MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Bayonne Medical Center in Bayonne, N.J., billed Medicare an average of 4 times higher than the national average for the 100 most common procedures, according to the New York Times.

The newspaper highlighted the 10 most expensive hospitals in the U.S. using data released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services earlier this month. The data, culled in 2011 from some 3,000 U.S. hospitals by the government health insurance program, cast light on the vast disparities between what hospitals charge Medicare for the very same treatments.

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Bayonne Medical charged $99,689 for treating each case of chronic lung disease, 5 times as much as other hospitals and 17 times as much as Medicare paid in reimbursement, the Times reported. Hospital officials did not respond to the paper’s request for comment, according to the Times.

Interestingly, hospitals in California and Pennsylvania populated the list almost exclusively.

Other hospitals rounding out the top 10:

• Crozer-Chester Hospital, Upland, Pa.
• Northbay Medical Center, Fairfield, Calif.
• Doctors Medical Center, Modesto, Calif.
• Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Washington Hospital, Freemont, Calif.
• Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Garfield Medical Center, Monterey Park, Calif.
• Regional Medical Center, San Jose, Calif.
• Delaware County Memorial, Drexel Hill, Pa.

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