The report, “Price Variation in Massachusetts Health Care Services,” showed that in many cases the price for the same service differed six- to seven-fold. Median prices for inpatient stays such as cesarean deliveries were generally twice as high in the highest paid hospitals compared to the lowest paid hospitals. Price variation for services such as knee and lower leg procedures was reduced, although still present, with the highest paid hospitals receiving 61 percent more than the lowest paid hospital.
Despite wide gaps in price, quality metrics for the services studied revealed little measurable variation in quality between hospitals. In fact, data indicated that the lower priced hospitals often have slightly higher quality scores than higher priced hospitals. Milford (Mass.) Regional Medical Center and Boston’s Tufts Medical Center have slightly higher quality scores for deliveries, but prices that are lower than or near the median hospital price, respectively.
Read the DHCFP release on Massachusetts healthcare cost trends.
Read “Price Variation in Massachusetts Health Care Services” (pdf).
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