hospital comparisons

Medicare Provider Utilization and Payment Data - a government site. It has spreadsheets which let you compare the amounts that hospitals charged for various procedures.

I downloaded the inpatient & outpatient spreadsheets, and used the Excel filter options to show data for 3 hospitals in my area - Palmetto Richland, Palmetto Baptist, and Providence.

The inpatient data is surprising to me. In nearly all cases where there is data for all 3 hospitals, Providence shows the lowest charges (Average Covered Charges - this is the amount an uninsured person would have to pay). Their charges are generally way less; in many cases less than half that charged by the other hospitals.

The outpatient data shows more variance - in some cases, Providence has higher charges (Average Estimated Submitted Charges), in some cases lower.

As for hospital ratings/quality of care, these pages provide some comparisons:
Medicare Hospital Compare
LeapFrogGroup Hospital Ratings

In general, Providence has good ratings, though in some cases, Palmetto Richland has better ratings.

I wonder why Providence is able to have lower inpatient charges. Palmetto Richland is the largest one, by number of beds. Maybe fewer uninsured people use Providence, compared to the others? Based on the below articles, that doesn't sound like the case, although it could change as the hospital was just sold this year (which I hadn't heard about til now).

Providence to be sold to for-profit hospital company
Providence will maintain its ties to the Catholic church through the bishop in Charleston and uphold church ethics and religious directives, including its ban on abortions, said Sister Judith Ann Karam, a congregational leader.

Trends, finances drove Providence Hospital sale