Website compares cost, quality among Massachusetts hospitals
Residents of Massachusetts can now compare the cost and quality of care at different hospitals as part of a state plan to put more information in the hands of consumers and thereby control healthcare costs.
According to the Boston Globe, a new website, www.mass.gov/myhealthcareoptions, gives consumers access to previously confidential information about how much insurers pay individual hospitals for surgical procedures such as knee and hip replacements and for treating illnesses such as pneumonia. It also allows comparisons of patient satisfaction ratings and patient safety measures at different hospitals.
The website was required as part of the state's mandatory health insurance law. Since 2006, more than 442,000 people have enrolled in health insurance programs, and the state now has the smallest percentage of uninsured adults in the country; however the cost of the subsidized insurance is rising fast, the Globe reported.
JudyAnn Bigby, MD, secretary of Health and Human Services for the state, said that while it remains to be seen how improved access to price and quality information will impact decision-making, “our hope is that the website will empower consumers to spend healthcare dollars more efficiently and motivate providers to improve quality and decrease their costs.”
Bigby is chairwoman of the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council, which oversees the site. The council collected payment data from all private health insurers in the state, the Globe reported.
According to the Boston Globe, a new website, www.mass.gov/myhealthcareoptions, gives consumers access to previously confidential information about how much insurers pay individual hospitals for surgical procedures such as knee and hip replacements and for treating illnesses such as pneumonia. It also allows comparisons of patient satisfaction ratings and patient safety measures at different hospitals.
The website was required as part of the state's mandatory health insurance law. Since 2006, more than 442,000 people have enrolled in health insurance programs, and the state now has the smallest percentage of uninsured adults in the country; however the cost of the subsidized insurance is rising fast, the Globe reported.
JudyAnn Bigby, MD, secretary of Health and Human Services for the state, said that while it remains to be seen how improved access to price and quality information will impact decision-making, “our hope is that the website will empower consumers to spend healthcare dollars more efficiently and motivate providers to improve quality and decrease their costs.”
Bigby is chairwoman of the Massachusetts Health Care Quality and Cost Council, which oversees the site. The council collected payment data from all private health insurers in the state, the Globe reported.