Knowledge of medical charges

Ignorance of medical charges by decision-makers could handicap cost control programs. By written survey, we determined the ability and confidence of 267 adults, including 85 health care workers, to estimate four medical charges: epidural anesthesia for childbirth, outpatient hernia surgery, dipyridamole-thallium heart stress test, and a one month supply of nicotine drug patches. Only 36% of the estimated charges fell within 50% of the actual charges for the four medical services. Accuracy did not differ among physicians, non-physician health care workers and consumers; estimates varied greatly with many being extremely low or high. Respondents rated medical charges significantly more difficult to estimate than non-medical. Seventy percent of respondents felt that most physicians do not know enough about medical charges to give good advice and 92% felt that they did not know enough about medical charges to make satisfactory choices.