Massillon hospital’s parent highest biller in America

Community Health Systems, the largest for-profit hospital operator in America, bills 10 times the Medicare rate. Half the 50 top billers are with CHS. That may help account for its $18 billion in profits last year.

CHS, like other hospitals, doesn’t get anything beyond the Medicare rate from Medicare. But the billing rate helps drive up the discount price to companies with a large base.

Franklin, Tennessee-based CHS affiliates own, operate or lease 203 hospitals in 29 states with approximately 31,100 licensed beds.

That includes Affinity Medical Center in Massillon and three other hospitals in Youngstown and Warren.

CHS began in 1985. It was sold in 1996 for $1.1 billion to Forstmann Little & Company. CHS went public in 2000 but pays no dividends.

It is buying Health Management Associates for $3.6 billion.

In 2014 hackers broke into Community Health System's system and stole names, Social Security numbers, physical addresses, birthdays and telephone numbers of 4.5 million patients.

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http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/10/health/most-expensive-hospitals/index.html