Those of you planning on moving to Jacksonville, who have preexisting health conditions, BEWARE! Orange Park Medical Center in Jacksonville was recently named one of the most expensive hospitals in the nation, according to the Journal of Health Affairs. The Jacksonville hospital had the fourth highest mark-up over cost of services among the 20 Florida hospitals on the list, and was ranked 8th out of the 50 hospitals in the United States that charge the most for being treated there.
The medical center showed a 1,140 mark-up, which equals out to them charging $1,140 for every $100 in cost. This comes as no surprise in the wake of the 2014 report that revealed that Orange Park Medical Center was the most expensive hospital in the state of Florida, with the same mark-up percentage.
Not only that, but Florida came in second in the country for hospitals with the highest prices, which was based off of Medicare cost reports for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. In the wake of the recent news, Orange Park Medical Center has released a statement stating that the amount that each individual patient pays, varies on the different types of coverage that they have.
The medical center also went on the record stating that it offers little to no-cost care for those with no insurance coverage options. However, in 1997, when Governor Rick Scott was CEO of Columbia/HCA, the company was also accused of fraudulent Medicare billing that exceeded hundreds of millions of dollars. As a result, Scott resigned and Columbia/HCA agreed to pay the federal government over $600 million.
Looks as if the Jacksonville medical center will continue to have similar problems that they once faced back in 1997.