Becker's Hospital Review

12 CFO / FINANCE The average cost of a hospital COVID-19 test in each state By Alia Paavola T he cost of getting a standard COVID-19 test at hospitals varies drastically by state, according to a nationwide study conducted by Hospital Pricing Specialists. For the analysis, Hospital Pricing Specialists reviewed billing data from 2,862 hospitals across the U.S. to determine the average price of a nasal swab COVID-19 test. e claims reviewed had the Current Procedural Termi- nology code 87635. e state with the highest average cost is New Jersey at a price of $302, whereas the lowest cost is in Maryland at $62. Here is the average charge for a hospital na- sal swab COVID-19 test in the 50 states and Washington, D.C.: Alabama — $190 Alaska — $201 Arizona — $141 Arkansas — $240 California — $143 Colorado — $146 Connecticut — $137 Delaware — $115 District of Columbia — $249 Florida — $129 Georgia — $198 Hawaii — $226 Idaho — $125 Illinois — $188 Indiana — $176 Iowa — $143 Kansas — $147 Kentucky — $142 Louisiana — $174 Maine — $215 Maryland — $62 Massachusetts — $169 Michigan — $134 Minnesota — $175 Mississippi — $158 Missouri — $161 Montana — $122 Nebraska — $173 Nevada — $111 New Hampshire — $190 New Jersey — $302 New Mexico — $172 New York — $175 North Carolina — $140 North Dakota — $141 Ohio — $161 Oklahoma — $174 Oregon — $141 Pennsylvania — $166 Rhode Island — $91 South Carolina — $113 South Dakota —$161 Tennessee — $140 Texas — $167 Utah — $149 Vermont — $169 Virginia — $122 Washington — $185 West Virginia — $161 Wisconsin — $151 Wyoming — $149 n Tenet strikes $1.1B deal for 45 surgery centers By Ayla Ellison D allas-based Tenet Healthcare is acquiring up to 45 ambulatory surgery centers from Towson, Md.- based SurgCenter Development, according to a Dec. 10 news release from Tenet. Tenet will purchase majority interests in up to 45 centers in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, New Hampshire, Texas and Wisconsin. Tenet will fully acquire SurgCenter Development's interest in the centers and par- tially acquire interests from physician partners. The centers will be operated by Tenet's United Surgical Partners Inter- national subsidiary. Under the deal, Tenet will pay about $1.1 billion in cash and assume approximately $18 million in debt. As of Dec. 10, the company had completed the acquisition of most of the 45 centers. Pending state approvals, Tenet expected to acquire the remaining centers by the end of 2020, but had not released an update by the time of publication. "This is a transformative transaction within our stated strat- egy to expand our ambulatory platform," Tenet Executive Chair and CEO Ron Rittenmeyer said in a news release. "It will enhance our overall business mix and further diversify our earnings profile by accelerating our shift toward lower cost of care, consumer-friendly, faster-growing assets for Tenet, USPI and our physician and health system partners." n

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