowest average cost at another provider I would ask more than a few questions.