Through the looking glass: The costs of care

There is a blizzard of questions flying in any health care transaction. From “How are you feeling?” to “Is this a side effect?” to “When would you like to schedule your appointment?” – questions aren’t in short supply. In my last post, I asked the big question that isn’t on the lips of many patients: “How much is that?”
Now it seems that question is on more lips. In the three months since I first asked it here, a number of stories have emerged that show consumers are more interested in cost details than they have been before. Getting that question answered, however, is still a big challenge.
Just last week, on Feb. 13, 2013, the Journal of the American Medical Assn. published an article about the difficulty of getting cash pricing on a hip replacement from U.S. hospitals. The prices at the 100+ facilities that answered the question ranged from $11,100 to $125,800. How is a consumer supposed to make a decision based on that wide an array of pricing?
It’s a little easier when you can add hospital quality metrics from a resource like Medicare’s Hospital Compare site, but what if the top hospital in your area isn’t one that can answer the cost question? Martha Bebinger, a reporter at WBUR in Boston, tried to be an engaged, empowered patient in August of last year when she was scheduled for an MRI to figure out why her migraines were increasing. She just wound up with a worse migraine, and a guess-timate from Mass General of just over $5,000. Lucky for...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - February 19, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Cost Source Type: blogs