Some U.S. hospitals might be charging private insurers twice as much for knee and hip replacements as the implants typically cost, new research suggests.
It’s not clear why the discrepancy exists, and an official with a national trade association of hospitals cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from a finding that only involved one insurer.
Still, study co-author Dr. Kenneth Mandl said the results raise questions, especially regarding the fact that insurers aren’t told how much the implants actually cost the hospitals.
