Medicare payments to hospitals, surgeons vary widely

[Image omitted] - (http://www.fiercehealthfinance.com/story/medicare-payments-hospitals-surgeons-vary-widely/2014-04-27) The Medicare program continues to pay hospitals and individual physicians hugely divergent sums for medical procedures, the Fiscal Times reported (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/medicare-data-shows-huge-cost-153500704.html).

While Medicare pays hospitals an average of $50,000 per hip surgery, there are few facilities that actually perform such procedures at that consistent price. The procedure can cost as little as $5,303 at the National Medical Center in Oklahoma. But at Monterey Park Hospital just east of Los Angeles, Medicare pays...