For example, Island Hospital charges Medicare $31,460, on average, for a hip or knee replacement, without major complications, compared with the Washington state average of $52,780 and the national average of $52,063. Medicare pays around $14,000 for the service.
The new data show significant variation across the country and within communities in what hospitals charge for common inpatient services. Even in the Northwest Washington area, charges vary from hospital to hospital.
Washington Post created a good lookup tool. Here's a link to it, with Island Hospital's statistics visible.
Here's a link to the master database at Medicare.
“Currently, consumers don’t know what a hospital is charging them or their insurance company for a given procedure, like a knee replacement, or how much of a price difference there is at different hospitals, even within the same city,” Secretary Sebelius said. “This data and new data centers will help fill that gap.”
The data posted on CMS’s website include information comparing the charges for services that may be provided during the 100 most common Medicare inpatient stays. Hospitals determine what they will charge for items and services provided to patients and these “charges” are the amount the hospital generally bills for an item or service.