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HealthPartners expands online cost, quality information
New information for more than 3,000 hospitals nationwide
November 6, 2006
Bloomington, Minn. — HealthPartners is expanding the cost and quality information available on healthpartners.com to include 3,400 hospitals across the nation.
The information allows HealthPartners members and the public to compare facilities for 93 high-volume procedures and conditions such as heart bypass surgery, pneumonia care and neo-natal intensive care. Hospitals and clinics are ranked with one to four dollar signs representing cost and stars for clinical quality, patient experience, safety and electronic capabilities.
The expanded cost and quality information comes as HealthPartners expands its network through an alliance between HealthPartners and CIGNA HealthCare. Beginning Jan 1, 2007, the alliance will offer coast-to-coast coverage with HealthPartners and CIGNA's combined networks.
"This national online information is especially useful for HealthPartners members who travel and for employees in companies with offices in other states," said Scott Aebischer, senior vice president of customer service and product innovation. The national information builds on HealthPartners regional consumer cost and quality information for hospitals and clinics.
For example, the website features information for more than one hundred common services and procedures such as knee replacements, routine eye care and MRIs. Members can select Best Choice providers that offer the best value for a procedure. The site also allows consumers to estimate annual medical expenses based on age/gender or based on any of 52 of the most common acute and chronic conditions from ear infection to diabetes.
About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serve more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit health care organization in the nation, providing care, coverage, research and education to improve the health of members, patients and the community. For the third year in a row, HealthPartners is rated one of the best commercial health plans in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, NCQA's "America's Best Health Plans 2007" and is ranked "Highest in Member Satisfaction among Commercial Health Plans in the Minnesota-Wisconsin Region" by J.D. Power and Associates.
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