The New York Health Accountability Foundation released a report card rating hospitals in the state. The report, which was produced by IPRO and funded by a grant from the New York Business Group for Health, shows that the cost of a surgery can vary by as much as 100 percent between competing hospitals. Critics have warned for years that hospital charge data can be misleading as prices often do not reflect the final costs of procedures. Some observers believe the trend toward releasing cost data for surgeries may lead providers to structure bills "more creatively" in an effort to maintain competitive pricing.
- check out this article from the Albany Times Union