Shop and Compare for Healthcare

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Most of us don’t really price shop for medical procedures. Getting an estimate on knee surgery isn’t the same as calling half a dozen plumbers to get a quote on fixing a leaky drain. That’s because in healthcare, different people pay different prices for the exact same procedures, depending on whether they’re insured, or which insurer they have. And in general, none of those prices are public. But there’s a project afoot in Colorado to change that, to create a new database of who does what procedures, how much they’re charging and whether they’re any good at it. Phil Kalin is the man in charge of that project, he’s the CEO of CIVHC, the non-profit Center for Improving Value in Health Care in Denver.

[Image: FremantleMed]