Of the 50 U.S. hospitals with the highest charges, 20 operate in Florida (40%) and half are owned by a single, for-profit hospital system, according to a study published in the journal Health Affairs.
• The top 50 highest charging hospitals have average charges at 10 times what Medicare allows.
• The average hospital charges 3.4 times what Medicare allows.
• “For-profit” hospitals dominate the highest charging hospital list (49 out of 50).
We have observed the trend in rising Florida costs, and found significant hospital price increases in markets where consolidation has occurred.
Programs like Rising’s Surgical Care Program (SCP) were created to address the hospital cost issue, particularly in Florida – our strongest state for SCP coverage.
The whole goal of SCP is to eliminate the incentive for providers to charge more. All-inclusive, fair rates are negotiated upfront for surgical procedures, so providers’ “standard” charges are removed from the equation. Hospitals seem to be currently unable or unwilling to accept this model, so the program focuses on those procedures that can be performed in an ambulatory surgery center setting. In Florida, Rising provides SCP services in every major market—it will not solve every situation, but it can be a major factor in controlling skyrocketing hospital costs.
