Community Corner
See What Niles-Area Hospitals Billed Medicare for Common Procedures
On average, Advocate Lutheran General bills Medicare less than the U.S. average, while Resurrection Medical Center bills one to two times more than the U.S. average for treatments.
When a patient arrives at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital needing major joint replacement, the hospital bills Medicare $43,858, while at nearby Resurrection Medical Cneter, the hospital bills Medicare $53,364 for the same treatment, according to a massive federal database of national health care costs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services made public Wednesday.
On average, Advocate Lutheran General and Skokie Hospital bill Medicare less than the U.S. average, while Resurrection Medical Center bills one to two times more than the U.S. average for treatments, according to a database compiled by New York Times, which is searchable by ZIP code or state.
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For the first time people can see in detail how much the vast majority of American hospitals charged for the top 100 most common procedures billed to Medicare. The database covers claims filed within fiscal year 2011 and includes 163,065 individual charges recorded at 3,337 hospitals in 306 metropolitan areas, Huffington Post reported.
Illinois hospitals on average charged about the same as the national average for procedures such as major lower joint replacement, pneumonia, breathing problem with ventilator, chest pain and heart failure, according to the database compiled by Washington Post, which is searchable by state.
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The University of Chicago Medical Center and Gottlieb Memorial Hospital had some of the highest prices for treatments among Chicago-area hospitals in 2011, according to Crain’s Chicago Business.
Here’s a look at how much Evanston hospitals charged for common treatments:
Treatment
Hospital Name
Number of Cases
Avg. Amount Billed Medicare
Avg. Amount Paid by Medicare
Major Joint Replacement
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
505
$43,858
$17,795
Resurrection Medical Center
215
$53,364
$15,656
Skokie Hospital
279
$50,086
$15,112
Chest Pain
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
159
$14,418
$4,232
Resurrection Medical Center
32
$20,641
$3,679
Skokie Hospital
35
$16,155
$4,008
Pulmonary Embolism (clot)
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
44
$30,153
$8,908
Resurrection Medical Center
20
$32,672
$7,565
Skokie Hospital
15
$33,717
$7,868
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