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Medical and Surgical Supply Costs: Case Study of a Costly Low-Cost Technology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Mae Thamer ,
Kevin J. Fitzpatrick  and
Seymour Perry
Mae Thamer
Affiliation:
Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute
Kevin J. Fitzpatrick
Affiliation:
Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute
Seymour Perry
Affiliation:
Medical Technology and Practice Patterns Institute and WHO Collaborating Center for Health Technology Assessment
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Abstract

There is a paucity of research regarding the contribution of “low-cost” technologies to the escalation of medical costs in the United States. We examined total charges for medical and surgical supplies (MSS) among all hospitalized Medicare beneficiaries in 1994; a total of US $16.8 billion was spent on MSS, or $1,397 per hospitalization. For selected surgical procedures, both the proportion of total hospital charges attributed to MSS and the mean charge per hospitalization were considerably higher. Concerns regarding excessive payments for MSS and the lack of accountability by the Medicare program are discussed. Itemization of MSS supplies may serve to eliminate wasteful use and lead to decreased costs.

Type
Special Section: The Use And Abuse Of Low-Cost Technologies
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 13 , Issue 4 , Fall 1997 , pp. 526 - 536
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1997

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References

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