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Table 1  Prices by type of insurance plan

From: Large variations in hospital pricing for standard procedures revealed

 

Plan type

 
  

List price

Cash price

Medicare

Medicaid

Veterans/Tricare

Commercial/Other

Total

P-value

Abdominal Ultrasound (reported by 1861 hospitals)

 

(N = 1447)

(N = 2003)

(N = 5083)

(N = 2137)

(N = 819)

(N = 33,432)

(N = 44,921)

 
        

< .0001

N

1447

2003

5083

2137

819

33,432

44,921

 

Mean

1257.2

866.4

268.5

198.7

269.4

671.3

623.5

 

SD

1265.96

1413.73

413.85

590.68

349.79

889.45

900.02

 

Median

1036

617.6

118.4

113

112.8

532.5

444

 

CV

101%

163%

154%

297%

130%

132%

144%

 

IQR

738, 1557

321, 978

107, 199

70, 193

103, 302

232, 862

160, 833

 

Range

23, 39,796

0, 42,640

2, 2589

0, 24,141

44, 2845

0, 37,806

0, 42,640

 

Diagnostic Colonoscopy (reported by 1279 hospitals)

 

(N = 877)

(N = 1181)

(N = 3771)

(N = 1350)

(N = 572)

(N = 21,532)

(N = 29,283)

 
        

< .0001

N

877

1181

3771

1350

572

21,532

29,283

 

Mean

4822.6

2940.2

907.4

674.3

959.8

2510.5

2275.7

 

SD

8872.55

5421.44

611.37

633.9

1012.69

3101.48

3368.21

 

Median

2706

1734.9

764

480.8

719.1

1913

1541.9

 

CV

184%

184%

67%

94%

106%

124%

148%

 

IQR

1585, 4249

1009, 2958

693, 895

375, 762

684, 794

1033, 3284

769, 2864

 

Range

1, 93,050

0, 69,788

100, 9014

0, 7528

102, 13,212

0, 330,372

0, 330,372

 

Kidney Function Blood Test Panel (reported by 1815 hospitals)

 

(N = 1398)

(N = 1911)

(N = 4118)

(N = 1685)

(N = 631)

(N = 30,685)

(N = 40,428)

 
        

< .0001

N

1398

1911

4118

1685

631

30,685

40,428

 

Mean

253.8

191.5

43.7

35.8

52.6

143

133.1

 

SD

733.74

569.6

315.64

234.88

164.1

550.96

528.43

 

Median

161

85.2

8.7

9.4

8.7

73

57.9

 

CV

289%

297%

722%

656%

312%

385%

397%

 

IQR

89, 280

42, 157

9, 10

8, 17

9, 47

21, 153

12, 139

 

Range

3, 18,435

0, 12,904

2, 6490

1, 6012

3, 2276

0, 17,513

0, 18,435

 

Knee arthroscopic cartilage removal (reported by 908 hospitals)

 

(N = 519)

(N = 772)

(N = 2261)

(N = 730)

(N = 455)

(N = 13,942)

(N = 18,679)

 
        

< .0001

N

519

772

2261

730

455

13,942

18,679

 

Mean

12,104

7853.5

2769.8

2252.1

3343.3

7872.6

7041.7

 

SD

11,226.32

6895.23

1499.78

12,082.02

3711.02

7264.83

7473.17

 

Median

9156.1

5541.4

2615.9

1486

2527.9

5738.4

4437

 

CV

93%

88%

54%

536%

111%

92%

106%

 

IQR

4499, 15,796

3009, 10,575

2377, 3029

823, 2148

2414, 2816

2707, 11,119

2482, 9302

 

Range

210, 101,792

0, 40,717

100, 31,294

0, 324,864

215, 58,390

0, 226,444

0, 324,864

 

MRI scan of brain (reported by 1846 hospitals)

 

(N = 1398)

(N = 1975)

(N = 4971)

(N = 2047)

(N = 783)

(N = 31,902)

(N = 43,076)

 
        

< .0001

N

1398

1975

4971

2047

783

31,902

43,076

 

Mean

4979.9

3294.3

750.8

698.2

1011.3

2518.5

2316

 

SD

2909.51

5889.33

752.65

849.78

1380.84

2334.74

2603.44

 

Median

4370.1

2482.2

417.8

445.1

384.2

1943.1

1620

 

CV

58%

179%

100%

122%

137%

93%

112%

 

IQR

3114, 6112

1388, 3886

366, 823

293, 732

347, 1148

853, 3551

576, 3333

 

Range

18, 26,472

0, 231,400

14, 8879

0, 8982

90, 11,255

0, 57,090

0, 231,400

 

Pelvis CT Scan with Contrast (reported by 1776 hospitals)

 

(N = 1366)

(N = 1900)

(N = 4383)

(N = 1748)

(N = 738)

(N = 29,987)

(N = 40,122)

 
        

< .0001

N

1366

1900

4383

1748

738

29,987

40,122

 

Mean

2875.7

1973.3

401.6

382.7

558.1

1459.8

1353.2

 

SD

1783.58

3003.03

650.86

516.16

847.98

1909.08

1894.02

 

Median

2478.5

1381.6

199.4

236.3

186.5

1192.9

1027.8

 

CV

62%

152%

162%

135%

152%

131%

140%

 

IQR

1754, 3366

822, 2223

177, 446

146, 400

168, 641

500, 1969

350, 1871

 

Range

19, 14,317

0, 99,320

20, 12,678

0, 6012

62, 8435

0, 185,482

0, 185,482

 
  1. MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; CT: computed tomography; SD: standard deviation; CV: coefficient of variation; IQR: interquartile range