The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released in May the average charges for the 100 most common Medicare inpatient procedures, demonstrating the wide variation in hospital charges for the same procedures. On June 3, 2013, CMS also unveiled selected hospital outpatient data, including estimated average charges for 30 types of hospital outpatient procedures for Medicare beneficiaries.
The release of both sets of data is a step toward greater transparency, which will enable the public to make more informed decisions. Additionally, the release of this data will allow researchers and policymakers to better understand variations in Medicare spending and utilization.
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