New Web tool increases transparency of prices for healthcare

Allows comparison shopping for nearly 100 services, procedures

March 23, 2009

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. - HealthPartners members can now comparison shop for healthcare services among 500 Minnesota clinics and hospitals. A new Web tool allows members to compare the costs of nearly 100 common health care services, including office visits, X-rays, common lab services and immunizations.

Unlike other cost calculators which provide a cost range or average, HealthPartners Web site lists prices that reflect HealthPartners negotiated rates for members. By logging on to HealthPartners' secure member Web site, members can see prices at both HealthPartners Clinics and most other clinics in the Twin Cities and compare up to three locations at a time for each service or procedure.

"This information increases the level of transparency and gives members, especially those paying out of pocket, information to find the best value," said Scott Aebischer, senior vice president, customer service and product innovation. "For example, depending on where they go, patients could pay $50 or more for something as simple as treating an ear or sinus infection." Members can also use the Web site to check a provider's quality scores.

A HealthPartners study found that consumers with health savings accounts used Web tools 13 percent more often to compare cost and quality. The study also found that costs were more than four percent lower for members in consumer direct health plans due to members choosing lower cost and more efficient providers.

The new price listings are accessible through the Quality & Cost Information section of healthpartners.com. The tool builds on one HealthPartners introduced last fall, which lists specific prices at individual clinics in HealthPartners' open-access network.

---

About HealthPartners
Founded in 1957, the HealthPartners (www.healthpartners.com) family of healthcare companies serves more than one million medical and dental health plan members nationwide. It is the largest consumer-governed, nonprofit healthcare 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".

Contact: 952-883-5308