A research letter published in the Feb. 28 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) finds that some hospitals may charge private insurers double the typical cost for knee and hip implants. 

The research team reviewed claims data from a single insurer on 40,372 patients who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty and 23,570 patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty. They found that the average selling price (ASP) to hospitals for knee implants was $5023.01, while the mean insurance payment was $10,604.52. Similarly, the ASP for hip implants was $5619.75 and the mean insurance payment was $11,751.25. Learn more...