Other Helpful Listings

20 Most Expensive Conditions Requiring Hospital Stay, 2006 (pdf)

Heart disease (patients often received PTCA or CABG procedures), childbirth, heart attack (AMI), congestive heart failure (CHF), sepsis, osteoarthritis, pneumonia, complication of a device, implant or graft, and respiratory failure were the top 10 of a list of 20 health conditions that cost the nation the most in hospital charges in 2006 - to the tune of 52% of the total national hospital bill. Bills to private insurance included back pain and complications of surgical procedures or medical care in their top 10; Medicare had Stroke and cardiac dysrhythmias in their top ten; Medicaid included schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disorders; and the uninsured included skin infections, major injuries and fractures, & diabetes hospitalization. 12-page Statistical Brief #59 by AHRQ uses 2006 HCUP data; released September 2008

AMA: 266 Clinical Performance Measures for Physicians, 2009 (pdf)  

The American Medical Association's Consortium for Performance Improvement has agreed on 266 measures in 42 clinical topics, that are supported by evidenced-based clinical guidelines. Topics include diabetes, asthma, COPD, heart care, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, stroke, pneumonia, emergency care, prenatal testing, cancer screening, smoking, prostate cancer care, ear and eye problems, depression, surgical infection prevention, GERD, end-stage renal disease, chronic kidney disease, substance abuse, wound care and more. Written for medical professionals, but consumers might learn something about appropriate physician care

Colorado 2008 Hospital Charges & Length of Stay (pdf)

Find 2008 average charges (prices), a likely range of costs, number of patients and average length of stay by CO hospital name, for 35 common inpatient medical conditions and surgical procedures. Shown by region, e.g. Denver area. At the end of each category (APR-DRG), statewide total averages are shown. You may read the pages free on online, but to be able to print any page, you may have to purchase the $250 report (322 pages). Published by the Colorado Hospital Association Aug. 2009

Fact Sheets on Safety  

A great set of safety fact sheets (over 80 topics) from the National Safety Council. Check out Agricultural Safety during planting and harvest seasons, or the other categories: Healthy Living (includes Halloween safety), Environment, On the Road (including Cell phone safety, under D for Distracted Driving), and School Bus Safety

Five Most Costly Medical Conditions, 2006 (2009 pdf)

Heart conditions, trauma-related disorders, mental disorders, cancer and asthma were identified as the top 5 most costly illnesses in 2006. Medical expenditures (payments) according to MEPS data (household component) show average costs were $5176 for a cancer patient, $3964 for someone with heart disease, $1953 per trauma patient, $1591 for mental health care, and $1059 for someone with asthma. Average out of pocket payments by consumers ranged from 8.2% to 25% of these expenditures. Heart disease accounted for $78 billion in payments in 2006. AHRQ Statistical Brief 248, July 2009

Guide to Clinical Preventive Services 2009  

Recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) for over 90 Screening tests, Preventive Medication, Immunizations, and Counseling activities. Sample Topics: Screening Mammography at age 50 instead of age 40 (updated), Cancer (e.g. which is more cost effective - colonoscopy or fecal occult blood testing for colorectal cancer?), recommended screening for bladder cancer or skin cancer, Heart Disease (including aspirin for prevention), smoking cessation, screening for depression in children, diabetes screening, folic acid supplements, glaucoma screening, COPD and spirometry

Minnesota - Adverse Health Events in MN Hospitals & Ambulatory Surgery Ctrs 2010

Report of 301 adverse health events required to be reported by Minn. law, that occurred in hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and behavioral health hospitals. These [Never Events] such as falls or pressure ulcers (bedsores) that resulted in a patient's death or serious disability, or a foreign object left in during surgery, or operating on the wrong patient or wrong body part, were reported between October 2008 and Oct. 2009. View facility-specific data in the pdf (linked on the right side of the page), or use the searchable database. Adverse Events in the 2010 report came from 58 hospitals and 4 ambulatory surgery centers. Report by MN Department of Health Jan. 2010

