Wide variation seen in Medicare charges across Ohio

Newly released federal data on hospital charges shows dramatic variation in costs throughout Ohio (Source: “Medical charges vary widely across Ohio,” Newark Advocate, May 9, 2013).

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services made public this week the average charges for the 100 most frequently billed services in fiscal year 2011 paid by Medicare. The data covers 3,201 U.S. hospitals, including 131 in Ohio, and allows users to compare costs between facilities.

One example of the variation in Ohio is that the discharges from Wooster Community Hospital for patients with a heart attack averaged $9,631, the lowest in the state. Meanwhile, at the Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, the bill submitted to Medicare would be a state-high $92,976, on average.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has posted an online tool that allows users to explore the database to see average costs charged by hospitals.