Federal Medicare Data Show Hospital Costs Highest In Nevada, Lowest In Alaska

A review of the new Medicare spending per beneficiary measure added to the Hospital Compare website found that per-beneficiary costs per hospitalization are highest in Nevada and lowest in Alaska. The "Spending per Hospital Patient with Medicare" measure shows whether Medicare spends more, less, or about the same as the national average per episode of care for patients treated at a specific hospital. The measure includes any Medicare Part A and Part B payments for services provided to a patient three days prior to a hospital stay, during the hospital stay and 30 days after discharge from the hospital . . .