Hospitals Charging Wildly Different Amounts for Same Conditions, Report Finds

For the first time, there’s a comprehensive, nation-wide report on what hospitals charge for services.

The federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services just released a massive compilation of cost data for more than 3,000 facilities.

In the unfortunate event you are admitted to an Atlanta-area hospital for the condition, it’s going to be an expensive stay. But how expensive is a roll of the dice. 

DeKalb Medical Center Hillandale in Lithonia charges an average of about $18,000 for treatment, according to CMS data.  

Check into North Fulton Regional Medical Center in Roswell, and your bill could average $79,000–more than four times as much.

“From a consumer standpoint, the numbers don’t really matter,” says Georgia Hospital Association spokesman Kevin Bloy.  

He says it’s unlikely anyone pays a hospital’s full sticker price.

“Depending on what rate your insurance company has negotiated, or what Medicare and Medicaid are going to pay, those charges are not going to be anywhere near what those rates are,” he says.

So what’s behind the numbers?  

Bloy says hospital pricing has a complexity of drivers, such as how many insured patients walk through the doors, and whether it’s a teaching hospital.

He adds other factors—like quality of care—are better indicators when it comes to choosing a healthcare facility. 

(North Fulton Regional, and its parent company, Tenet, did not provide a response to WABE’s request for comment.)