Wildly different prices for the same medical procedures, sometimes in the same towns, are prompting doctors and hospitals across the nation to experiment with new ways to cut unpredictable healthcare spending. In one closely watched test beginning in August, several of California's best-known healthcare providers—including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the UCLA Health System and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach—will begin charging lump-sum fees for hip and knee replacements, the Los Angeles Times reports.
