Researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the degree of charge variation between hospitals for 10 common blood tests using charge data reported by all non-federal California hospitals to the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development in 2011.
According to the study, charges for a lipid panel ranged from $10 to $10,169, a 1,000-fold difference. Government and teaching hospitals were found to charge significantly less than their counterparts for many blood tests, but few other hospital characteristics and no market-level predictors significantly predicted charges for blood tests.
These findings demonstrate the seemingly arbitrary nature of the charge setting process, making it difficult for patients to act as true consumers in this era of ‘consumer-directed healthcare,’ concluded study authors.
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