The study, published in the Archives of Surgery, also found that while surgical patients were generally not as ill as other patients, their daily cost of treatment ($2,900) was more than double that of non-surgical patients ($1,400).
The study also found that the 15 most expensive procedures — which include angioplasties, cesarean deliveries, knee replacement and spinal fusion, among other procedures — accounted for half of all procedure-related hospitals costs and one-fourth of all total hospital costs.
Read the HFMA report on surgical costs.
