TY  - JOUR
T1  - HOspital services in the united states and canada
AU  - Linquist PR
Y1  - 1998/08/19
N1  - 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-280-7-jbk0819
JO  - JAMA
SP  - 599
EP  - 600
VL  - 280
IS  - 7
N2  - 
To the Editor.—The cost comparison of hospital costs in Canada vs the United States by Dr Bell and colleagues1 has a major flaw. Most nongovernmental hospitals in the United States have a multitiered pricing system. The highest level would likely be quoted with a telephone inquiry if a person were paying on a cash basis. The average actual reimbursement for all payers in the United States would likely be 30% to 60% lower than the high-level cash-basis quotation (Michael Laidlaw, Mills-Peninsula Hospitals, oral communication, July 15, 1998).

SN  - 0098-7484
M3  - doi: 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-280-7-jbk0819
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-280-7-jbk0819
ER  -