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Weeks before a surgical center was to open, managers and consultants met to discuss pricing and contracting. The first consultant suggested the ASC ask for 200 percent of Medicare and never take less than 120 percent of Medicare. The second consultant suggested the center set prices at 50 percent of the local hospital's prices. The third consultant favored pricing the services using Ingenix?s pricing product. I was beginning to think of a punch line for "How many MBAs does it take to set prices for a surgery center?"
