Hip replacement price

The price of a hip replacement, a common elective procedure in the U.S., is hard to find and costs vary widely, complicating patients’ ability to comparison shop, a study found.

Only 16 percent of hospitals surveyed were able to provide pricing information for hospital and physician costs, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

When hospitals and doctors were contacted separately, full pricing was available for an additional 47 percent. The prices given varied almost 10-fold across the hospitals, the study found.

The prices given to the researchers ranged from $12,500 to $105,000 for total hip replacements at top-ranked hospitals and $11,100 and $125,798 at other facilities.

Waiting on Verizon

Verizon Wireless doesn’t plan to offer the new BlackBerry Q10 keyboard-equipped smartphone until summer, signaling that customers will have to wait four months or more for the device.

BlackBerry has said that the Q10 will be available as soon as April. The phone complements the touch-screen Z10 model, which is already available in some markets, though not the U.S.

Porsche recall

Porsche is recalling more than 2,250 of its 2012-13 911 models because part of the exhaust system can fall off.

In a report posted on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Porsche said the models are the 911 Carrera, 911 Carrera Cabriolet, 911 Carrera 4 and the 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet equipped with the 3.4-liter, 6-cylinder engine and the standard rear muffler exhaust system.

Models with the optional sport exhaust are not affected.

Confidence climbs

Confidence among American households rose more than projected in February, a gain that could boost consumer buying, the largest part of the economy.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment climbed to 77.6 from 73.8 in January.

Limit on Vanguard funds

Vanguard Group said two funds, including the $68 billion Vanguard Wellington Fund, won’t open new accounts for financial advisers and institutional investors.

The Wellington fund and the $39 billion Intermediate-Term Tax-Exempt Fund will remain open to new retail clients and to deposits from all existing customers.

Vanguard plans to open an emerging markets government bond index fund and exchange-traded version by the end of June.