Dive Brief:
- An investigation by the Tampa Bay Times found that Florida hospitals are charging high fees for trauma services.
- The newspaper found that single-time charges for trauma centers are as high as $33,000, with the average fee sitting around $10,000. The highest fees were for Hospital Corporation of America hospitals, whose six trauma centers in Florida had an average bill of almost $125,000, or $40,000 more than other trauma centers in the state.
- Overall the trauma fees have cost Florida patients more than $500 million since 2010.
Dive Insight:
Trauma pricing is a controversial subject in many areas of the country, where the local trauma center treats many low income patients with extremely expensive injuries like gunshot wounds. The argument generally arises that if trauma centers don't charge enough, they won't be able to keep their doors open, and community members will have to travel many miles if they are severely wounded. In HCA's case, however, the pricing seems less defensible, given that it doesn't seem to be achieving markedly better outcomes than its peers despite charging far more.