WA, other states give on-line price, quality data
Various comparisons offered
The latest initiative by the Seattle-based Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) and its 97 member hospitals is a web site that provides hospital-specific price and quality information.
The site, made public in late January, provides information on hospital-specific charges for more than 500 types of hospital treatments; hospital-specific performance on quality indicators related to treatments for heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and prevention of infections; and answers to common questions about hospital bills and the availability of charity care and financial assistance.
The site was created in response to requests from state lawmakers and the public for more hospital-specific data, says the WSHA.
In a similar step, the Arkansas Hospital Association has launched Hospital Consumer Assist (www.hospitalconsumerassist.com), a web site that provides Arkansas residents with information on the average prices that individual hospitals charge Medicare for 25 types of inpatient stays.
The prices are based on claims data from the federal Medicare Provider Analysis and Review tapes, and can be used to help patients gauge how much they might be charged for similar care, the association said. The reports also show how the hospitals compare nationally and statewide on each of the 20 measures developed by the Hospital Quality Alliance and posted on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hospital Compare web site.
Prices will differ for each patient, the association cautioned, as discounts may be applied to the price based on negotiated rates with insurance companies or the hospital's discount for the uninsured. It said variation in health plan coverage and discounts also impact patients' out-of-pocket costs.
The Iowa Hospital Association, meanwhile, has unveiled Hospital Pricepoint, a web site that gives free access to data on inpatient charges and services at Iowa facilities.
For each hospital in the state, the web site provides data on average and median inpatient charges for more than 60 diagnoses, and "discount" information for private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.
It allows users to compare inpatient charge data for up to four hospitals at once and inpatient charges by severity of illness within a service area.
The latest initiative by the Seattle-based Washington State Hospital Association (WSHA) and its 97 member hospitals is a web site that provides hospital-specific price and quality information.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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