BIG NEWS
By Jim KeyworthGazette Blog Editor
Medicare has just released data on how much the health care industry charges for the 100 most common medical procedures and Payson Regional Medical Center (PRMC) has the third highest price markup in Arizona. In a front page graphic in today's (Saturday, May 11) Arizona Republic, PRMC is shown charging $108,200 for a joint replacement (highest in the state) compared to the state's lowest charge for the same procedure - $15,527 at Tuba City Regional Health Care.
The Republic article by Ken Alltucker and Ronald J. Hansen lists Western Regional Medical Center in Bullhead City as the most expensive, followed by Dignity Health's Mercy Gilbert Medical Center and then PRMC. The Bullhead City facility, which charges over seven times what Medicare pays, is owned by the same parent company as PRMC - Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems, the nation's second-largest for-profit hospital chain. Community Health did not return the Republic's phone calls about its pricing practices.
By comparison, the least expensive facility is Yavapai Regional Medical Center in East Prescott Valley. While Western Regional charges an average of $72, 748 for the top 100 procedures, the Prescott facility charges just $25,107. The Medicare survey is based on 2011 data, the most recent available.
Since we're guessing your Payson Roundup won't touch this story (PRMC is a major Roundup advertiser and has a tight relationship with the paper), you can read the entire Republic story by picking up a copy of today's edition or clicking on azcentral.com. Better yet, support responsible journalism by subscribing to the Republic by calling 1-800-332-6733.
If the Roundup does do a story, we're betting it's because of the Gazette Blog's coverage, and it'll be interesting to see how they spin it. Here's a few "spins" we anticipate: 1) The markup may be high, but that's not what Medicare actually pays. 2) Of course health care is going to cost more in a small community. 3) You get what you pay for.
3 comments:
Charges in the thousands of dollars for routine administration of medicine or un-needed proceedures are quite common. We have been charged for things which we did not receive, and charged outrageously for normal, expected care.
Somehow a full investigation is desperately needed.
And how would those "spins" be unreasonable if true?
yeah they charge these outrageous amounts and pay their employees low wages. You should do a story on the turnover at PRMC with the nursing staff under CNO Hart Hintze and Director Tammy Dewees which is among the highest in the nation, Hardly one seasoned nurse left on Med/Surg! All new graduates. I think this sends a message loud and clear. A mass exodus of nurses under the current leadership.
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