Community Corner

See What Condell Billed Medicare for Common Procedures

On average, Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville bills Medicare more than the U.S. average, while Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital bills less than the U.S. average for treatments.

When a patient arrives at Advocate Condell Medical Center needing major joint replacement, the hospital bills Medicare $64,236, while Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital bills Medicare $38,868 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 Condell in Libertyville and Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan bills Medicare one to two times more than the U.S. average, while Lake Forest Hospital bills less than the U.S. average for treatments, according to a database compiled by New York Times, which is searchable by ZIP code or state. 

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. 

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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. 

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. 

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Here’s a look at how much area hospitals charged for common treatments: 

Treatment

Hospital Name       

 

Number of Cases

Avg. Amount Billed Medicare

Avg. Amount Paid by Medicare

Major Joint Replacement

Condell Libertyville

164

$64,236

$14,198

Lake Forest

249

$38,868

$12,643

Vista East Waukegan

95

$108,613

$15,515

Diabetes

Condell Libertyville

36

$28,327

$5,096

Lake Forest

17

$21,076

$4,736

Vista East Waukegan

31

$24,321

$5,695

Pulmonary Embolism (clot)

Condell Libertyville

19

$43,911

$6,718

Lake Forest

32

$27,609

$6,060

Vista East Waukegan

12

$45,867

$7,193

Related:

How Long is the ER Wait at Nearby Hospitals?


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