As this transparency progresses it's going to be a real eye opener to see how much each hospital gets paid, being both have the same procedure...how much more does one insurance company pay versus the competition...we all seem to think that procedures should be paid the same (the base codes) at each hospital, but once the numbers are posted...we'll all be able to see if this is or is not the case. How this affects hospitals will be interesting as well, with some receiving a higher reimbursement than others, etc. and I'm sure there will be more to the story once this is all visible...BD
Massachusetts consumers soon will have access to information long kept confidential by the healthcare industry: The prices individual hospitals are paid by insurers for performing specific procedures - data state officials hope will encourage comparison shopping and reduce medical costs.
State regulators, who approved the plan yesterday, said their goal is to begin posting the information on the Internet by March. They will spend the next few months deciding what treatment and procedures will be included in the data.
No Massachusetts hospitals are voluntarily disclosing the payments they receive, according to the Massachusetts Hospital Association, but there clearly is wide variation in what insurers pay. Blue Cross and Blue Shield pays from about $3,000 at one Massachusetts hospital to more than $5,000 at another for its HMO members for a normal delivery, including the cost of caring for the mother over a two-day hospital stay. Care of the infant is a separate charge.
Insurance payments for Massachusetts hospital procedures soon online - The Boston Globe
0 comments :
Post a Comment