New Hampshire Costs - Outpatient Surgery, Tests and Maternity

Shows typical prices for many outpatient procedures, plus inpatient maternity care. NH Health Cost shows expected average cost for over 30 common tests and ambulatory surgeries including colonoscopy, mammogram, ER visit; chest x-ray or x-ray for spine, shoulder, knee, ankle, or foot; bone density scan, CT scan (3 types), MRI for back, brain, knee, or pelvis; myocardial imaging; arthrocentesis, arthroscopy of knee, breast biopsy, destruction of lesion, outpatient gall bladder surgery, hernia repair, kidney stone removal, tonsillectomy, breast ultrasound, and other maternity ultrasound tests, births. Site uses 2007-2008 costs increased by 5% for price inflation, common language instead of requiring codes, and includes physician fees. Must supply zip code and insurance information (or no insurance). Report by The NH Department of Insurance updated 2009

New York City Public Hospitals and Nursing Home Ratings 2009  

Compare quality of care ratings for 11 NYC public hospitals (Bellevue, Coney Island, Elmhurst in Flushing, Harlem, Jacobi, Kings County, Lincoln, Metropolitan, North Central Bronx, Queens in Jamaica, and Woodhull in Brooklyn). Topics: heart care and survival rates for heart attack and heart failure; pneumonia, and preventing infections associated with central lines, ventilators (VAP) and surgery. Four nursing homes (Coler-Goldwater, Gourverneur, McKinney, Sea View)also can be compared for pressure ulcers (bedsores), pain management and preventing falls. NYC.gov site uses 2006-2008 data. Nice site, with improved format for facility-specific information. Impressive gains have been made in reducing infections. Editor's pick for the hospital Infections info & nursing home comparisons

Oklahoma - Average Hospital Inpatient Charges, 2007

Find the average charge (closest available to inpatient cost) for a hospital stay by Principal Diagnosis (i.e., disease) or DRG. Statewide or county-specific statistics on volume and average length of stay also found in this dataset. May specify data for a certain age group and sex. Geared to researchers and health care professionals, rather than for consumers. If this website was meant for consumers, it would get the User-Unfriendly Award. 2007 data are the most recent available from the OK State Dept. of Health's Health Care Information

Vermont - 2009 ER and Outpatient Diagnostic Service Prices (pdf)  

Compare 2009 hospital prices for physician office visit (new patient averages $49 to $465), Emergency Room, lab work, x-ray & imaging tests. MRI charges averaged $1850 [head & neck] to $2911 [brain] with physician fee, CT scan of head, neck, chest, spine, pelvis, abdomen; mammograms average $327 to $360 with physician charge; ER costs averaged $207 to $1135, depending on Level 1 to 5 (individual cities may be higher or lower), before adding charges for tests or procedures. Specific test prices for urinalysis, glucose, Metabolic Panel ($39 low; $213 high), PSA (average $109), CBC (range $35 to $84), strep test, Pap test, pregnancy test (range $20 to $83), blood typing, OB ultrasound (average $669), bone density dexa scan (avg. $388 with MD fee, listed under x-ray), Cardiology EKG ($1375 for stress EKG) and more. CPT codes listed. Probably the best State site for hospital outpatient diagnostic test and ER cost comparison. Prices good through Sept. 30, 2009. Titles of Tables 3A through 3I are too skimpy to tell you what they contain, so you may have to look through multiple Tables

Vermont - Hospital Outpatient Surgery Prices, 2008 (pdf)  

Compare average gross charge (the closest you will get to average cost) for most common outpatient surgical procedures at 14 general hospitals in VT. Prices for procedures such as colonoscopy ($1859 state average, with low of $1255 at Porter Hospital to high of $2816 at North Country), colon polyp removal ($2409 average), cataract surgery (average $4575), endoscopy (stomach endoscopy prices range from $1356 at Southwestern to $3313 at Fletcher Allen), fetal monitoring (average $596), knee cartilage surgery ($5400 average), shoulder surgery, gall bladder removal (average $9353, range $7279 to $20,093 for laparoscopy), breast biopsy (avg. $3068), other biopsies, ear tubes (average $2293), cardiac catheterization (avg. $8271), tonsillectomy (about $4400), nerve block, bunion removal (range $4383 to $10,304), D & C ($3849) and many more procedures; 12-month avg. charges ending Sept. 30, 2008. As with all of Vermont's reports, the font size is about as small as you can get. Nonetheless, Editor's Pick