Western PA region spends more on healthcare than comparable regions

The Pittsburgh region uses "substantially" more healthcare services than comparable cities, costing the region an extra $187 million a year, according to a report released today. With competition for medical services likely to heat up between the region's two healthcare titans, UPMC and Highmark, the Pittsburgh Business Group on Health commissioned the study to better understand how hospital capacity might affect health care spending. The organization is a nonprofit coalition of more than 80 companies that seeks to find ways to lower costs and increase value in health care.