Transparent Healthcare: Comparing Costs September 1, 2009

As I wrote a few days ago, in the future of healthcare, we can access any kind of information we need for our health management. When we have  a medical condition, usually it’s not that easy to find the best hospital for the best treatment at the best cost.  I shared some sites that help compare different clinics and hospitals. But how to compare healthcare costs?

Keith Kaplan at the Digital Pathology Blog found a nice site, Minnesota Healthscores.

Need a colonscopy and want to compare prices?  Much like you can compare prices for other goods and services, if you plan on getting those from a Minnesota health care facility, you can see what it costs across the state.

The price of bananas is readily available at grocery stores. But comparisons of health prices represent “fundamental change in health care,” Pawlenty said. Picking an alternate health provider might even pay the cost of a road trip.

If someone combined all of these tools, we could choose a hospital that really meets our needs. It would make healthcare more transparent.