Web Site Allows Patients to Check Hospital Costs, PricePoint Compiles State Medical Prices

By Melissa McEver, Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas

Mar. 28–Need a hip replacement? Now you can find out how much it will cost.

Texas Hospital Association announced the launch Tuesday of a new Web site that allows consumers to compare the cost of hospital stays and inpatient surgeries across Texas.

The site, Texas PricePoint, compiles charge data from the Texas Department of State Health Services’ annual survey of hospitals and the Texas Health Care Information Collection. Previously, some of that information was available to the public only as raw data, but this Web site makes it easier to access, said Starr West, senior director of policy analysis for THA. Hospitals only recently began disclosing pricing data.

“It’s very comprehensive,” West said, noting that 95 percent of Texas hospitals are represented on the site.

On the Web site, consumers can look up any hospital and find out how much it typically charges for the most common inpatient procedures, including normal childbirth, Ceasarean sections, joint replacements and digestive-related surgeries. Also available are the costs of hospital stays for pneumonia, chest pain, heart failure and other common conditions.

“It will be a consumer-education tool that wasn’t available in the past,” said Patricia Kolodzey, THA director of public policy.

The WHA Information Center, a subsidiary of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, is managing the Texas site under contract with THA.

Rather than simply “comparison shop” based on price, THA officials recommended that consumers investigate hospitals’ quality records as well. The PricePoint site has links to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Hospital Compare, which compares quality data from hospitals throughout the U.S., and to the Joint Commission, which accredits hospitals.

“We’re trying to be education-focused, not just price, price, price,” Kolodzey said. “This way, you can make an educated decision about where a procedure will be performed.”

According to THA officials, the Web site’s launch was a response to state lawmakers’ calls for greater “transparency” in health care, meaning that consumers should be more informed about medical costs and quality measures.

“This is a good first step for Texas,” Kolodzey said.

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Copyright (c) 2007, Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

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