Abnormal heart beat? Hospitals charge between $10k and $53k

(Harrisburg) — A recent report reveals how successful midstate hospitals have been at treating heart attacks, chest pain, and abnormal heartbeats. Butit also details the wide discrepancies between what they charge for the same procedures.

For an abnormal heartbeat, Barnes Kasson hospital, near the New York – PA border in Susquehanna County, charged an average of about $13,500 in 2013.

But for treatment for the same condition at Berwick Hospital in Columbia County, the average price was nearly four times higher, at about $53,000.

However, the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council points out this is just the average charge, not what patients actually pay.And the numbers don’t account for how sick patients might be when they arrive in the emergency room.

That makes it difficult to encourage competition in the health care world, says Doctor Dennis Scanlon, a professor of health policy and administration at Penn State.

“If we look at this case of [13,500] to $53,000, it could be that the $53,000 charge at this particular hospital actually is getting paid $18,000 or $15,000 or something along the lines of everyone else.”

Scanlon says even in emergency care, insurance carriers can foster competition by setting a base price, and requiring patients to pay any costs above it.

“Even in emergent conditions, sure at that point, it’s hard to believe that patients are going to be shopping around on price, but I think facilities are smart enough to know that once this variation is disclosed, that lowers their negotiating leverage,” adds Scanlon.

In California, the Public Employee Retirement System did just that for two procedures, and hospitals eventually adjusted prices around the base level.