University hospitals: Cost-efficient leaders in care and research, report says

Kaiser Health News recently reviewed Medicare data to examine the comparative costs of a patient episode of care—defined as covering three days prior to admission to 30 days post discharge—including comparing the national median to the average for U.S. News and World Report's "best hospitals" honor roll, which consists of AMCs. The average cost to Medicare for a patient in these AMCs turned out to be slightly less than the national median spending for all U.S. hospitals. The figures in fact were $17,808 for AMCs versus $17, 988 for the far larger national group of hospitals.