Hospital Charges Jump 7.5%
Hospital charges jumped 7.5% last year despite cost-containment efforts and a decline in the average stay from 6.6 days to 6.4 days, according to a private study released today.
The average patient’s bill per stay increased from $3,571 in 1984 to $3,840 last year, according to the study by Equicor, a joint venture of the Hospital Corporation of America and the Equitable Group and Health Insurance Company. The nation’s capital had the highest hospital charges, $6,605 per stay, and California ranked second with an average charge of $5,107 per stay.
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