According to the focus group research, the number one reason that people select a hospital is location. Not quality. Not whether you’ll be seen by a physician as opposed to a physician assistant (PA) or nurse practitioner (NP). Not even cost. Location.
I believe some of this phenomenon is because of the lack of information available to consumers. Most hospitals advertise that they offer top-notch care. Texas law allows hospitals to conceal the credentials and performance reviews of their physicians. And it’s hard to get answers on what the all-in price for a surgery, procedure, or treatment will be. Location, on the other hand, is within everyone’s common knowledge.
Thanks to a 2019 federal law requiring hospitals to release to the public their standard charges, there’s some long-needed light shining on the pricing metric. Unfortunately, only 40% of the largest hospitals in Texas have even bothered to comply with the law, and Houston area hospitals are the worst.
According to a recent study released by the renowned Baker Institute at Rice University, non-compliant hospitals include:
• Memorial Hermann Hospital System
• Houston Methodist Hospital
• HCA Houston Healthcare Clear Lake
Time will tell if these large hospitals get slapped with fines that the national law allows.
The Baker Institute study also looked at the price differences at some well-known Houston hospitals based on two health insurance plans, Blue Cross Blue Shield and UnitedHealthcare PPO. The price disparity among some the hospitals is astounding.
Staggering price differences
For patients insured with a UnitedHealthcare PPO plan, here are the different costs for an open-heart surgery:
• Houston Methodist Hospital: $129,866
• Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center: $60,066
• Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center: $54,766
All three hospitals are comprehensive academic hospitals. The price difference for the same surgery is a jaw-dropping $75,000!
For a mental health admission for psychosis, there was also a big price difference:
• Houston Methodist Hospital: $3,728
• Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center: $18,170
• Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center: $16,605
Here are the figures for spinal fusion:
• Houston Methodist Hospital: $98,640
• Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center: $57,629
• Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center: $52,788
Here, the same procedure at Baylor costs just over one-half of the Methodist price.
Standard of care
Regardless of cost differences, Texas law requires that hospitals, physicians, and specialists exercise the same standard of care. Whether hospitals and others meet the standard of care is another matter.
When making an informed choice, consumers should consider other factors in addition to location and pricing.
• The Texas Medical Board provides free public access to medical malpractice and disciplinary history of physicians and physician assistants.
• Hospital websites also contain useful information about the accreditations and certifications that they hold, as well as physician staffing and services offered.
If you’ve been seriously injured because of poor hospital care in Texas, contact a top-rated, experienced Texas medical malpractice attorney for a free consultation about your potential case.
